Kenduskeag and Orrington - Gerald "Chip" Ray Barrett, 71, passed away at home on December 15, 2024. He was born in Eastport, on March 31, 1953, the 1st child of Joan B. (Flaherty) and Donald R. Barrett.
He attended Bangor schools until 1965, when the family moved to the Mill Creek Rd. in South Orrington. All of the neighborhood kids knew they were welcome at the Barrett home anytime. Chip graduated from Brewer High School in 1971 and soon entered the workforce. He worked at First National grocery store, American Felt slipper factory and in the camera department at Kmart. He was hired on at the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad in 1976, working as a brakeman. He also did a short stint in section, dispatcher and then chief dispatcher, retiring in 2002. Chip was a numbers guy. He could remember track, box car and locomotive numbers and their locations by memory. He thoroughly enjoyed joining his railroad buddies at their retirees' luncheons.
He loved to go camping, fishing, ice fishing, motorcycle riding, picking fiddleheads and listening to music. He was a big fan of Frank Zappa. He was also a loyal WKIT listener and would be so pleased to know it will be staying on the air. Chip was a people person. He gave the best hugs and was always happy to see family and friends. He fought hard and had a positive attitude from the time of his diagnosis until the time of his death. He always kept in contact with the South Orrington gang, a close bond he cherished with them all.
He was predeceased by his parents, Don (2014) and Joan (2018); sister, Brenda Daigle (2001); an uncle he thought of as a brother, Terry Flaherty (2002); a nephew, Nicholas Daigle (2019); and a special cousin, Elaine (Lainey) Hall (2024). He is survived by his son, Nathan and his fiancé, Apryle Veilleux; granddaughters, Brieann Gilbert, Teagan Barrett and Raelynn Barrett, all of Bangor; son, Benjamin of Orrington; sister, Nancy Gormely and her husband, John, of Bowerbank; sister, Cindy Black and her husband, Jeff, of Corinth; his former wife who remained a close friend, Jill Gray of Orrington; nephews, Brian Daigle of Alabama, Jason Black of Hermon, and Justin and Matthew Springer of Brewer; nieces, Alicia Springfield of Ohio and Katharine Mitchell of Corinth; special cousins, Melvin Hall of Charlotte, Jimmy Baxter of York, and Brudo Baxter of Eastport; close friend, Tommy White of New Hampshire; and many friends, relatives, and former co-workers.
A memorial service is planned at noon, Sunday, January 12, 2025, at the Orrington Historical Society, 446 Down Rd., Orrington, with an alternate date of January 19 in the event of inclement weather. Burial will be at the Rainbow's End Cemetery on the Mill Creek Rd. in Orrington in the spring.
"Watch out where the huskies go and don't you eat that yellow snow."-Frank Zappa
"Jumpin' jack flash, it's a gas." - The Rolling Stones