RAYMOND — Peter Francis Walgreen, 65, passed away unexpectedly on the morning of Feb. 23, 2013, while taking a walk in the woods of Maine, one of his favorite activities.

He was raised in Hingham, Mass., a member of the Class of 1965. He went on to graduate from University of Massachusetts-Boston in 1969, and achieved an advanced degree from the University of Southern Maine in 1975.

Peter was so influenced by the writing of Thoreau, that he moved to Maine to live life deliberately. He found a perfect patch of land, where he built a log cabin himself. While there, he created a small farm, affectionately dubbed the “2 acre farm.” This included the care of horses, cows, chickens; a working strawberry farm; and a substantial apple cider production operation. He worked closely with many members of his wife Sharon’s family, who he adored, in the apple business for many years.

But his true vocational calling was teaching, which he did in conjunction with farming. Peter started at higher grades, and eventually settled as a kindergarten teacher in Portland at the Lyseth, Riverton and Presumpscot schools for 25 years. He enjoyed teaching kindergarten immensely, and truly found great joy in being a positive influence for so many young minds.

After retiring from teaching, Peter went into real estate, which allowed him to interact with varied people over the years. He loved enhancing his vocabulary, but not as much as using those words to chat with people. Peter never met a stranger, and was well known for long conversations with old friends as well as new acquaintances. Additionally, his love of the lakes of Maine led him to also work with an environmental group preventing the transfer of invasive plants between lakes.

Peter was passionate about his family. He was like an adopted son to Sharon’s family, and had many fond memories of the tight-knit group. She was his high school sweetheart, and they were married for 44 years, but together for many more. He devoted himself to his two sons, and quickly became involved in many activities for their benefit. This included coaching baseball and soccer, becoming the Scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout Troop, and actively managing multiple components of the town recreational association.

What started as commitment to his son's lives, turned into a lifelong passion to be a community leader. Peter was actively involved in Raymond Recreation for 40 years, and continued to be a leader of the ski program, which allowed him to spend time skiing on his favorite Maine mountains, as recently as the night before his passing.

After raising two sons for the past four decades, he found a new role as grandfather to four special girls. The transition to dolls came easily, and he loved every minute spent with them. He brought a twinkle to each of their eyes whenever they were with him. Peter spent many hours building them an intricate playhouse, and found great joy in making them happy, as well as introducing them to his beloved Maine woods, lakes, and mountains.

He is survived by his loving wife, Sharon of Raymond; his sons Eric of Topsfield Mass. and David of Casco; and the light of his life, four cherished granddaughters.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Peter Walgreen Memorial Fund Raymond Recreation, P.O. Box 561, Raymond, ME 04071.