Patrick G. Poulin

Patrick (Pat) Gerald Poulin of Westbrook, 89, passed away
peacefully on January 24, 2023 at Sentry Hill at York Harbor, in
York, Maine.

Pat was born on March 18, 1933 in Jackman, ME, the son of
George and Georgiana Poulin. The youngest of seven children,
Pat’s favorite Christmas was when he was five years old. He was
given a lantern, just like his father’s, only child size, to use when
the two of them went out to the barn to look after the animals.
His parents also gave him a small axe, so he could help his
lumberjack dad chop wood.

Pat attended Jackman High School, where he excelled at
basketball and baseball. He liked to say, “I graduated third in my
class. ‘Course there were only six of us!” Outside of high school,
Pat worked at his brother Ralph’s garage. He also found
employment as a heavy equipment operator and welder.

After graduation in 1953, Pat enlisted in the U.S. Army, attaining
the rank of Sergeant. He returned home to Jackman and married
his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth (Betty) DeBlois on June 25,
1955. Their family expanded to include two daughters, Susan and
Jane, and a business, Poulin’s Auto Parts. A lot of snow typically
falls in that part of Maine, and Pat was one of the crew
responsible for plowing the fifteen miles between Jackman and
the Canadian border, often with nothing more than a tall mug of
strong coffee and a baloney sandwich to sustain him.

In 1966, the Poulin family moved to Westbrook, ME where Pat
built a career in the auto parts distributor business. He began at
AWD, starting on the loading dock and working his way up to
Sales Manager. As such, he traveled throughout Maine and was
often able to use his fluency in French to seal the deal. Later, he
served as the General Manager of Steego Auto Parts of New
England. Outside of work, Pat developed a passion for flying, the
highlight of which was qualifying for his instrument rating and

piloting a small plane around the Hawaiian Islands while on
vacation.

Leaving work at 56, Pat had a long and happy retirement. Early
on, he volunteered at SCORE and the Ronald McDonald House.
Later, he served on the Westbrook Public Safety Commission and
Overseers of the Poor. Pat was also an avid golfer, who continued
playing into his early eighties.

In 2016, he sold his home in Westbrook and moved first to The
Park Danforth in Portland, then later to Sentry Hill in York Harbor,
where he disliked trivia games, tolerated Bingo, and mostly
looked forward to visits with “his girls,” who now lived closer.

Pat was predeceased by his loving wife of 48 years, Betty, and is
survived by his two daughters, Jane and Susan Poulin and
Susan’s husband Gordon Carlisle.

A Celebration of Life Mass will be held at St. Anthony of Padua
Parish in Westbrook, ME on March 17, 2023 at 11:00am, followed
by a reception in the Parish Hall.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made in
Pat’s name to the Maine Golf Scholarship Fund
(https://www.mainegolf.org/our-mission/scholarship/) or the
Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Fund
(https://mainebluecollar.com/).

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