obituaries from the waterville morning sentinel

and Tiffany LaLiberty, Ned and Erica Ervin, Elizabeth and Nicholas Rich, Caroline Ervin, Benjamin Jones and partner Riley Albair, and Emily Jones and partner Dave Dyer. Surviving grandchildren and their spouses are Katherine Ervin and Andrew Kaplan, James S. Bruce Jones of Cumberland, and Julie Schoenthaler and James M. He is survived by his daughters and their husbands, Ann Schoenthaler-Ervin and Edmund Ervin of Waterville, Suzanne Jones and W. Jim was predeceased by his wife, Betsy his brother, Bill and his parents. Jim had a unique gift for connecting with people, and those connections endured and will endure. Throughout his life, music was a constant shared with aunts, an uncle, and an admired teacher. Jim and Betsy frequently entertained a long-standing group of friends, who loved to sing along as he played piano, a passion since early childhood. In the 67 years after graduation, Jim rarely missed a Bowdoin-Colby football game, including the most recent in 2016. Retirement found Jim building a Scandinavian log cabin on the Kennebec River, gardening and pickling with grandchildren, and playing tennis. Before it was politically popular, he questioned the immense power held by large corporations and special interests. During his tenure, Jim was uncompromising in his efforts for the working people of Maine. Later, in his thirties and forties, Jim worked in state government, where he headed the Department of Labor under Republican Governor John Reed, and eventually, served as Commissioner of Manpower Affairs under Democratic Governor Kenneth Curtis. Jim and Betsy were married in 1949, raised three daughters, and continued to have a devoted love affair of 71 years.Īfter graduation, Jim was employed in his family’s retail business, Alvina and Delia’s. Following military service, he attended and graduated in the Class of 1950 from Bowdoin College, majoring in Economics and French, as well as playing varsity football, basketball, and tennis. At the age of 17, Jim joined the Navy and served in the Philippines during the final days of World War II. Summering on Lake Wesserunsett as a teen, Jim met his future bride, Betsy Carpenter. John’s Prep in Danvers Mass., where he was later inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in basketball and track.

Born August 11, 1927, the son of Frank Schoenthaler and Delia Bouchard Schoenthaler, Jim grew up in the Waterville/Skowhegan area. James Courtney Schoenthaler of Waterville died peacefully on the 18th at home in the embrace of family. He was an intent listener, a clear and insightful thinker, and a lover of political discussions.

Jim was remembered by his children and grandchildren as strong-willed, open-minded, progressive, kind, and appreciative. 18, 2017, Jim was toasted in his country kitchen around its trestle table, where he had welcomed many friends (and those of his daughters) with warmth and a sense of humor. (The following was published in the Waterville Morning Sentinel on January 29, 2017:) Schoenthaler ’50 died on January 18, 2017, in Waterville, Maine.

Obituaries from the waterville morning sentinel