A friend to all

YORK, Maine — “We are one community united in the love of one man, Neil Rolde,” the Rev. Dr. Anna Copeland of First Parish Church said at the funeral services honoring Rolde who passed away Monday at the age of 85.

Friends, family and high-profile politicians from across the state remembered Rolde as a historian, author, statesman, philanthropist, and environmentalist who worked for decades to champion those who felt they had no voice.

“He lived in York, but he counted the entire state as his home,” Jeff Wilford said in his eulogy to his father-in-law. “He had a deep connection to the state of Maine.”

Rolde passed away Monday, May 15 peacefully at York Hospital with his family by his side. Rolde grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts and attended school at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature from Yale University and obtained a masters in journalism at Columbia University. He worked briefly as a film scriptwriter before moving to Maine with his wife of 57 years, Carlotta Florsheim, to raise their four daughters.

Maine Attorney General Janet Mills said “his personality was large, and his love for our state was staggering.”

Though Rolde wasn’t born in Maine, Mills said he made himself a Mainer the hard way - he earned it.

“He wrote the book - literally - on Maine.”

Rolde wrote 18 books on his beloved state including “So you think you know Maine?,” “Unsettled Past, Unsettled Future: The Story of Maine Indians, and “York is Living History.”

Former State Representative Tom Allen said Rolde’s diversity was one of the things he admired most about him.

“Neil was a very generous man for a whole raft of causes and people. He lived his life to help people,” Allen said. “I loved the fact that he was this very active politician, but he also wrote books, he was an accomplished author too.”

State Rep. Lydia Blume, D-York, who along with Rolde founded the Seacoast Democrats credited him for giving her the strength and confidence to run for office.

“Neil Rolde was my friend and mentor. He inspired all of us, and I hope all of our leaders will remember and emulate him.”

Rolde was a tireless and skilled public servant serving as an assistant to Maine Governor Ken Curtis for six years and a state legislator for 16 years, including one term as House Majority Leader. In 1976 he made a bid for U.S. House of Representatives.

In 1990 he ran for United States Senate advocating for a single-payer health care system for all Americans. Rolde served on many state boards and commissions, including the Maine Health Care Reform Commission, Maine Historic Preservation and Maine Arts and Humanities Commission. He was chairman of the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, vice chairman of the University of New England board of trustees, chairman of the board of Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and a trustee of the Maine Health Care Access Foundation.

As president of the Seacoast Shipyard Association, he coordinated not one but two successful efforts to keep the yard open preserving hundreds of jobs.

Former U.S. Representative Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, who lives in Ogunquit, said he shared a sensibility and political identity with Rolde, both wanting to make a difference for people.

“Neil’s whole purpose in his public life was to make things better for people,” Frank said. “He believed in bi-partisanship, but he also believed that came from a strong Democratic base.”

Frank echoed the sentiments of everyone who spoke saying Rolde was inordinately intelligent and talented, while remaining a tireless and humble public servant.

“He chose to spend a lot of time being looked down on by his inferiors because he was a politician,” Frank mused.

Wilford spoke of the personal life of Rolde as a beloved and devoted family man. He said his father-in-law could have worn expensive clothes and driven fancy cars, but instead opted for “holey sweaters” and a Ford Tempo.

“He felt his money was better spent elsewhere. He gave away huge sums of money, as well as his time,” Wilford said.

Wilford spoke of Rolde’s years raising his daughters to understand the plight of the less fortunate throughout Maine, taking them to Munjoy Hill to see people living in poverty. He was also an environmentalist. He camped and hiked throughout Maine with his daughters, and worked to protect the rivers and forests of his beloved state.

Rolde was an avid reader, and he enjoyed simple and good things. He loved good wine, foie gras and caviar, Wilford said, and he loved it most with his beloved wife Carla and his family.

Everyone who spoke at Rolde’s funeral Thursday afternoon shared stories that garnered a hearty laugh or two. They also stifled tears as they realized the magnitude of their loss.

“He was a pine among popple’s. We will look up to him forever,” Mills said.

“I hope the memory of his generous spirit will inspire all of us,” Blume said.