Richard A. Dolloff

GORHAM — Richard (Dick) A. Dolloff, 67, of Gorham, died on July 21, 2012 surrounded by his family.

Born on March 17, 1945 in Gray, Dick was the son of the late Maynard C. and Phyllis F. Dolloff. The family moved to Augusta in 1954 when his father was elected Master of the Maine State Grange. It was there that Dick attended grades 4-11. Following his father’s gubernatorial campaign in 1962, they moved to Wells, where Dick graduated from high school.

Upon graduating, Dick went to work for Weyerhaeuser, where he was a corrugated box designer. He then moved on to Dennison Manufacturing (now Avery-Dennison), where he became one of their top salesmen. From there, he transitioned into selling foreign cars, before going into business for himself and opening Dick’s VW Repair on Forest Avenue in Portland.

In 1984, he married Cathy A. Walker. Shortly after that, he sold his repair shop, bought a motor home, and spent the next few years traveling the country with his wife. The couple returned to Maine and settled in the Greater Portland area, at which point Dick obtained his commercial driver’s license and teaching certificate, and became a truck driver and educator.

Dick drove commercial trucks for Hood and Kris-Way, and taught at Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) before landing his dream job at Westbrook Regional Vocational Center. It was there that he spent 16 years teaching commercial truck driving classes before finally retiring in 2010. Dick recalled fondly the great group of kids he taught throughout the years and was very proud of the accomplishments of many of his students.

A lover of life, Dick lived each day to the fullest. He was passionate about racing and in his early 20s raced at the Sanford Drags. In the last 10 years, he got back into it and had a street rod that he and his son, Terry, worked on tirelessly. He spent the last six years racing in Winterport with the Gassah Guys.

Dick was also a Harley motorcycle enthusiast and was one of the founding members of the Mountain Men Motorcycle Club (MMC), as well as the United Bikers of Maine (UBM). Additionally, he was a member of the Forest City Rod & Gun Club, Harley Owners Group and the American Legion.

Dick’s happy-go-lucky personality drew people to him from every walk of life. In his eyes, there were no strangers, only friends he hadn’t yet met. An avid storyteller, he could easily entertain people for hours at a time with tales reaching back to his childhood. He was a man who loved life and everything in it. After receiving his cancer diagnosis, he changed his e-mail sign-off from “have an interesting day” to “live every day,” which he truly did.

Dick is survived by his wife, Cathy; two sons, Tod R. Dolloff of Naples and Terry R. Dolloff of Gorham; daughter, Tina L. Dolloff of Jay; six grandchildren; sister, Kathryn Brown of Herndon, Va.; brother Ronald Dolloff of Waldoboro; many beloved nieces and nephews; extended family and countless friends.

A celebration of life service will be held at the Italian Heritage Center, 40 Westland Avenue, Portland, on Sunday, July 29, 2012, from 1 to 5 p.m. To offer words of condolence to the family, sign a guest book and share memories, go to the obituary page at www.athutchins.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Dick’s honor may be made to the Good Shepherd Food Bank (http://gsfb.org).