Obituary of Harold Frederick Gleason

PORTLAND - SP5 Harold F. Gleason Sr., retired Army, passed away suddenly on June 2, 2015 at Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine. He was born on March 21, 1948 in Blossburg, Pennsylvania to Alfred and Roseanna Gleason. He was proud to serve in the United States Army and was stationed in various locations, including Germany. Harold served 2 tours in the Vietnam conflict while with the 104th transportation company. During his military career he accumulated many awards and medals, with his pride being shown through his Army Commendation Medal and Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal. He was taken from this world in an unexpected way but his spirit and soul will remain. He raised his children with respect for not only the ones around them, but also for all living creatures that roamed the Earth. He was always a lover of animals and had dreamed to have a farm full of them one day. He always treated others how he wanted them to treat him: with dignity and respect. No matter what he was going through in life, he always kept hopeful for the future and for better days that lay ahead of him. Harold was predeceased by his father and his siblings Minnie and Allen. He is survived by his mother Roseanna of Van Buren, Maine; his children: Anita and spouse Mickey of Youngstown, Florida, Michael and spouse Michelle of Pearl, Mississippi, Harold Jr. of Tampa, Florida, Robert and fiancé Karole of Sinclair, Maine, and Laura and spouse Brian of Notre Dame de Lourdes, New Brunswick, Canada; his grandchildren: Stephanie, Randy, Kanellya, Kaleb, Anyssa, Rowena, Celeste, Ciera, and Alexander; siblings: Donald, Elroy Jr. and spouse Geraldine, and Earl - all of Van Buren, Maine, and Rosemary and spouse Gary of Brattleboro, Vermont. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family including his former spouse Bernice, who remained his dear friend. Burial will be held at the Maine Veterans Cemetery in Caribou, Maine. A flag folding ceremony will be held graveside. Date of services will be announced by the family. The family of Harold would like to thank the staff at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine for all they did to care for him. The family would also like to thank the Paramedics and EMS staff in Windham, Maine for all their efforts to try and save Harold's life in his time of need. Remember that no matter where they are, what they have done, your family is the gift to life. Take time to let them know you are thinking of them because you never know if you will have them when you awake in the morning. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to an account set up online to help the family offset the funeral expenses at http://www.gofundme.com/w9w7j2t.