On April 27, 2023, Paul E. McGurren, 73, passed away peacefully, bathed in sunshine, fresh air, and birdsongs at the Sussman House in Rockport, Maine, after a fierce two-year battle with cancer.

Paul was born on Valentine’s Day in 1950 in Methuen, Massachusetts.

He graduated as president of his class from Central Catholic High School in Lawrence then studied English at Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, where he made lifelong friends with whom he played football and traveled abroad.

He produced exceptional writing throughout his life, often as a passion project or a second job. After moving to Maine in the late 1970s, Paul worked his way up from prep cook to part-owner at Peter Otts in Camden, where he learned to cook with remarkable speed and skill and identify which seafood was freshest.

His storied careers also included writing for Fly Rod and Reel, Downeast Magazine, and the Free Press, all of which led him to explore, promote and educate others about new and interesting places, including a local recycling plant, rivers throughout Maine and the San Juan River.

On October 17, 1993, he married Carol des Lauriers Cieri. They bought a big, old farmhouse in Lincolnville with apple trees out back, and went on to raise their daughters, Emma and Clara. Paul lovingly taught them to fly fish, cook delicious food, and forage for fiddleheads.

He took his daughters on countless wild and wonderful adventures around the lakes, ponds, streams, trails, backroads, peninsulas, and beaches of Maine. He was also endlessly supportive of, and interested in, his girls’ adventures, dreams, and far-flung study abroad locations.

Paul was a registered Maine Guide who was the center of the Midcoast Maine’s fly fishing community for over 30 years.

He was a skilled educator and instructor, avid conservationist, and gifted angler. As the former president of the Georges River chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Maine Council of Trout Unlimited, he worked hard to preserve, protect and restore trout and salmon fisheries and watersheds throughout Maine.

Paul was the “go-to guy” for most any question about fly fishing, and he loved to talk with anyone interested in fishing or the outdoors. He ran the local fly shop at Maine Sport Outfitters for decades and developed the annual fly fishing seminar for women.

Paul fished and guided all over Maine. He loved his local waters, Grand Lake Stream, and the Penobscot River above Bangor, and was known to fish the St. George River so early in the season that he had to contend with ice floes careening down toward him. The last fish, and one of the best he ever caught, was a 33-inch Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada, ten days before he died.

Paul was a bird lover, a gifted storyteller, and a selfless friend. He gave freely and humbly to both those he knew and those he didn't. Paul lived honestly and simply, in harmony with and in awe of the immense wildness of Maine.

May Paul be held close when the daffodils bloom, when Eric Clapton is playing, when you find beach glass, when the dishwasher is perfectly loaded, and whenever the fish are biting.

Paul is survived by his daughters, Emma and Clara McGurren; sister, Cynthia McGurren; brothers, Bill (Sandra) McGurren and Tom (Cathy) McGurren; and sister and brothers in law, Cathy (Ed) Degroot, and Jim Cieri (Irene Rundblom).

He is predeceased by his wife, Carol des Lauries Cieri; mother, Jacqueline F. McGurren; and father, William F. McGurren, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the Paul McGurren Fund at Georges River Trout Unlimited, P.O. Box 839, Rockport, ME 04856, or to the Mid-Coast Recovery Coalition, P.O. Box 1002, Camden 04843.

The family wishes to extend their deep gratitude to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Pen Bay Medical Center, and the Sussman House for providing outstanding care to Paul.

The family plans to hold a celebration of Paul’s life in Midcoast Maine in July.

The family is working with Direct Cremation of Maine.