Gary Parsons of Bar Harbor died unexpectedly at his home on June 2, 2006, at the age of 65. Fishing was not only in his blood, it was his life. He started fishing in 1961 and 45 years later, until the week of his death, he was one of the first ones down at the harbor and one of the last to leave. As many people remarked, the one thing they learned from him was his unwavering work ethic. “He brought us up to be very hard workers,” said his daughter, Debbie Parsons. Aaron Tibbetts, fishermen and close family friend from Bar Harbor, said, ” one of the things he taught me was his work ethic and even until his last days he was still going strong.”
Gary fished from the Mark A, a John `Jock’ Williams boat with a Ralph Stanley hull design.
“One thing to understand about Gary is that he wasn’t just a lobsterman. He was a multi-species fisherman. In the winter he shrimped and in the spring he would tub trawl for halibut. He loved tub trawling and equated it to going to hunting camp,” said Eddie Monat, owner of Diver Ed’s Dive in Theater and a longtime friend who stared fishing with Parsons when he moved to Bar Harbor 20 years ago. “That is just the thing — if it weren’t for Gary, I wouldn’t be in business today. Gary would help out anyone, especially those just getting into fishing. He would even go as far as to tell them where to find the lobsters and there’s nary a fisherman who will talk about where the lobster biting, but Gary didn’t have that `make all the money’ attitude. He wanted others to be successful.”
Gary Parsons wasn’t only the highliner — he was also the patriarch of Bar Harbor fishermen. He was loved and if not liked, he was highly respected by everyone. At his funeral in Bar Harbor June 6 at St. Saviour’s Church, even “standing room only” wasn’t sufficient. “Gary was the link to the bay,” said Monat. “Fishing is usually territorial, but he could fish further to the east than any other fisherman because he was so respected.”
“Gary was the glue that held, from the fishermen to his family,” said Steve Strout, a longtime friend and Bar Harbor fisherman. “I am going to miss him awful not only for his friendship and fishing advice, but he still owes me $2 from a checker game,” Strout joked. “I didn’t just loose a mentor, I lost a family member and what I will miss most, were his nightly check-in calls to make sure I was OK and if I needed anything,” said Tibbetts.
One place every fisherman in the area will miss Gary Parsons is on the radio, channel 11. “He broke up the monotony of hauling with his endless banter,” said Wayne Gray, another friend and fisherman.
“If he wasn’t on the radio you would hear guys say `Parsons must be catching them now,'” said Monat.
We will no longer see Gary Parsons at the helm of the Mark A, built the legacy in his wake will live on in the hearts of many, for generations to come.
Jennifer Litteral is Marine Programs Officer Island Institute, and was formerly Assistant Harbormaster in Bar Harbor.