Lee F. Adams Jr.

Scarborough - Lee F. Adams, Jr., 76, of New Vineyard died on Thursday April 7, 2011 at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Portland on January 5, 1935 to Bessie J. (Frye) and Lee F. Adams.

Lee spent most of his childhood living in Cumberland and as a young teenager he worked at Eastern Builders in Yarmouth with his father, becoming part owner after graduation from Deering High School in 1953. In 1965 he started Lumber & Supplies, Inc. on Main Street in Yarmouth. Using the business acumen for which he was so widely respected, he grew the lumber yard into a thriving enterprise, eventually selling to Hancock Lumber in 1984. He served as President of the Retail Lumber Dealers Association of Maine, was on the Board of Directors of the Northeastern Retail Lumber Dealers Association, was a member of the Small Woodland Owners Association of Maine (SWOAM), a member of the New Vineyard North Snowmobile Club and the Sportsman Alliance of Maine. Although technically retired at age 50, he was always busy buying, developing and selling land, fiddleheading, and sawing lumber on his sawmill.

He married Eileen W. McKeen in 1994 and together they enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren, traveling, skiing, snowmobiling, boating, fishing and entertaining friends at their home in New Vineyard.

Lee will be remembered for many things: his love of the woods and wildlife, his colorful personality, his integrity, but most notably, his generosity. He spent many hours sharing his business savvy with companies who asked for help and coaching them through difficult challenges. He was a long time active member of the Yarmouth Lions Club holding positions of President, Treasurer and spending many years on the board of directors. He enjoyed using his business skills spending countless hours researching and analyzing the Lions Club fundraising projects. He worked tirelessly on such projects as the Clam Festival and the annual Christmas tree sales. His last project was to saw and provide the lumber to rebuild the Santa’s Chalet. In 2008, he was awarded the Melvin Jones Award honoring his outstanding service to the Lions Club.

Lee was proud to establish the Ellis C. Snodgrass Memorial Scholarship Fund at Yarmouth High School in 1968 to honor his former father-in-law who helped him start Lumber & Supplies. The fund has given scholarships to students for the last 42 years and will continue to do so. He was a generous contributor to many charities and was also extremely generous to his family. He especially enjoyed helping them with building projects around their house and personally sawing the lumber needed for the job. He quietly showed his love for his family by always putting them first.

Sadly, Lee is predeceased by his oldest son, Lee F. Adams III, who died on Mount Rainier on July 27, 2010.

He will be dearly missed by his wife Eileen, his daughter and son-in-law Dale and Mike Stair, his son and daughter-in-law Ellis Adams and Patti Adamich, his father and stepmother Lee F. Adams, Sr. and Pauline Warren, brothers Dan Adams and Ray Adams, and grandson Parker Stair. He will also be greatly missed by stepchildren Amy and Tom Taylor and Michael and Denise McKeen along with their children Natalie, Jackson, Kelly and Ian as well as many, many close friends.

Visiting hours will be on Monday April 11, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Lindquist Funeral Home, One Mayberry Lane, Yarmouth, ME. A private family burial will take place Tuesday morning. A Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday April 12, 2011 at 1:00 PM at First Parish Congregational Church, 116 Main Street, Yarmouth, ME. A reception will follow in the church hall. Please visit www.lindquistfuneralhome.com to view a video collage of Lee’s life and to share your condolences, memories and tributes with his family.

For those who wish, donations may be made in Lee’s memory to the Yarmouth Lions Club, PO Box 512, Yarmouth, ME 04096 or VNA (Home Health & Hospice), 50 Foden Road, Suite 3, South Portland, ME 04106 or Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, 11 Hunnewell Road, Scarborough, ME 04074.