GRAY — Terry Edward Wilkinson, a Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Grand Pa, Teacher, Racing Administrator, Business Owner and Trusted Friend, passed away at his home Oct. 5, one day before his 76th birthday, surrounded by his loving family.

Terry was born in Portland on Oct. 6, 1941, to Edward and Wilma Qualey Wilkinson. He attended Gray Schools beginning in the one-room school at Dry Mills and ending with graduation from Pennell Institute in the Class of 1959. While in high school, he focused all of his athletic efforts on the basketball court. Following high school, he enrolled in Gorham State Teachers College where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in 1963 and later went on to earn his Master’s Degree in 1975. For the next 30 years, his primary job was as an Industrial Arts teacher, first at Gardiner Area Junior High School for two years and then at Greely Junior High School in Cumberland for the remaining 28 years. At both schools he also coached the 8th grade boys’ basketball programs.

In 1965 Terry chased down and married his devoted and loving wife of 52 years, Shirley Rowena Lewis, and they remained as such until his passing. Also in 1965, together they built a new home on Shaker Road and proceeded to fill the bedrooms with four wonderful sons: John, Andrew, Joel and Adam. Imagine with only one bathroom!

During and after his college years, he worked weekends and summers with his grandfather, Charles Qualey Senior and his father, Edward Wilkinson, in the excavation business and the operation of the Gray Esso Service Center. In the ‘60s and early ‘70s, Terry’s spare time interest turned to stock car racing. He partnered with his “Great” friend Bob Babb on several race cars at Beech Ridge and Oxford Plains Speedways. In addition, he was also the Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the “Maine State Stock Car Racing Association.” This was a job he and his wife, Shirley, held for over 14 years. He was inducted into the Beech Ridge Speedway Hall of Fame and then more recently into the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame. With the sudden passing of his Dad in 1984, Terry resigned his duties with MSSCRA and then focused his efforts on operating the family business of Wilkinson Excavation.

Terry was chairman of the Gray Parks and Recreation for four years. During that time, he was part of building a softball field for the girls at Pennell, along with putting up the first scoreboard and new benches at the high school soccer field.

In 1992, he and the boys along with his cousin Tim Wilkinson built “The Camp” at Moxie Gore on Black Brook Pond. There he and his family spent many special times together. The things he enjoyed most were family, working, being at camp, the Fryeburg Fair and anniversaries at Bar Harbor. Some of the most outstanding qualities about Terry were his sense of fairness, his generosity, his caring for people and his sense of right and wrong. Terry was always willing to help anyone and his integrity was never in question.

He is survived by his wife Shirley of 52 years, and his four sons, John and his wife Cindy, Andy and his wife Louise, Joel and his wife Kelly, and Adam and his girlfriend, Joyce; his six grandchildren, Elyse, Emma, Sam, Riley, Sara and Kailey; his “adorable” sister Susan and her husband Ernie, and his “older” brother David and his wife Sally, plus many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father Ed, in 1984 and his mother Wilma in 2017.

We would like a special thank-you to Dr. Lisa Rutstein, her P.A. Christine Owens and the rest of her team, the nursing staff at Gibson Pavilion at MMC, VNA Home Nursing Staff, and the Androscoggin Hospice nurses for all their dedicated service and compassion. Also, a special thank you to our family and friends who have all brought food, cards and prayers, because without them this journey would have been much tougher on the family and Dad. THANK YOU.

Terry Edward Wilkinson

Terry Edward Wilkinson