Leonard George Saulter

Waterville - Leonard G. Saulter, Sr. passed away peacefully on October 6, 2016 surrounded by family after an extraordinary life spanning 90 years. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, loved by all who knew him.

Born on May 22, 1926 in Waterville, Maine to Harry and Ellen (Howell) Saulter, Len was a man from humble beginnings who had a special way with people from a young age and a smile that could light up a room. A charismatic, student-athlete who loved to compete, he graduated from Waterville High School in 1944. He was an All Maine football player, All New England basketball player, won state championship titles in track and the javelin and served as class president and president of the student council. Len went on to serve his country in the US Army during WW II from 1944-1946. He then attended Bowdoin College where he studied Economics and Business, and was an All Maine football player. He graduated in 1951 and joined Hathaway Shirt Company as a salesman in their management training program.

In 1953, Len married his soulmate and hometown sweetheart, Shirlie Poulin. He was promoted to various roles across the company and lived in New York, Atlanta and Canada. At the age of 35, he returned to Waterville and was named President of Hathaway in 1961, where he served at the helm for 15 years. In 1976, he was named President of Eagle Shirts and in 1979 became President of Guilford of Maine, where he transformed the struggling textile company into the world’s largest supplier of panel fabric. He was named CEO of Guilford in 1983 and later served as Chairman of the Board before he retired.

Throughout his life and career, with Shirlie at his side, Len was passionate about “doing the right thing” and “making a difference” in his community. He served on multiple boards and supported many charitable organizations across the state. He was a life time champion for the Waterville Boys and Girls Club, serving in various roles over the years and as director from 1968-1972. He received the National Boys Club of America Award in 1972. His love of football led him to found the Waterville “Pop Warner” Pee Wee program in 1964. In 1970, he was named Man of the Year by the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce and received an Honorary Degree from Thomas College in 1987. In 1991, Len was honored with the Distinguished American Award by the State of Maine Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame.

Len was an avid skier, tennis player, golfer and swimmer. A Sugarloafer since the 60’s, one of his fondest memories was sitting fireside in the old red chair at the A-frame looking up at the trails, recounting the runs the family had taken that day. Len also loved the sunsets over East Pond which brought him great joy. A red sunset always elicited, “Hon come look at the sunset, it’s going down hot. It’s going to be another nice day tomorrow”.

Len is survived by his wife, Shirlie P. Saulter, who he lovingly refers to as “Hon”. He credits his success to her unwavering support of 63 years. He is survived by his children - son Dr. Leonard G. Saulter and wife Pam of Freeport; daughter Sherril L. Saulter of Waterville; daughter Jody E. McKenna and husband David of Bangor; son Dr. Timothy E. Saulter and wife Lisa of Falmouth; son Dr. Jamie T. Saulter and wife Linda of Waterville and son Dr. Michael S. Saulter and wife Brenda of Hermon. Len is also survived by the “Terrific 13” grandchildren who gave him tremendous joy - David McKenna, Matthew Saulter, Kailey McKenna, Hope Saulter, Brittany Saulter, Kaitlin Saulter, Jayme Saulter, Emilie Saulter, Brianna Saulter, Samantha Saulter, Brooke Saulter, Michaela Saulter and TJ (Timothy Jr.) Saulter.

Len always said his good-byes to his family with the same phase, “When are we going to see you again? Come back soon.”

Len, Dad, Papa, you were a loving husband, great father, wonderful grandfather…we will miss you.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 14th at 11:00 am, Notre Dame Catholic Church, 112 Silver Street, Waterville, Maine. Burial will be in the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery at a later date. Please visit www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com to view a video collage of Len’s life and to share condolences, memories and tributes with his family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Len’s memory to:

Alfond Youth Center Camp Tracy Fund

Attention: Ken Walsh

126 North Street

Waterville, Maine 04901

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Eulogy for Len Saulter, Sr. by his son Tim Saulter on Friday October 14, 2016 at Notre Dame Catholic Church:

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On behalf of our Mom, Shirlie Saulter, the Saulter and McKenna families, we thank for coming to say good bye to Dad.

One of the most difficult things about writing this eulogy was to condense all of the wonderful aspects of a great man into five minutes or less. I chose to use the first letter in Dad’s last name to highlight the wonderful characteristics of a truly amazing man, husband, father and grandfather.

S stands for Selfless Service. Selfless service to his country in the military, service to the State of Maine by serving on many boards and service to the City of Waterville by supporting many of the youth programs such as the Boys and Girls Club. Dad drew such satisfaction and pride from seeing a young person rise from nothing to become a success. I remember as a young child going down to Hathaway just before Christmas and seeing a hundred or so turkeys on the loading dock. Dad would spend the entire day personally handing out a turkey to each employee, while thanking them for their dedication and service. Dad would say, “Just one day a year I want to know that my employees are eating together as a family.”

A stands for Acceptance. Dad had an unyielding acceptance of everyone despite their ethnicity, religion or background. He was non-judgmental, always tried to see the best in everyone and respected the differing opinions of others. He had a kind and gentle soul with a giant heart filled with forgiveness and generosity.

U stands for Understanding. Dad had the uncanny ability to see a solution in the midst of every problem and resolution in every conflict. He believed there was always a compromise in every negation whether it was a family or business matter. Dad cherished every human interaction and always strived to preserve a positive relationship with everyone in his life. A friendly compromise and win-win was the only way Dad would have it. The only exception to his win-win rule was with Mom. He was very quick to assure us, “Mom is was always right.”

L stands for Love. Our Dad had a very loving mother but grew up without a male role model. He made a conscious decision at a young age that he would not only be a success in business but also he was determined to become the most loving role model possible for his six children. The “Terrific 13” as he fondly referred to his grandchildren, are a living testament to his love but no love was greater than the love he had for his wife, our Mom.

T stands for Time. Dad would always greet us with “Where have you been?” and always say goodbye with “When are you coming back?” He cherished his time with Mom, the six children and the 13 grandchildren. He and Mom always welcomed us and our friends no matter what time of day or night and created a warm home environment we always wanted to come home to.

E stands for Equitable. Even in his final days Dad was concerned that all of his children and grandchildren had been treated fairly throughout his life and that no one felt left out. He made every family member promise to take care of Mom after he passed. He lived his life always bringing family together and making it so everyone was treated fairly and equally. With every fiber of his being he was always gracious, generous, and most of all – kind.

R stands for Respect for doing the Right thing. Dad taught us to always own up to failures and transgressions (of which I had many) and to take responsibility for our actions by ultimately making the “right” choices. The difference in right and wrong was always crystal clear to Dad even when it was not in his self-interest. Bering right was never as important as doing the right thing. Dad lived every day his 90 years doing it the right way.

Throughout his wonderfully blessed time on earth he made every life he touched better. Dad had style with grace; great success with even greater humility. Of all his accomplishments the one that filled him with the most pride was his wife of 63 years and the accomplishments of his large family.

Today we say our farewell to a great man and I think this quote from Ellen Barrier sums it up. “The strength of a man is his character. A strong man is a great man of wisdom who understands that his top priority is to his family.”

God … we have just sent you our best … you’re really gonna love our Dad.

Tim Saulter