Ronald James St. Pierre

Bangor, Maine - Ronald James St. Pierre, 83, passed away at home on August 11, 2026, from the same illness that took his father in 1971, pancreatic cancer.

He was born to Alfred J. and Loretta B. St. Pierre on January 12, 1943, at Mercy Hospital in Portland, ME, where his father was employed at Bath Iron Works building ships for the war effort. A few years later, when his father was drafted into the Navy, he and his mother relocated to his parent's hometown of Van Buren, ME, to await his return. After the war, the family stayed in Van Buren where Ronald grew up among many relatives.

Like most of the children along that part of the St. John River, he grew up speaking French, learning English only when they began attending kindergarten. In later life he would always enjoy conversing in French whenever he could.

Post-war Van Buren was a lively community, with a thriving potato industry. He often talked of the potato fields and warehouses of his youth, and helping his father and uncles with farm labor. Trains dominated the transportation of goods and people, and this left a lasting impression on him. It spurred his interest in hobby railroad modeling that has culminated in a sophisticated layout in his basement that emulates the train yards and potato houses of his youth.

He graduated with honors from Van Buren High School, and went on to attend Husson College in Bangor. His uncle, Abel Morneault, who had developed a successful potato operation in part due to his education from Husson (known as Shaw College when he attended), felt a college education to be so invaluable that he helped pay for Ronald's degree in business and education. This led to a 26 year long career teaching in the Business Department at Bangor High School, followed by more than 30 years as the CFO at The Fitch Company.

In February 1968, he met and fell in love with Adele Hook, a nurse who had moved to the Bangor area from her home in Coatesville, PA, to take a job at EMMC. They married in December of that year at St. Cecilia's church in Coatesville. A year later, the first of their three children was born. The license plate, "HOOK," was originally a gift to Adele on their first Christmas together and has been seen on one of their vehicles continuously since then.

Ronald was a lifelong educator and coach. He played baseball and basketball in high school and college, and coached these sports at Bangor High School. When his children took up ice hockey, he studied up on it and helped coach in the Bangor Youth Hockey program. But baseball was always his favorite.

He began playing baseball at age 13, a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers whose games he listened to on radio. He began coaching baseball when his eldest son began playing Little League. Most evenings during the summer when his boys were young, he could be found at Fairmount Park pitching to any kids who wanted to try hitting, or hitting pop flies for the kids to catch. Many kids came out to play that never participated in organized leagues. There were always extra gloves and bats for kids to use. He went on to coach at all levels up to High School JV and Legion.

In 1989, he helped his friend Dave Mansfield coach the Bangor Little League team that won the Maine State Championship and went on to play in the regionals in Connecticut. That season is immortalized in Stephen King's essay, "Head Down." That experience inspired the construction of Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium at Bangor's Hayford park, the same park his eldest son had his first ever baseball practice at. For the next 30+ years, Dave and Ron worked tirelessly among other volunteers as well as city employees to make the ballpark the best baseball experience they could. From 2002 to 2016 the field was host to the Senior Little League World Series. Kids, including some future Major Leaguers, came from throughout the world to participate in that tournament. In 2010 he coached the local host team that went all the way to the championship against world class competition.

He was always happy to see the kids and families marvel at and enjoy the field and stadium. Through baseball and the stadium, he made many friends across the nation and world that stayed in touch long after their experience here. Some would even come back to Maine just to visit the ballpark again. He could talk for hours on the finer points of the game and wax philosophical about the beauty of the game as a metaphor for life. In his last days where his mobility had become very restricted such that he couldn't go to the ballpark every day, he took comfort in whatever baseball broadcasts that he could find.

His last month was full of visits from friends and family which he greatly appreciated. Despite his failing body and discomfort, he still wanted to live. He was proud of all his children and grandchildren, and I'm sure did not want to miss seeing where the adventure of life would take them all. But his life was full of many more stories and memories than there is space to relate here.

He is survived by his wife, Adele; their three sons and their families: Jay St. Pierre and wife, Saori, and sons, Takaji and Hiroshi, of Arvada, Colorado; Jeff St. Pierre and wife, Véronique LaSalle, of Fredericton, New Brunswick; and Joel St. Pierre and wife, Melanie, and sons, Emmett and Parker of Buxton, Maine.

Relatives and friends are welcome to call 4-6 p.m. Sunday, August 16, 2026, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 806 Ohio St., Bangor on Monday, August 17, 2026, at 1 p.m. In lieu of Flowers, donations may be made to the Jimmy Fund at the Dana-Farber cancer institute. Condolences may be expressed at Brookings-Smith.com.