George Quintal, Sr. Obituary (1925 - 2011)

George Quintal Sr., 85, passed away on March 12th at his home in West Gardiner where he lived for the last 53 years. His loving and devoted wife Fran was by his side and all their children and their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren (far and near) surrounded them both in love. George was born on November 21, 1925 in Chelsea, the son of Victor and Blanche (LeBeau) Quintal. He attended school in Windsor. At the young age of 17 he enlisted into the U.S. Army during World War II where her served in the 1340th Combat Engineers helping advance the infantry in the Battle of the Bulge. His hope was it was the war that would end all wars. He received a Purple Heart as well as a Silver Star for his serviceGeorge met the love of his life, Frances Cunningham, at the Windsor Fair in 1949. They were married in Hallowell on May 10, 1950; celebrating their 60th anniversary last year.He worked hard all of his life; he was the epitome of being a family provider. After serving his country in the Army and later Marines, he took on several jobs. He worked at Togus, started his own business called Honest George's Used Cars, and spent many cold nights out in the garage fixing cars to sell.George enjoyed puzzles and loved competing with the kids while winning many 'Price is Right' jackpots. He liked watching old western movies and was an avid Red Sox fan. He never went anywhere without his Boston Red Sox cap, especially after the recent World Series win. His most prized possession was his Massey Ferguson tractor. He always kept the lawn well groomed in the summer, and made sure there was ample parking space in the yard when he plowed in the winter. George and Fran enjoyed spending time with family, camping, playing cards, and attending country western dances where they sometimes left the dance and drove to Cadillac Mountain to see the sun rise. He considered his biggest success in his life to be his family. George was always there to help his children in any way he could from performing home repairs to diagnosing vehicle mechanical problems. He could not contain his pride when telling others of his healthy and happy 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. He loved to joke with the grandkids and play games with them. When visitors left the family home Dad and Mom always stood in the window and waved goodbye. He reserved his special double-handed, crisscrossed wave for all of his great-grand kids. George is survived by his wife Frances, seven children, : George Quintal Jr. of West Gardiner; Glen Quintal of Bucksport; Gary Quintal and his wife Maria of West Gardiner; Elaine Willey and her husband Chuck of West Gardiner; Gerry Quintal and his wife Kathleen of West Gardiner; Arlene Snow and her husband Greg of Pittston; and Lisa Morton and her husband Jeffrey of Worcester, Mass. He is also survived by fourteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren; Josiah Quintal, Sarah Lavalle, her husband Paul and their son Jacob, Susie Romano and her husband Brandon; Allan Quintal, his wife Rebecca and their children Ashley and Zachary, Heather Quintal, Megan Quintal; Aaron Quintal, his wife Molly and their sons George and Abraham, Cassie Quintal; Candace Goggin, her husband Sean and their daughters Kallie and Kiara, Charley Willey, his wife Katie and their sons Titus, Liam, and Jed; Derrick Quintal, Joe Tourtelotte; Abby and Eben Snow. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dad's Earth Angels: Penny Ellis who provided in-home Reiki sessions which provided him many hours of comfort and rest. Karen Gallant, his wonderful MaineGeneral Healthreach Hospice nurse, for the compassionate care she provided to George and our entire family. Also, a special thanks to Dr. John VanSummern who helped to keep George as comfortable as possible.