Harold W. Moulton

Yarmouth – Harold “Butch” Wesley Moulton, Jr., 70, of Yarmouth passed away unexpectedly on March 5, 2015 in Pompano Beach, FL. He was born on March 12, 1944 in Portland, one of three sons of Louise (Clukey) and Harold Moulton. He attended local schools and graduated from Yarmouth High School in 1963 where he lettered in five sports and was voted most athletic.

Butch went on to attend the University of Southern Maine where he received his B.S. degree in Education. While at USM he continued to demonstrate his athleticism and would later be inducted into the USM Sports Hall of Fame. During his student teaching he realized that despite his 6’4” stature “the kids walked all over him”. In February 1968 he married his high school sweetheart, Rosemary O’Brien and together they would have two daughters. He fondly referred to the women in his life as his “three girls”.

Although Butch was working in Worcester, MA, family considerations brought them back to Maine. He began working in construction with his father-in-law and would eventually own the business and go on to develop neighborhoods and build over 500 homes in the Yarmouth area. He loved to help young couples realize their dream homes. Those qualities that would have leant themselves to his being a great teacher were what made him a success in business and in life. Simply put – he cared for others; add to that focus and determination and you get Butch Moulton.

Butch was an outdoorsman. Sports took him outside. Building homes took him outside and if that weren’t enough, hunting, fishing, golfing, traveling, camping, fiddlehead picking, sitting on the porch in Harpswell and projects around his daughters’ houses took him outside. Being a member of the Lions was very important to him and it offered an opportunity for him to show his pride in the Yarmouth community and to be of service to the people and town he truly loved. He was instrumental in developing the North Road athletic fields and was responsible for getting lights installed at the older high school ball fields. For Butch, being a good citizen had its responsibilities and for this humble man many of his most thoughtful acts were done anonymously.

He will be remembered as a “Big Teddy Bear” by some for being soft-spoken, generous, kind, sensitive, gentle and loving. He readily gave the benefit of a doubt to all, generously gave the gift of his trust and lived life confident in who he was as a person. He showed his daughters what it meant to be a man in his love for their mother. Butch was as content as a man can be just holding his grandchildren, sometimes staying up all night with a new born grandchild so Mom could sleep. He also cared greatly for his friends. Sometimes one person can make an immense difference; Butch Moulton certainly did.

Butch is survived by his wife of 47 years, Rosemary Moulton; his daughters: Ellen Moulton Merrill and Melissa Black (husband Dustin Black); his grandchildren: Gabriel and Wesley Merrill, Isabelle and Maxwell Gilbert, Cooper and Piper Black; his mother Louise Standley; his brother Edward “Chip” Moulton all of Yarmouth; as well as his nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father and his brother Thomas Moulton.

A graveside service will be held later this spring in Riverside Cemetery, 78 Smith Street, Yarmouth. Please visit www.lindquistfuneralhome.com to view a video collage of Butch’s life and to share condolences, memories and tributes with his family.

For those who wish, donations may be made in Butch’s memory to: Autism Society of Maine, 72B Main Street, Winthrop, ME 04364 or The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center, Development Office, 22 Bramhall Street, Portland, ME 04102