SCARBOROUGH and PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Frank H. Bishop Sr., age 73, of Scarborough, Maine, formerly of Presque Isle, passed away on Sunday, September 30, 2018. He died peacefully in the presence of his wife and family after having lived a full and wonderful life.
Frank and his identical twin, James Alden Bishop Jr., were born on October 19, 1944 in Presque Isle, Maine. He was the son of Frances Hamilton Bishop and James Alden Bishop Sr. At the time of his birth, Frank’s father was a Lieutenant and PT Boat Commander in the South Pacific during World War II and would not get to see his twin boys until they were two years old.
Frank lived for much of his youth on Barton Street, attended Presque Isle schools and graduated with honors from Presque Isle High School in 1962. At PIHS, Frank was a varsity player in cross-country, basketball and baseball. One of his proudest accomplishments was an upset victory against the Stearns Minutemen, a team which went on to win the New England championships.
Frank attended the University of Maine and graduated with a B.A. in Political Science in 1966 and an M.A. in 1969. While at the University of Maine he was a proud member of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity. He also received his J.D. from the Maine School of Law in 1971. More importantly, he met his wife, Barbara H. MacBride of Presque Isle at the University of Maine and married her in June of 1970. Frank often reminisced about his high school, college, graduate school and law school experiences, and made many close and lifelong friends during these years.
After graduating from the Maine School of Law, Frank practiced law from 1971 until retiring in 2018. In his legal career, Frank focused his practice on civil matters of all kinds, particularly personal injury cases. He was also adept in criminal defense, family law and real estate matters. As a lawyer, Frank was known among Maine attorneys not only for his legal skills, but also for his fair and collegial demeanor. He was particularly proud of the time he spent working on pro bono cases for financially disadvantaged clients and for clients who were down on their luck.
Frank loved sports, in particular the Presque Isle Wildcats and the Boston Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins and the New England Patriots. He attended thousands of PIHS Wildcat boys and girls basketball, soccer, and softball games over the years and could recite the starting lineups of generations of Wildcat teams in any sport. He played golf for much of his life, but in his later years he also loved walking and kayaking. He was an avid collector of records, particularly 45s, and loved to listen to music and share his favorite songs with friends and family.
Frank was a proud a proud “County Boy” and lived in Presque Isle for most of his life. He possessed a deep knowledge of the local and family history and loved to tell stories. He had wonderful memories of his golfing trips to Sugarloaf over the years with his twin brother Jim, his special childhood friend, Zeke Akeley, and others. His happiest days were spent with his wife and family at the camp at Portage Lake and his family homestead in Presque Isle. He and Barbara also had many happy and memorable trips to the Caribbean Islands and the Florida Keys.
Frank’s memorial service will be held at Black Point Cemetery in Scarborough, Maine at 1 PM on Saturday, October 13. A reception will follow at the home of Frank H. Bishop Jr. immediately after the service.
Frank’s family would like to thank the VNA nurses of Scarborough for their help in the last few days of his life.
Frank was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife Barbara of Scarborough; his brother Jim of Carrabassett valley, his sister Elizabeth Bishop Hazlett of New Gloucester; his son Frank H. Bishop Jr. and wife Annie of South Portland; his son Bradford H. Bishop and wife Sara of Sharon, Massachusetts; his daughter Marigan F. Bishop Cribbe and husband Casey of Saco; and his son Joseph A. Bishop of New York, New York and many other family members and friends. He loved his grandchildren, Wilhelmina Scherer, Henry Bishop, Whitman Bishop, Bellamy Bishop, Parker Bishop and Laurel Bishop and Royce and Braelin Cribbe.
Online condolences may be expressed at: www.advantageportland.com
