PEOPLE WE'VE LOST
Michael W. Gallant, Alice Eileen (MacDonald) Potter Long, Virginia ‘Jini’ Radle, Jerry Wallace Tapley, Gary Blaine Mohr
Note: “People We’ve Lost” is a new feature of the Bar Harbor Story where we share obituaries of people that the island lost in the previous 1-2 weeks. We’re doing this because we think everyone deserves to be remembered. If you have an obituary for a loved one or friend that you can’t afford to place in other spaces, please let us know and we’ll share it here for you.
Michael W. Gallant
Michael W. Gallant, 77, of Bar Harbor, died March 6, 2025, at EMMC. Mike was born on June 6, 1947, in Millinocket, son of Edmund F. Gallant and Lucille (Albert) Gallant. Mike graduated from Stearns High School before joining the Coast Guard, where he served as a Hospital Corpsman. From there he became an EMT on Lubec Rescue.
Mike lived in Bar Harbor with his wife, Sherry. They went on many adventures during their time together. They were able to travel due to work and meet some amazing people. They loved to dance, spend time with family and friends, and time at the casino playing Texas Hold 'em, in which Mike became very good at. Mike worked as a maintenance grounds manager/carpenter for many different companies over the years, his most recent of 15 years working at the Bluenose/Wonderview Inns. Mike was well recognized for the excellent work he did and was considered like family. Anyone who knew Mike knew that he was a storyteller, and loved to leave you with a joke. He had a story/joke for every occasion. One of Mike's greatest pleasures was to go fishing, take his kids and grandkids fishing and to of course teach them the "right" way to fish. He has certainly passed along the love for fishing.
Mike is survived by his wife of 44 years, Sherry; his two daughters, Mindy and husband, Dan Kane, of Addison, and Marcie and husband, Beau Bivins, of Ellsworth; grandchildren, Aaron, Reegan, Noah, Brantley, Jenna, Alex, Brayden, Allie, and Zoey; sister, Connie and husband, Arthur Cleaves; sister-in-law, Beth; aunt, Cheryl; and cousins, Jason and wife, Patty, and Heather and wife, Michele. Mike also had many nieces and nephews. Mike had two special friends he thought very much of, Fred Lindsey and Barry Bolduc. He was preceded in death by his son, Mel; his brother, John; and his parents, Edmund and Lucille.
A celebration of Mike's life will take place in The Great Room at the Bluenose Inn in Bar Harbor on April 4, 2025 at 2 p.m.
When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure. Mike, Dad, Grampy, Brother, Friend, Coworker, and Storyteller, you will remain our treasure forever!
Alice Eileen (MacDonald) Potter Long
BAR HARBOR—Alice Eileen (MacDonald) Potter Long died on Feb. 1, 2025, following a short illness. She was born in Sewickley, Pa., on Oct. 26, 1934, the youngest daughter of Russell William and Edith (Evans) MacDonald. She served in the United States Navy in Illinois from 1952-1954 as a WAVE and hospital corpsman, where she met her first husband William “Bill” Edward Potter.
The couple later moved to Bill’s home state of Texas, where their three children Kathie, Kent, and Kevin were born while Bill studied at Texas Tech University. From there, in the 1960s, they relocated to Detroit before moving to Pennsylvania in the ’70s, where Bill worked for Pennsylvania State Parks and where Alice studied at Penn State, earning a B.A. in Human Development. In 1978, following the losses of Bill’s eyesight and his job for Pennsylvania State Parks, Bill and Alice moved to Bar Harbor, Maine, where they spent the happiest years of their lives.
While Alice considered her 46 years on Mount Desert Island the best of her lifetime, many were far from easy. As her father frequently shared, “You’ll be fine. You are a strong woman.” Alice needed to be strong. During a three-week period in 1982, Alice grieved the separate deaths of her mother, her husband, and her father.
In 1983. Alice married Ralph “Bud” Hamilton Long Jr. in Castine. Together, they shared many common experiences and interests: the loss of a beloved first spouse, working as educators at MDI High School, a love of nature, sunsets, wine and cheese, birding, hiking, camping, traveling, and a passion for genealogy and local history. After selling both of their houses in 1985, Alice and Bud built a home in Somesville where Alice lived until 1999 when she moved to Bar Harbor. Sadly, their special relationship was short-lived as Bud died of colon cancer in 1992.
Alice’s beloved Aunt Mary MacDonald introduced her to genealogy when Alice was a young child. Alice continued her passion for genealogy into her final decades, providing many moments of joy. Her accomplishments included editing four genealogy books for the Maine Genealogical Society: “Vital Records of Mount Desert Island and Nearby Islands, 1776-1820”; “Marriage Records of Washington County, Maine prior to 1892”; “Marriage Records of Hancock County, Maine prior to 1892”; and co-editing with Ruth Gray “Volume II, Maine Families in 1790.” Alice had several articles published in the Maryland Genealogical Society Bulletin, the Seneca County, Ohio Genealogical Society Journal and the Maine Genealogical Society Quarterly. Along with both husbands, she researched their families and for a time assisted several local friends in searching for their roots.
Alice and her husband Bud were instrumental in researching the Samuel Hadlock murder and the Rodwell sisters’ cases on MDI.
2017 was a pivotal year for Alice when via ancestry.com, she met a man claiming that her grandfather was his great-grandfather. After DNA testing confirmed they were indeed cousins, Alice and her daughter Kathie traveled to England, Scotland, and Wales to meet their newly found Welsh relatives. 2017 also was the year when Alice met a young family from Macedonia who had recently moved to MDI. When they were unable to find housing at the end of their offseason rental, Alice invited Dejana, Zoran, and their then-3-month son Kristian to live with her in Bar Harbor, where their bonds grew strong and collectively; they became what Dejana’s mother called “familia.”
Alice was a lifetime member of the Maryland Genealogical Society, the Maine Genealogical Society, the Clan DNA Project, and Downeast Humanists and Free Thinkers. In addition to her European travels, Alice enjoyed years of exploring and camping in the Canadian Maritime provinces and in Newfoundland, along with frequent day and overnight camping trips to the Schoodic Peninsula.
Besides the deaths of her two husbands and parents, Alice was also predeceased by her sisters Marion, Marjorie, and Eleanor and her niece Patti. Tragically, Alice mourned the untimely losses of all three children: Kevin William Potter (2010), Kathie Eileen Potter (2022), and Kent William Potter (2024).
Alice is survived by four grandchildren: Elizabeth Abigail Potter Melchionno, Harrison Potter, Gabriella Potter, Megan Gravenhorst and three great-grandchildren: Madilyn Elisabeth Hamp, Grayson William Gravenhorst. and Chase Kevin Anderson.
Fiercely protective of her independence, Alice gratefully remained in her West Street Extension condo during her final homebound five years thanks to the love and support provided by Sara Somes, Nova Nichols, Elena Scotti, Ann Anda, Dejana, Zoran, and Kristian Manev, along with the invaluable assistance from Meals for ME, the Bar Harbor Police Department, Mount Desert Island Hospital, and Hospice of Hancock County.
Per Alice’s request, there will be no funeral or memorial service. An informal celebration of Alice’s life will be held this spring following a private scattering of her ashes on MDI. Donations may be made in her memory to the Schoodic Institute in Winter Harbor, Maine, to the music program at Mount Desert Island High School, or to Friends of Acadia in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.
Virginia ‘Jini’ Radle
Virginia Elizabeth Smith Radle, known to friends as “Jini,” passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on Feb. 22, 2025, surrounded by family at the Highlands in Topsham, Maine. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert M. “Bob” Radle Jr., with whom she shared 63 years of love and dedication.
Born in Boston, Mass., from a long line of ancestors from Maine, she spent her childhood near the Arnold Arboretum, fostering a lifelong love of flowers and gardening. After graduating from Roslindale High School, she formally studied art and took classes at Harvard University, during which time she met Bob at a YWCA dance.
Jini and Robert raised their family in Sudbury, Mass., where she was active in the Sudbury Garden Club and on the flower committee of the Sudbury United Methodist Church, where she and Bob were founding parishioners of the new church built in the late 1950s.
Jini enjoyed exploring Europe and the Caribbean with family, but nothing touched her spirit as much as the seaside shores of home. She enjoyed summers on Mount Desert Island, where she cherished hiking, boating, beachcombing, and where she and Bob instilled a lifelong love of Acadia in their children. In retirement, Jini and Bob settled in Tremont, where Jini embraced kayaking, swimming, and expanding her passion for painting in watercolors. She was an active member of the Bar Harbor Garden Club and also The Somesville Union Meeting House UCC, where she arranged flowers for many years, was an active committee member, helped establish the famous summer pie sales, and made many lasting friends.
Jini is survived by her children, Douglas, Lisa Godkin (Paul), and Joy Cutrone (Peter); and her grandchildren, Bradford Godkin, Haley Jo Cutrone, and Tyler Cutrone. A memorial service will be held at The Somesville Union Meeting House UCC in the spring, followed by burial in The Meeting House Hill Cemetery in Hollis Center, alongside her ancestors and loving husband.
In lieu of flowers, donations will be deeply appreciated for the benefit of The Somesville Union Meeting House UCC or The Friends of Acadia.
Jerry Wallace Tapley
SOUTHWEST HARBOR — Jerry Wallace Tapley, 81, died at home Feb. 25, 2025. He was born Nov. 7, 1943, to Lewis Merton and LaRita Mae (Tainter) Tapley.
Jerry graduated from Pemetic High School in 1962. He was drafted into the Army June 5, 1965, and served in Korea. Jerry returned home June 5, 1968. He worked for Henry R. Hinckley Co. for 46 years.
In 1976, Jerry married Beverly A. Pettegrow. He enjoyed lobster fishing in the summer and cutting wood in the winter.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 48 years, Beverly; his son, Wyman Tapley; his three beautiful grandchildren, Sierra Tapley, Bodie Tapley, and Tia Tapley; his three sisters, Alice Pettegrow and husband Malcom, Dinah Spurling and husband Loren, and Rowena Turner and husband Raymond, and his nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Teddy Tapley, and his sister, Bessy Gray.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.
Gary Blaine Mohr
Gary Blaine Mohr, 75, of Leesburg, Fla., and formerly of Bar Harbor, Maine, passed away Feb. 25, 2025.
Gary is survived by his wife Bonnie, his daughter Jennifer Killinger and husband Nick, stepson Adam Vinson, his 3 grandchildren Maya Vinson, Norah and John Killinger, and his sisters Bambi and Wendy Scott Thew.
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Thankyou for having this new feature.
Wonderful new feature! I knew several of the deceased people and had I not read their obits here I would have never known what complex and worthwhile lives they led. I hope that you will welcome and accept submissions on this subject as with the high prices charged today by newspapers desperate for cash flow many lower income people simply can't afford to make known the deaths of people they loved and lost.