James Kidd
YORK - James D. Kidd, 79, of 8 River Meadow Lane, died Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007, in York Hospital after a brief illness.
He was born in Passaic, N.J., son of James E. and Margaret (Deas) Kidd, who emigrated from Scotland in 1926. He was the first generation of his family born in America .His family spent summers in Maine, the Maine coast reminding his parents of their native Scotland, which was one of the things that also endeared Maine to Jim. He always wanted to return to Scotland, but that never came to pass. In his youth, he was very fond of roller-skate racing and won several trophies in his hometown. He also received many trophies bowling on an all left-handed bowling team called "The Left Overs." Serving in the Army for three years during the Korean War, he was stationed in Italy. He had worked as a telephone installer for many years at New Jersey Bell, both before and after marrying.
Having spent a lot of time at his Uncle Eck's house in Cape Neddick, Jim grew to love it there, and that led to his decision to move his family. The Kidd family moved to Maine in the summer of 1969, and his youngest daughter, Kristin, was born here that fall. While his kids were young, Jim enjoyed lobstering. He loved living on the York River; taking his children fishing was another of his pleasures. He worked most of the 1970s in the Kittery Public Schools. While employed by the University of New Hampshire he was a Life Safety Support Systems Specialist, and also did the PA systems for UNH sporting events. Jim retired from UNH in the mid ‘90s.
His hobby as a sound tech brought him to work many of the York High School graduations. The Stratham Fair and Lee Fair were other venues where he did the sound systems. Providing the sound for the Special Olympics was very important to him. He coached Little League Baseball in New Jersey for many years. Jim coached Little League softball in York for years while his daughters were playing. It brought him a lot of joy to see them play. Some might remember him coaching the Mr. Grocer team or Mackie's Marauders.
He remained a diehard Yankees fan, even in a family full of Red Sox fans. This caused a good-natured rivalry during the baseball season, especially when the Red Sox won the World Series twice in the past few years.
In September, Jim attended the wedding of his grandson, Christopher, who was the first grandchild to wed. It was a very happy day for all, and everyone enjoyed seeing him dancing with the grandkids and blowing bubbles with the smaller ones. There were many good memories made that day.
He leaves his wife of 51 years, Carole A. (Krynicky) Kidd; one son, James D. Kidd and his wife Melissa of North Hampton, N.H.; four daughters, Bonnie A. Dolph and her husband Jim of South Berwick, Carole L. Sarson and her husband Patrick of Sanford, Robin J. Marshall and her husband Tom of Nottingham, N.H., and Kristin L. Kidd and Hal Shea of York; a sister, Margaret Oltmanns of Freedom, Pa.; 15 grandchildren, Miranda, Mallory, Adam and Abigail Dolph, Chris, Jen, Ryan and Molly Sarson, Jess, Josh and Jayson Marshall, Max and Josie Kidd, Erika Shea and Jack Hanson, one great-grandchild, Brenden Curry, and three nephews and a niece, Steven and Robert Oltmanns and Tony and Alison Becker.
Calling hours and a funeral service for Mr. Kidd were held Dec. 6 at the Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, http://www.lucaseatonfuneralhome.com/. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the York Little League, P.O. Box 696, Cape Neddick, ME 03902.
Gem Harris
YORK HARBOR - Gem Beatrice (Merriman) Harris, 90, of Two Victoria Court and a longtime resident of Corpus Christi, Texas, died Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007, in Sentry Hill.
She was born Dec. 31, 1916, in Corpus Christi, Texas, a daughter of George J. and Gem (Beauchamp) Merriman.
Her husband, William B. Harris, predeceased her.
She leaves a daughter, Lorwen C. Nagle and her husband, Peter Nagle, of Kittery Point; a brother, Dr. G. J. Merriman of Houston, Texas, and two grandchildren, Rachelle and Will Hanna.
She was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Corpus Christi and St. George's Episcopal Church in York Harbor. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, the Cotillion Club, the Junior League Club of Corpus Christi, the Corpus Christi Country Club, the Corpus Christi Town Club, Bell Teristic and the Parlanchinas.
A memorial service for Mrs. Harris was held Dec. 2 in St. George's Episcopal Church and a memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Dec. 10 in the Church of the Good Shepherd, 700 South Upper Broadway, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Memorial contributions may be made to The Coastal Bend Audubon Society, P.O. Box 3604, Corpus Christi, TX 78463, (361) 885-6203.
Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, http://www.lucaseatonfuneralhome.com/, is directing arrangements.
Jerry Manning
YORK - Jerry E. Manning, 64, of 65 Long Sands Road, died unexpectedly on Monday, Nov. 12, 2007, in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
He was born April 8, 1943, in Springfield, Vt., son of Chester and Elnora (Barrett) Manning. He served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam. He had worked as a Tool and Die Maker for many years at various companies and most recently in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard's Sail Loft.
He leaves his wife of 39 years, Barbara A. (Passera) Manning; a daughter, Adrienne Nieves Manning of Tolland. Conn.; two sons, Chad E. Manning and his wife Benita of Eliot, and Shane C. Manning and his wife Lisa of Rochester, N.H.; five brothers, Dwain Manning of Barnard, Vt., Chester S. Manning of Lakeland, Fla., Jack Manning of Bethel, Vt., Fletcher Manning of Vermont, Wade Manning of Randolph, Vt., and their families; two sisters, Sara Lane of Hartwell, Ga., and Dawn Hutchinson of Willis, Va., and their families; four grandchildren, Maddison L. Manning, Barbara A. Manning, Shiena Hara and Carmelina Hara, and one great-grandson, Atreyu Kleczek.
A sister, Theda Roecker, predeceased him.
The service for Jerry was held Nov. 24 in the Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, York, with burial in the First Parish Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 330 Congress St., 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02210 or to Massachusetts General Hospital Development Office, 165 Cambridge Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114.
