Ronald Wayne Bartlett Jr., 65, passed away on Friday, May 8, surrounded by his family, after a 2.5-year battle with cancer.
Wayne was a loving father, grandfather (“Papa”), son, brother, uncle and friend to many. Born and raised in the Brunswick area, he had deep roots and a vast community that loved him dearly. Everyone who knew him has a story of how Wayne helped them over the years, whether it was jumping their car, plowing their driveway for free, taking them to cancer treatments, making a meal, or even taking them in when they had no place to go. He really represented old-fashioned, small-town kindness and generosity that is hard to come by these days.
He was a lover of animals, the water, Westerns, nature, being artistic with his excavator, and, most of all, his family.
He also had an insatiable love of food and cooking. He frequented the local grocery stores every single day, sometimes more than once, and almost never missed a farmers market. Every meal had to be five stars, even if he was only cooking for himself. He even dabbled in some catering around town, most famously his lobster bakes.
Lucky enough to live in the same town, he brought his parents gourmet meals every single day, and fresh flowers precisely every three weeks.
Wayne attended Brunswick High School and joined the Air Force shortly after graduating. He was soon stationed in Okinawa, Japan, where he met the mother of his children, Vanessa. He then spent a short time at Edwards Air Force Base in Los Angeles, California. After leaving the service, he came back to Maine, where his two children were born and he launched the landscaping services of what was then Rocky Hill Greenhouses, together with his family.
Wayne ran Rocky Hill Landscaping for the past nearly 40 years alongside his mother, Nancy, and late brother, Calvin. He had an unmatched gift and artistic eye when it came to landscape design. He could look at any outdoor space as a blank canvas and draw (by hand) a radical design. He continued that work right up until the last week of his life.
He was a “hockey dad,” traveling almost every weekend to games all over the state and tournaments all over New England. And once his kids moved on to college, he traveled to Vermont or Boston weekly for his kids’ games.
Wayne is devoutly remembered by his mother, Nancy Haley, and stepfather, Gary Haley; his children, Ryan Bartlett and Courtney Doyle; and his siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He will be forever missed and never forgotten.
He was predeceased by his father, Ronald Wayne Bartlett; and his brother, Clavin Bartlett.
If you knew Wayne, you know he was anything but traditional and a regular funeral wouldn’t be his style. So, we will party in his honor, and any and all of those who were touched by his generosity and love are welcome to join us in a final toast this Saturday, May 16, at 2 p.m. up at “the Greenhouse,” aka Rocky Hill, at 631 River Road, Brunswick.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of the following organizations that helped our family through his cancer journey: Hospice Help Foundation (hhelpfoundation.org) or the Dean Snell Cancer Foundation (deansnell.org).
