HALLOWELL – Dick Davies, 76, of Hallowell, died on Sept. 19, 2023, at Captain Lewis Residence in Farmingdale from complications of dementia.

Dick was a lifelong advocate. In college, as a member of SDS, he marched in support of local mill workers. After college, he joined VISTA in Minneapolis and worked to establish a bus line through the Native American community. When he came back to Maine, Dick served in the Legislature. There he advocated for utility reform, and sponsored first-in-the-nation legislation to end mandatory retirement. He went on to spearhead Governor Brennan’s far-reaching legislative program to reform Maine’s education, economic development, and housing systems. Then, under Governor Baldacci, Dick went on to lead the office he first established as a Legislator 30 years earlier, the Office of the Public Advocate. Advocacy for social and environmental justice was the music of Dick’s life.

Dick was born on Aug. 21, 1947, in Plainfield, New Jersey, to William Henry Davies and Virginia Barrett Davies. At age 14, he moved to rural Maine where, as he was accustomed to saying, “My family of six increased the Town of Acton’s population by a full percentage point.”

Dick graduated from Sanford High School in 1965. He went on to get a BA in 1969 from the University of Maine at Orono. With support from the Ford Foundation, Dick got a Masters in History from Orono in 1972 with a thesis on the Penobscot River.

While working for Governor Brennan, Dick met his future wife, Susan MacPherson, while working to pass the Equal Rights Referendum in Maine. The referendum failed, but the relationship succeeded. Susan and Dick were married in May 1987, and shared a love of dogs, art, Monhegan, and traveling, for 36 happy years.

After his retirement in 2013, Dick served as the Kennebec County Treasurer and helped organize the Joseph E. Brennan Archives. In 2022 he fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a published writer when his book “The King’s Gold Double Leopards” was released. Of Dick’s career, former Governor John Baldacci has written, “Dick has been a key public servant who progressed the quality of life for all the people of Maine throughout his career. He embodies the principles of democracy in all his actions.”

Dick is survived by his wife Susan and their two golden retrievers, brother Thomas Davies and sister-in-law Tonda Davies of Hollis, N.H., brother-in-law John Fulmer of Sanford, sister-in-law Anne Pendleton and her husband Don of Medfield, Mass., brothers-in-law, Douglas MacPherson of Wells ME and Glenn MacPherson of Needham, Mass., and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Bill and Ginnie, his brother Billy Davies, and sister Janice Fulmer.

There will be a Celebration of Life at Maple Hill Farm Bed & Breakfast in Hallowell, on Tuesday, October 3, from 4-7 p.m.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta, ME 04330. Condolences, stories and photos may be shared by visiting http://www.plummerfh.com.

If you wish, we invite you to contribute in Dick’s memory to the Kennebec Valley Humane Society’s Capital Campaign (https://pethavenlane.org), the Monhegan Island Sustainable Community Association (http://www.miscainfo.com), or a charity of your choice.

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