Richard P. Irwin

SCARBOROUGH, MAINE -- Mr. Richard Pitt Irwin, 85, of Scarborough, Me., and formerly of Colebrook, died early on January 9, 2009, in Saco, Me., after a period of declining health. Mr. Irwin was born October 22, 1923, in Worcester, Mass., a son of the late Edwin McMillan Irwin and Eleanor (Huston) Irwin. Richard was a 1941 graduate of Houlton High School in Houlton, Me., and he later attended the University of Maine at Orono where he attained his bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in the field of education. During World War II, he served with honor in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1943-45 as a classification specialist with the 23rd Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron in England, France (Normandy/Northern France campaign), Belgium (Ardennes/Battle of the Bulge), and Germany/Central Europe (Rhineland campaign). He then returned to teaching. Mr. Irwin taught at many different school systems in the New England area before settling at Colebrook Academy, including high schools in Bradford, Vt., Groveton, NH, Salem, NH, West Bridgewater, Mass., and Plainfield, Vt. For a brief period, he took a leave of absence from teaching and began to pursue a doctoral degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1950-51. Mr. Irwin arrived in Colebrook in 1960, residing at the home of Eleanor Noyes at 16 Monadnock Street for 40 years. He served as principal and headmaster at Colebrook Academy from 1960 to 1978. After that he remained as a social studies and history teacher for another fourteen years, fully retiring in 1992. He served as a member of the Colebrook School Board from 1995 until 2004. After retiring from his public service on the school board, Mr. Irwin moved full time to his seaside home at Higgins Beach in Scarborough, Me with his beloved dog Hobo, where he had spent many, many summers. Mr. Irwin is survived by Eleanor Noyes' granddaughter, Alyson Bristol of Wellesley Hills, MA, and an enduring circle of friends, former colleagues and students. He will be remembered by several generations of Colebrook students as a beloved mentor, and as a teacher that one could never forget. At Mr. Irwin’s specific request, there are to be no calling hours or services. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Mr. Irwin may be made to the North Country Humane Society, c/o Joan Shatney, 60 Pleasant Street, Colebrook, NH 03576. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home, Colebrook, NH.

Richard P. Irwin

October 22, 1923 - January 9, 2009