Cornelius “Neil” Charles Lamey, 74, of Gooserocks Beach, Maine and Point Clear, Alabama, passed away on January 12, 2019 following a short illness. He was surrounded by his family and loved ones, as he would have wanted.
Neil was born in Lewiston, Maine, the only son of Charles and Louise Lamey, who preceded him in death. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire and then served our country in the United States Army as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam. For his service in Vietnam, he received a Bronze Star Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon.
In 1969 he met Mary Susan Hester of Baltimore, Maryland and they were engaged six weeks later. They were married for 48 years, until Mary‘s death in 2017.
Neil is survived by his loving sons, Christopher Charles Lamey (Jenny) of Birmingham, Alabama and Jared Louis Lamey (Jill) of Saco, Maine and his seven grandchildren who affectionately called him “Ga”: Hayden (16), Zach (13), Chase (11), Charlie (10), Addie (8), Olivia (8), and Harrison (1). He is also survived by his brother-in-law and wife, William and Lynda Hester of Towson, Maryland; his sisters-in-law Debra Hester of Denver, Colorado and Margaret Johannessen of Kissimmee, Florida; and many special friends.
Neil and Mary started off their married life living in Baltimore. From there, they moved often to follow Neil’s successful career in the office systems industry. They lived in Ohio, New York, Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Maine, where they finally built their first retirement home in Gooserocks Beach, the wonderful place they vacationed every summer when they were raising their boys. He and Mary decided to retire there but his “retirement” involved purchasing a SERVPRO franchise in Southern Maine, where he spent the next 14 years building this successful business. Many who worked for and with Neil will say he was a legend in his ability to turn around businesses and develop talented people to run those businesses.
He was devoted to his wife Mary, whom he cared for particularly in her final years of life when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and cancer. He even purchased a second retirement home in Point Clear, Alabama when Mary could not handle the cold Maine weather.
He loved nothing more than to have a houseful of friends and family, serving a delicious meal that he had prepared with much pride and enjoyment while pouring glasses of wine and telling stories. If you ever visited their house in Maine, you were entertained with a meal of lobsters, homemade fish chowder, steamers, mussels, and Neil’s hardy laugh. If you visited his home in Point Clear, Alabama, you would know by his accent he wasn’t from there but he fit right in with the Southern hospitality, serving Gulf shrimp from Joe Patti’s and more of his laughter. He loved watching his grandkids grow up and always loved hearing about their games. Ga loved cheering for them on the sidelines when he was in town! His favorite tradition with his grandchildren was biking with all of them in the early morning in Gooserocks Beach and treating them to whatever they wanted for breakfast. His newest grandson brought a new energy to the mix and will certainly be a part of Ga’s special tradition in no time! Neil was passionate about his New England sports, the Patriots, the Red Sox, and the Celtics, and you would know this if you ever watched a game with him.
He was a member of Lakewood Golf Club, where he loved playing golf with his many friends and golfing buddies. In the last year of his life, he and Carolyn Adams enjoyed traveling together near and far and spending as much time as possible together. Carolyn remained at his side in his final weeks. He loved her dearly.
Services will be held at Wolfe-Bayview Funeral Home in Fairhope, Alabama on Sunday, January 20, 2019. Visitation will begin at 11:30 a.m. followed by the service at 12:30 p.m. A reception will be held at Marriott Lakewood Golf Club, 5910 Lakewood Dr, Fairhope, Alabama immediately following the service. All are welcome.
There will be Celebration of Neil’s Life in Maine in the summer of 2019. Details will be published in the Portland Press Herald at a later date.
Donations in Neil’s memory may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association Maine Chapter, 383 U.S. Route One #2C, Scarborough, Maine 04074, or the Alzheimer’s Association Alabama Chapter, 2151 Highland Avenue, Suite 20, Birmingham, Alabama 35205.
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