Philip E. Curran

Westbrook, ME- Philip E. Curran passed peacefully on March 23, 2018 at the Maine Veterans’ Home. Born May 1, 1927 in the family home of his parents Joseph A. Curran and Nellie Johnson Curran on Orr’s Island, Maine. He attended the Orr’s Island school and North School in Portland. He lived twenty years on Peaks Island, first with his parents and family, and later with his wife, Nancy and their family. He was fond of saying that he was “only an island boy,” brought up on each of two islands in Casco Bay; Phil lived his entire life in Cumberland County, Maine.

Phil served in the US Navy in the Southeast and Asiatic Pacific theaters during World War II, and returned to the navy during the Korean Conflict. He attended Portland Junior College (now part of USM) on the GI Bill and later attended the Williams College School of Banking. He was a member of American Legion Stephen W. Manchester Post 62 in Westbrook, and, Past Commander of American Legion Randall MacVane Post 142, Peaks Island.

Phil retired from his 39-year career at Casco Bank and Trust Company having achieved an impressive record that involved both civic and community service, including membership on Boards of such charitable organizations as The Maine School for the Blind, Goodwill Industries, Prides Training School, and others. Widely known in local banking circles, he served variously as manager of Casco banks in Gray and Brunswick, as well as manager of the West End Branch and Casco’s main office facility in Portland. Strongly committed to public service, Phil served on the Westbrook City Council for three terms and in the Maine House of Representatives for two terms; he was a member of both the Westbrook Republican City Committee and the Cumberland County Republican Committee for many years. A charter member of the Westbrook Historical Society, he produced and edited the Society’s quarterly newsletter for ten years. Members of the small group of founders of the Maine Irish Children’s Program, Phil and Nancy were sent to Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1985 to arrange with officials there for 10-12 year old children of different faiths to come to Maine for summer vacations away from the bitterness and war torn streets of Belfast. He often expressed his gratitude for such an exciting career and for the many paths of service that were opened to him, ending with “I’m a lucky man who got to do what I loved to do!”

While Phil retired from his banking career, as a true lifelong learner, he never really stopped “working”. With longstanding ties to Maine, his interest in genealogy occupied much of his time for a quarter century producing 20 separate genealogies, some of which may be found in various libraries around Maine, including the Portland Public Library, Maine Historical Society, and the State of Maine Library in Augusta. He called his service as a docent “pure fun” at the Portland Museum of Art (2 years) and the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow House (8 years), where he gave tours and short presentations to local school children. Phil was Board President, Treasurer, and a Director of the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ, and as a lay preacher, gave sermons at the Prides Corner Congregational Church that he later compiled in book form.

Phil married the girl of his dreams, Nancy A Joy of Westbrook, on August 8, 1955. They were devoted supporters of each other’s many interests and activities throughout their 62-year marriage. The Currans lived at Prides Corner, Westbrook for more than 50 years, where they raised four children together. They took great delight in their eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Phil is predeceased by his parents; brothers John and Walter; sister, Faye Curran Rioux; nephews Paul Curran and Timothy Rioux; and grandson Mark Goyet. Besides is devoted wife, Nancy, he is survived by his four children, Colleen Burnham and her partner Dennis Harrington, Dennis and his wife Barbara, Martha Goyet and her husband Raymond Goyet, Jr., and Andrew and his partner Sally McKibben; seven grandchildren, Geoffrey, Beth, and John Burnham, Brianne Goyet, Jenna Cordy, and Matthew and Nathan Curran; and seven great-grandchildren.

The family wishes to acknowledge the compassionate care provided by the entire staff at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough.

Friends and family are invited to a time of visitation from 4-7p on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St, Portland, ME. Please visit www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to sign Philip’s online guestbook. Services will be announced at a later date. If so desired, donations in his memory may be made to the Orr’s Island Cemetery Association, PO Box 232, Orr’s Island, ME 04066.