Obituary: Roger Chase Downs Sr.
Maine’s Long‑Time Farmer and Community Pillar Roger Chase Downs Sr. Dies at 82
Whitefield, Maine – Roger Chase Downs Sr., a lifelong resident of Whitefield and a well‑known figure in the region’s agricultural and civic circles, died unexpectedly at his home on October 13, 2026. The 82‑year‑old succumbed to complications of chronic heart and lung disease.
Downs was born July 1, 1944, in Rochester, New Hampshire, the second son of Pearl E. and Warren E. Downs. He grew up in Whitefield, attending the Alamo School for kindergarten through eighth grade before graduating from Gardiner High School in 1962. While playing football at Gardiner, he met his future wife, Rochelle Parlin; the couple married in 1961 and had three children—Vicki, Roger Jr., and Daniel—over the next three years.
After high school, Downs began his career at Dessler’s Meat Market in Gardiner, honing his craft as a meat cutter. He later joined First National Stores, rising to regional meat manager. In 1970, he and Rochelle opened Downs Food Store in Freeport, where they worked side by side for twelve years. The store became especially popular for its meat and fish offerings, as well as locally sourced produce, and remains a favorite among area residents for its clams and spare ribs.
In 1982 the Downs family retired from the grocery business and purchased several properties in Freeport, allowing the couple to return to Whitefield, the town where Roger had grown up. There they converted a former apple orchard into a 126‑acre farm that would become the center of Roger’s life. He raised livestock, grew hay, and cultivated a wide array of fruit and vegetable crops that he and Rochelle shared with friends and neighbors. Over the decades the farm supplied hay to local farmers and the Agway distribution center, and its produce appeared on tables across the region for holidays and everyday meals.
Roger’s life after Rochelle’s death in 2015 was marked by a new partnership with Mary Ellen Anderson of Nobleboro, whom he met at a cribbage tournament. The two were together for nearly five years, and Mary Ellen played a vital role in his care during his later illness, allowing him to remain at home and continue his favorite activities. The couple shared a love of gardening, baking, and frequent cribbage games at their homes and the Wiscasset Community Center, the last of which took place on the morning of the day he passed.
A man of many talents, Downs was an avid outdoorsman who hunted deer in Maine’s forests and participated in the Maine Moose Hunt three times. He was an enthusiastic fly‑fisher, traveling to Alaska, Labrador, and Nova Scotia and fishing in numerous Maine lakes and ponds. He also learned to tap maple trees from his grandfather, Harry Chase, and became renowned for his black maple syrup—a craft he taught his granddaughters Carly, Blair, and Grace during winter sap‑sucking seasons.
In addition to his farming and hunting pursuits, Downs maintained a lifelong love of football and baseball, supporting the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox through the years. A licensed pilot, he flew Cessna aircraft across northern Maine and into Canada. He was a self‑taught mechanic, often repairing broken farm equipment with whatever tools he had on hand, and a lifelong learner who attended mycology and business courses at Cornell University.
Downs was deeply involved in civic life. He served as a lifetime member of the Freeport Lions Club, sat on the Whitefield Planning Board, and was a trustee of the Shin Pond Road Association. He made generous donations to the Whitefield Historical Society, the Whitefield Cemetery Corporation, and the Sheepscot Valley Community Church, helping to maintain and refurbish many historic sites in the town. He was remembered for his mischievous sense of humor, his hospitality, and his unwavering support of neighbors and friends.
He was pre‑deceased by his wife Rochelle, his sons Roger Jr. and Daniel, his brothers James Warren and Harry Leonard, his sister Sallie Ann Curtis, and his parents Warren Edward and Pearl Emma. He is survived by daughter Vicki L. Legere (of Falmouth), granddaughters Blair E. Legere (of Manhattan), Grace V. Hawkes (of Norfolk), Carly M. Downs (of Waltham), and her daughter Elise Danielle; son‑in‑law Claude A. Castonguay (of Biddeford); brother John Haley Downs (of Jefferson); daughter‑in‑law Peggy Flanagan; and countless cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
A memorial service will be held at the Sheepscot Valley Community Church in Whitefield on Saturday, November 7, at 12 p.m. Arrangements are being managed by Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care at 53 Brunswick Avenue in Gardiner. The family invites condolences, photographs, and memories to be posted on the Staples Funeral Home website.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Whitefield Cemetery Corporation, the Whitefield Historical Society, or the Whitefield Union Hall in Kings Mills, where Roger’s legacy will continue to enrich the community he loved.
