Harold L. Ware

Harold L. Ware, 93, of Standish, ME passed away on July 31, 2025. He was born June 24, 1932, in Ward’s Cove, ME to Margaret C. and Arnold V. Ware. Hal attended Standish schools growing up, graduating from Standish High School in 1949. Sports were always a large part of Hal’s life – playing four years of varsity baseball and basketball at Standish. He played basketball and baseball as a uniformed member of our armed forces. This included tournament play in Okinawa once the Korean cease fire was declared. Following his two-year stint in the Army (Korea), he enrolled as a student at Gorham State Teachers College (now USM). He played four years varsity baseball and three years varsity basketball while a student at Gorham. Where he was later inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1991. Baseball was Hal’s favorite sport – coaching Little League, Babe Ruth, school, and semi-pro. He often remarked that he would play for anyone who could stand him. Before he married, he would have a number of different uniforms hanging in the back of his car. He was invited to St. Cardinal try-out camps but could not attend. Basketball was missed his senior year as he was managing some 2,000 laying hens at the Graffam/Childs Farm on Sawyer’s Mountain in Limington. He and his family lived on-site at the farm off Norton Road. While a freshman at Gorham, Hal noticed the most beautiful girl strolling across the student parking lot – Miss Joyce Chick. Hal and Joyce were married the following year. This marriage lasted 55 great years and produced two sons, Mark and Matthew (both deceased). Joyce passed away in 2012. Following Hal’s graduation from Gorham, he signed a contract to teach in the Portland Public School system. He remained at Lyman Moore School for 30 years, serving as a teacher, basketball and baseball coach, and assistant principal. He also served as student advisor for 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. While at Moore, he continued his formal education, earning his master’s degree and beyond. Following his stint in Korea, Hal joined the Maine Army National Guard, where he remained until his retirement. He was reactivated in 1960 during the Berlin Crisis as a member of Co. D 2/20 Armor. His family joined him in Kentucky. His unit had become armor support for the 101st Airborne in Ft. Campbell, KY. They remained there for some 15 months. He retired as a Master Sergeant and Operations NCO, 133rd Augusta, ME, following 12 years as support field medic. A lover of the great outdoors, he was a fervent hunter and fisherman. Eventually, Hal and Joyce purchased sporting camps in northern Maine, which they operated for forty years. Meanwhile, he had become a wilderness EMT. Always interested in flying, Hal earned his private and commercial land and sea ratings and was able to fly back and forth to and from his camps. He also flew 31 years of surveys for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries. He owned a number of different aircrafts, amassing some 4,000 hours of flight and wheel time. In his spare time, he served as a member of Standish Fire & Rescue, serving 37 years “on-call,” retiring as a Wilderness EMT-A, and also served as a CPR Instructor Trainer and Hunter Safety Instructor Trainer. He was a member of the same Legion Post in Standish that his father had belonged to: Post #128, the Kenison (later Kenison-Hooper Post) post. He held an office every year he served (some 30+ years), including two terms as Commander. Hal was also a member of VFW Post #10643 in Windham, a life member of SAM, and the Fin & Feather Club of Millinocket. Hal loved people, saying he had met only a couple that he did not like. He used two words sparingly, as they meant so much to him: “love” and “friend.” In 2016, he met Mrs. Carolyn Austin at Veterans Center Bingo. They fell in love and became constant companions almost immediately. Carol passed away in February 2021. Leaving a huge empty spot in Hal’s life. His heroes were his father, mother, and all the unsung people who drag themselves out of bed, regardless of how they may feel, and still work to provide for their families. He leaves behind a brother, Robert “Skip” Ware; brother-in-law, Lester Jordan; granddaughters, Ahlea and Crystal, numerous grandchildren, a host of friends, and countless volunteers and untold stories. If you were to ask him for one last bit of advice, he would probably say: “do not waste time, for that is what life is made of.”

Harold L. Ware

June 24, 1932 - July 31, 2025

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