Robert Leroy Parent Sr.

Bob was born on January 27, 1937, in Newport, New Hampshire, to Joseph and Doris Parent. At a young age, he moved with his family to Portland, Maine, where he attended Portland schools and graduated from Deering High School in 1955. At the age of 17, Bob met the love of his life and future wife, Barbara, while roller skating on a double date with his older brother Joe and Joe’s future wife, Shirley. Bob and Barbara married in 1958 and shared 66 happy years of marriage until Barbara’s passing in 2025. Together, they raised three children, Bob Jr., Teri, & Jim, and built a life centered on family, work ethic, and staying active.

Bob began his professional career at Weyerhaeuser as a production operator. Early on, he was recognized for his calm demeanor and leadership abilities. He advanced rapidly through the organization and, at 32 years old, became General Manager of the Westbrook Plant. He later served as Eastern Region Marketing Manager and traveled weekly from Maine to his office in New Jersey. Over his 32-year career with Weyerhaeuser, Bob was a civic leader in the Westbrook community, actively serving in the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary President, and Boy Scouts of America. He also served as Director of multiple boards including Fleet Bank of Maine, Westbrook Community Hospital, and Ellis Paperboard. Bob later joined Ellis Paperboard as President and CEO. Following its acquisition by Rock-Tenn, he served as SVP of Manufacturing and retired as SVP of Sales at Rock-Tenn Sunoco Packaging.

In addition to his civilian career, Bob proudly served 20 years in the Maine Army National Guard, 133rd Engineering Battalion, retiring with the rank of Captain. Bob enjoyed serving his country and was activated to Fort Campbell, Kentucky because of the Berlin Crisis. He graduated first in his class two years in a row in Officers Candidate School.

Bob embraced an active lifestyle throughout his life. He learned to downhill ski in the late 1940’s and became a devoted Sugarloafer sharing his love of the sport by teaching his children and grandchildren to ski. He also enjoyed tennis, fishing, boating, beach walks with Barbara, pickleball and golf. Bob took pride in working on his home and stayed busy co-managing the family’s apartment rental business for over 35 years with Barbara.

In retirement, Bob and Barbara divided time between their homes in Maine and Florida. Later in life, Bob devoted himself to caring for Barbara at home as her vascular dementia progressed, providing years of loving and compassionate care. Bob was a devoted husband, a wonderful father, grandfather, brother, son, father-in-law, uncle, and friend. He leaves behind lasting memories and a legacy of kindness, wisdom, and positivity that will be deeply missed.

Survivors include his children, Robert, Jr. (Suzanne) of Portland, Teri of Salt Lake City, and Jim (Suzanne) of Scarborough; grandchildren Robert III, Natalie, Andrew, and Eric; his brother Joe, sister Elaine and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on February 9th at 9:30-11:00 visiting hours followed by Liturgy of the Word from 11:00-12:00 followed by lunch at Jones, Rich & Barnes funeral home. The family will schedule a burial at Evergreen Cemetery at a later date.

The Parent family would like to thank the wonderful care teams at Martins Point, Northern Lights/Mercy, New England Cancer Specialists, and Maine Health Maine Medical Center Portland along with the first responders of Scarborough Fire and Rescue.

For those that wish to make a donation in Bob’s memory, please consider the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation: www.cholangiocarcinoma.org