Ronald Gerry Faunce, husband, father, brother, grandfather, and friend died peacefully on Sunday, September 17th surrounded by beloved family and friends.  He was born the son of Erwin and Helen Frances Faunce, in Biddeford, Maine on June 14th, 1943.  Ron grew up in Portland, and graduated from Deering High School in 1961.  It was there that he met his sweetheart, Carol Ann Rutter.  After high school, Ron enrolled in the Air National Guard, and following his military service, returned to Maine to marry Carol on July 4th, 1964, and to start a family.  After a few years residing in Windham, Ron and Carol moved to Gray, where they raised their children, and lived for most of their lives.

 In addition to Carol, Ron had two other great loves in his life; his eleven grandchildren and spending time in the outdoors.  At family gatherings, he could often be found teaching his grandkids important lessons about life and fishing through animated stories from his own childhood, stories that will continue to be told for generations to come.  Ron’s grandchildren brought him immense joy, and pictures of them can be found throughout his house.  Over the years he attended scores of hockey games, dance recitals, Boy Scout meetings, and graduation ceremonies, always beaming with pride.

An avid outdoorsman, Ron genuinely enjoyed hunting and fishing, and seized the opportunity to do so whenever he could.  The arrival of spring and fall almost always came with the planning of a hunting or fishing trip with his sons and friends.  His love of the outdoors eventually led him to a rewarding career as a landscape gardener.  He founded GreenCare, a landscape maintenance company that served customers across southern Maine for many years.  He was instrumental in the planning and design of The Gardens at Pineland Farms and, for many years, was a regular contributor of gardening articles for The Gray News.  Prior to his work in horticulture, Ron worked for several years at S.D Warren in Westbrook and Pine Tree Telephone & Telegraph in Gray.

Ron was predeceased by his father, Erwin in 1983, his mother, Frances in 2001, and his sister, Diane (Faunce) Temm in 2006.  In addition to Carol, his beloved wife of 53 years, Ron is survived by four children, Mark and his wife Susan of Madison, NH, Doug and his wife Stephanie of San Clemente, CA, David and his wife Teresa of Rutherfordton, NC, and Catherine and her husband Jon Ducey of Scarborough, ME.  He is also survived by his sister Marcia and her husband Gabriel Williamson of South Portland, ME, and his eleven grandchildren, Russell, Alexander, Virginia, Jameson, Mary Alice, Sara, Lauren, Jacob, Brayden, Olivia, and Amelia.  The family extends its heartfelt appreciation to Ron’s many friends for their support and encouragement, especially Alphee and Judy LeFebvre of Westbrook. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Gregory’s Church on North Raymond Road, in Gray ME on Saturday, September 23rd at ten o’clock in the morning with a reception to follow in the parish hall.  In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to Hospice of Southern Maine (www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org) and to the MDS Foundation (www.mds-foundation.org).  Arrangements are under the charge of Wilson Funeral Home, 24 Shaker Road, Gray, ME 04039.

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