ORONO/LAMOINE — Longtime faculty member and administrator at the University of Maine at Farmington Theodore (Ted) Prescott Emery Jr. ended his battles with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease on June 7, 2017, at the age of 89 in Orono. Although Ted was born in Carmel to Theodore and Florence Emery April 3, 1928, he spent his early youth in Bar Harbor, where his father taught high school, and in Lamoine, home of his Emery grandparents.
In 1946, Ted graduated from Gould Academy in Bethel. With a desire for higher education but with little money for college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served honorably for 18 months, some of it in Korea at the close of World War II. With the help of the GI Bill, he studied geology and mathematics at Boston University, graduating in 1951. At BU he met Marguerite Faust while both were members of the BU Choral Society. Ted and Marguerite were married in 1950 in Lowell, Mass. Music was always a central part of their lives. Ted’s gift of a beautiful voice resulted in his singing solos for many special occasions. The Emery Community Arts Center located on the campus of UMF was named in honor of Ted and Marguerite, longtime Farmington residents who were committed to bringing the university and community together through music and the arts.
Ted’s teaching career began in 1951 in Farmington, where he taught high school math and coached the freshman basketball team. When he received a National Science Foundation Grant in 1959 to study mathematics at Boston College, he and his growing family moved to Boston for a year. He went on to complete requirements for the M.Ed. degree from BC in 1962.
In 1965, Farmington State Teachers College (now UMF) enticed him to come teach math there. He was granted a leave of absence from UMF in 1969 to earn a doctoral degree in education at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. The family, with four school-age boys, moved to Muncie for two years, and at one time all six family members were enrolled in school full time.
Upon his return to UMF in 1971, he was appointed head of the Division of Mathematics and Science. Over the years he served as dean, provost and vice president for academic affairs as well as interim president for one year shortly before his retirement in 1986. Ted’s colleagues at UMF expressed much gratitude for his steadfast dedication and commitment to the highest standards of academic excellence and his sensitivity to the needs of the UMF academic community and to each and every one of them as individuals. Ted felt he was lucky to have such an enjoyable career and always spoke fondly of his students and peers.
After retiring, he and Marguerite moved to Lamoine, where the family designed and built a seasonal home on the shore of Raccoon Cove, a gathering place for family and friends. Their winters were spent in Tucson, Ariz., until she died of cancer in 1995. Although now alone, Ted continued to enjoy winters in Tucson. For 12 years he volunteered weekly at Saguaro National Park. As a sports fan he enjoyed New England teams (the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics) and the University of Arizona Wildcats. Eventually he met Rose Gerber, a longtime resident of Tucson and a retired University of Arizona nursing professor. After getting married in 2004, they divided their time between the desert and the seashore until 2015, when Ted’s health declined. This was a love that was meant to be.
Ted was predeceased by his parents and his brother Richard Emery. He is survived by his wife, Rose Emery, and his four sons and their spouses, Charles and Beth Emery, Randall and Charlotte Emery, Allan and Alison Emery and Theodore P. Emery III. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, sister-in-law Patricia Emery and nieces and nephews.
Those wishing to remember Ted in a special way may make gifts to: UMF/Emery Community Arts Center, Development Office, 242 Maine St., Farmington, ME 04938, or Lamoine Baptist Church, 24 Lamoine Beach Road, Lamoine, ME 04605.
A memorial service will be held in the Lamoine Baptist Church at a later time. Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.
May Ted continue to enjoy his favorite jazz music, even in heaven.
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