Whitefield- Roger Chase Downs Sr., 82, passed away unexpectedly at his home on October 13, 2026, following ongoing cardiac and lung complications.

He was born on July 1st, 1944, in Rochester, NH, the second son of Pearl E. and Warren E. Downs. Roger grew up in Whitefield and attended the Alamo School, a two-room schoolhouse, from kindergarten through eighth grade. He then graduated from Gardiner High School in 1962, where he enjoyed playing football more than any academic class. It was there he met his wife, Rochelle. After marrying in 1961, they welcomed their children, Vicki, Roger Jr., and Daniel, over the next three years. After graduating, Roger began working for Dessler’s Meat Market in Gardiner, honing his skills as a meat cutter. From there, he moved on to First National Stores, quickly becoming the regional meat manager. The family moved many times over the years as he climbed the ranks. In 1970, Roger and Rochelle moved their family to Freeport to open Downs Food Store. Together, they worked tirelessly over many years, making many friends and business acquaintances along the way. Thanks to Roger’s expertise, the store became known for its meat and fish department, also selling goods from local farmers and bakers. If you ever eat a country-style spare rib, you can thank Roger for contributing to its cut and design. Many years later, customers still remarked that they would only use Downs Foods clams for their clam chowder. In 1982, Roger and Rochelle retired from the grocery business, becoming proprietors of several Freeport properties. This allowed them to move back to Roger’s childhood hometown of Whitefield, where he would pursue his longtime dream of becoming a farmer. They built their dream home on their 126-acre property, a former apple orchard, beginning many years of haying, gardening, and raising livestock. Over the years, he became a self-taught master of the fields, selling hay to local farmers and Agway for over four decades. He was a skilled gardener, harvesting countless crops of beautiful fruits and vegetables from White Heart Farm over the years, using them in the home-cooked meals, treats, and preserves he and Rochelle enjoyed preparing for family and friends. Countless memories were made on the farm: harvesting pumpkins for Halloween, picking apples, sleigh rides with the tractor, and many Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays spent together as a family enjoying each other’s company–and always, delicious food.

Following Rochelle’s passing in 2015, Roger was fortunate to meet his current partner of nearly five years, Mary Ellen Anderson of Nobleboro, at a cribbage event. She and Roger enjoyed many memories together, including gardening, baking and cooking, and playing many games of cribbage together at home and at the Wiscasset Community Center. Their last cribbage game was played the morning of Roger’s passing. As Roger’s health began to decline, Mary Ellen was instrumental in his care, allowing him to remain at home and continue to do many of the things he enjoyed. She became his eyes, his ears, his travel companion and confidante, and she became a beloved member of his family.

Roger was a jack of all trades, with many hobbies, passions, and interests, many of which he mastered. He was a skilled outdoorsman who enjoyed deer hunting, and participated in the Maine Moose Hunt three times. He traveled many places to fly fish, including Alaska, Labrador, and Nova Scotia, and wetted a fly in many ponds and lakes throughout Maine. Another hobby that he learned from his grandfather, Harry Chase, was the art of tapping maple trees. He was known for his famous black maple syrup, which he made by collecting sap and boiling it in the same evaporator used by Gramp Chase. He passed on this tradition to his granddaughters, Carly, Blair, and Grace, by collecting sap with them over many chilly afternoons and educating them on how to boil the perfect batch. He was a lifelong football fan and remained loyal to the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox through thick and thin. He was also a licensed pilot for many years, flying his beloved Cessnas throughout northern Maine and Canada. He was a true tinkerer, maker, and jury-rigger, always repairing broken farm equipment with whatever happened to be lying around. He loved sharing his passions with his family, whether it was explaining the mechanical structure of an engine or the timing of the first rain on a hay crop. He was a lifelong learner, attending mycology classes and business classes through Cornell University. He was a passionate personal financier and follower of the stock market, and read many favorite books over the years (Benjamin Franklin was one of his favorite authors). He always enjoyed the daily paper every morning over a cup of black coffee with just a bit of milk. He was a voracious cribbage player throughout his entire life, with countless games and laughs over the years. He especially loved playing against his son-in-law, Claude, who became one of his best friends over the past several years. He was an active community member who cared deeply about giving back to the place he called home. He was a lifetime member of the Freeport Lions Club, served on the Whitefield Planning Board, and was a trustee of the Shin Pond Road Association. He contributed generously over the years to the Whitefield Historical Society, the Whitefield Cemetery Corporation, and the Sheepscot Valley Community Church. Due to his generosity, many historic sites and areas of Whitefield were maintained and refurbished. He will be remembered for his mischievous sense of humor, his generosity to the community, and his constant hospitality to friends and family.

He is predeceased by his wife, Rochelle Parlin Downs; their sons, Roger Chase Jr. and Daniel Howard Downs; his brothers, James Warren and Harry Leonard Downs; his sister, Sallie Ann Curtis; and their parents, Warren Edward and Pearl Emma Downs. He is survived by his daughter Vicki L. Legere and her husband Joseph of Falmouth; granddaughter Blair E. Legere and her partner, Warren M. Blood, of Manhattan, New York; granddaughter Grace V. Hawkes and her husband, Carter, of Norfolk, Virginia; granddaughter Carly M. Downs and her daughter, Elise Danielle, of Waltham, Massachusetts; son-in-law Claude A. Castonguay of Biddeford; brother John Haley Downs of Jefferson; and daughter-in-law Peggy Flanagan of Whitefield. He is also survived by countless beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

A service will take place at Sheepscot Valley Community Church in Whitefield on Saturday, November 7th, at 12pm. Arrangements and guidance are under the direction of Staples Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner, ME. Condolences, photos and memories may be shared with the family by visiting the Staples Funeral Home website www.StaplesFuneralHome.com

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Whitefield Cemetery Corporation, the Whitefield Historical Society or the Whitefield Union Hall in Kings Mills.