Obituary of Alfred Lee Gould

Alfred Lee Gould, son of James Kitchner Gould and Maude Louise (Reynolds) Gould, passed away with family by his side on July 4, 2011, following a long illness. Alfred was born at home in Waterville on Jan. 26, 1939, and graduated from Waterville High School in 1957. Following high school, Alfred worked a variety of agricultural jobs and for Diamond International before joining the Air Force in 1962. Discharged in 1966, Alfred returned to Maine with his first wife, Shirley Eva (Pomeroy) Gould, and young daughter, Tammy. Al was a natural working with cars and became a Volkswagen mechanic, first for Leigh Frankenfield and then for Thompson Volkswagen in Waterville, where he worked until 1977. After his first marriage ended in 1970, Alfred met and married the true love of his life, Ellen (Hatch) Gould, the next year. An odd couple in height (he was 6 foot 4 inches and she is 5 feet 0 inches), they were matched for each other is so many other ways. Countless happy days and nights were shared with friends Bill and Murr Wood at their Snow Pond home and with Ellen's brother, Danny, and his wife, Joanne, at Pittsfield Egg Festivals. In 1979, their happiness was made complete with the birth of their son, Ian. In 1979, Alfred was elected to the Waterville City Council, representing Ward 2. In addition, he worked for Keyes Fibre, U-Haul, Winslow Public Schools, eventually retiring as a bus driver from KVCAP. In retirement, he loved to spend Friday mornings with his friend, Bill Richards, over a leisurely breakfast at the Muskie Center. Al was always a people person, loved to gab, and, as his granddaughter once remarked, she couldn't go anywhere with her Pa without someone knowing him. He loved his children and grandchildren, attending games, open houses, concerts and everything they were involved in. For parts of three decades, he sat courtside in Donovan Gymnasium, cheering on daughter, son and granddaughter. Alfred was predeceased by two brothers, Burton of Winslow, and James of East Hartford, Conn.; and two brothers-in-law, Maurice (Danny) Hatch of Pittsfield and Richard Veilluex of Winslow. Alfred leaves behind his loving wife of 40 years, Ellen; daughter Tammy Gould of Waterville; and son Ian Gould and his wife, Nellie (Carrier) Gould, of Woolwich; two grandchildren, Grace Gould of Waterville and Austin Gould of Woolwich; and another granddaughter to be born within the next few days. He is also survived by sisters Ida Varney of Waterville and Mary Veilleux of Winslow. A funeral Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church on Saturday, July 9, at 11 a.m. Internment will be held on Saturday, July 23, at 10 a.m. at Village Cemetery in Pittsfield. The family wishes to extend their sincere thanks to the wonderful professionals at the Harold Alfond Cancer Center and MaineGeneral, A-4. Thank you Dr. Hertler for the 11 years of care and friendship to our family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the Harold Alfond Cancer Center at MaineGeneral Health, Office of Philanthropy, P.O. Box 828, Waterville, ME 04901; or to Genesis Employee Foundation, c/o Sara Sylvester, Oak Grove Center, 27 Cool St., Waterville, ME 04901.