Eugene Eslin

BANGOR - Eugene E. Eslin Jr, 86, passed away peacefully March 30th, 2025. He was born June 23rd, 1938, in Bangor, the son of Eugene E. Sr and Merna M. (White) Eslin.

Eugene attended Bangor High School where he was a member of Stetson Rifles; from there he went on to work at Standard Shoe. He joined the Air National Guard in the early 1960s going full time in 1970s, and remained in the service for over 33 years. He was known for his love of cars. Having everything from Mercedes, Mustangs, Pontiac GTOs, and Corvettes. Eugene always took cruises in the winter time, always going for back-to-back cruises for two weeks in a row. When he was older, he went to Orlando with his son and granddaughter at 79, and rode all the roller-coasters at Universal, Seaworld and Disney. He enjoyed spending time with his family, once a week enjoying breakfast out with his son Gene, and sometimes with his granddaughter Taylor, then they'd go home and play many games of cribbage. They'd go to gun and car shows together every chance they could. Every summer, Eugene would go out lobstering with a fellow guardsman, even though he didn't even like seafood. He also helped out at a horse rescue, bringing feed and helping clean out the stalls when needed. He was an avid lover of bacon, baked beans, and dousing everything in lots of pepper.

Eugene is survived by his sister, Diana Casey; his son, Eugene Long; his daughters, Karen Eslin and Lori Melvin; grandchildren, Ryan Eslin, Taylor Long, Courtney and Olivia Melvin; niece and nephews; and close friend, Kari Wittine. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Sandra Bryant, brother in-law, Charles Casey, and nephew Harry Casey.

A memorial service will be held 10AM, Friday, April 11th, 2025 at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center Street, Bangor, ME 04401, with burial to follow at Mt. Hope Cemetery. A reception will be held following the burial at the Family Reception Center of Brookings-Smith, 163 Center Street, Bangor, ME 04401. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com.