Stanley Durgin

PARIS — Stanley Durgin, 89, of Paris passed away on Monday, January 17, 2011 at the Hospice House in Auburn. He was born in Sweden on January 21, 1921, the son of Cyrus and Fannie Wilson Durgin. He grew up in Paris and graduated from Paris High School in 1940. He was a four-letter athlete participating in basketball, baseball, football and track.

He enlisted in the U. S. Army shortly after graduation. After basic training he was deployed to the Phillipines as a member of the highly trained 27th Bombardment Group, 48th Material Squadron. The group arrived in Manila in late November of 1941; less than a year later he was captured by the Japanese. Following his capture he was force-marched 65 miles to San-Fernando in what is now known as the Bataan Death March. He also survived the infamous Japanese “Hell Ships” and three and a half years in multiple prison camps. When the war ended in 1945 he was one of approximately 3600 survivors out of the 36000 Americans who surrendered in World War II. He received the Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal, Philippine Defense medal, Presidential Unit Citation, World War II Victory medal, Honorable Service Lapel button, the Bronze Star, Army Good Conduct medal, American Defense Service medal, Prisoner of War medal and the Purple Heart.

After his return from prison camp he married his high school sweetheart, F. Mary Stearns, on December 26, 1945. He became well known in the Oxford Hills area as a barber at Pokey French’s, where he clipped everyone he could. He was also a “popular” school bus driver in South Paris for many years. He retired from A. C. Lawrence when he was 62.

In retirement he had many hobbies including metal work, wood work, plain old tinkering, fiddling, telling jokes, laughing, being a grandfather and eventually a great-grandfather.

Mr. Durgin is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary; daughter, Vickie Matero and her husband Stan of Gray; son, Larry and his wife Tara of Greenwood; grandchildren, Jessica and husband Phil, Kaleb and companion Heidi, Kinsey and companion Pernille; great-grandchildren, Kyle, Ashley, Graycee and a baby girl to be born in May; step-grandchildren, David and Cathy, Karen, Tim and wife Angie Matero and step-great-grandchildren, Jordan and Oskar Matero.

Funeral services will be held on Sunday, January 23 at 2 p.m. at Chandler Funeral Homes & Cremation Service, 45 Main St., South Paris. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be made to the Hospice House, Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice, PO Box 819, Lewiston, ME 04240. On-line condolences may be shared with his family at www.chandlerfunerals.com.

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Stanley Durgin