A Masonic Memorial service will be he held at the Caribou Veteran's Cemetery Chapel for Asher Chambers. The service will be held on Wednesday January 26th at 11:00am.
CARIBOU - Asher Jerome Chambers, 75, died Jan. 15, 2011, in Eagle Lake after a long illness. He was born Dec. 21, 1935, in Island Falls, son of Asher D. and Martha Adelia (Higgins) Chambers. He was raised and educated in Caribou, where he worked at Doaks Radio and TV Shop, and Condon's Candies. He was one of the first technicians at WAGM TV station in Presque Isle when it opened. He attended a two-year program at Ricker College, Houlton, followed by graduation from a two-year program in technology and electronics at Southern Maine Technical College. He worked in California for a technology company and was therein drafted in the U.S. Army in 1958. He was trained at Fort Hood in radar technology and heavy artillery, served two years of active duty in Germany, two years of active reserve duty and two years of inactive reserve duty based in Connecticut. While in Connecticut he worked at mold making, tool and die work, and precision machining for two businesses, Franklin Engraving and Prototype, and Plastic Mold, Inc. He designed gun stock patents and created exemplary originals of all kinds for large companies such as Iona Electric, GM, Avon and Winchester, who then made up to millions of reproduction parts from his original. An example would be a piece for a seat belt in a car, where safety and precision was paramount. He also supervised industrial lines in a factory as a second daily eight-hour job. After moving back to Caribou in 1979, he worked at Mecon Manufacturing doing similar work, and at BMW. In retirement years, he assisted family members with their projects in agriculture and business. He enjoyed helping with the harvest, deliveries and sales. He restored antique Indian motorcycles and used the "29" to attend meets. He did leatherworking and small metal work, creating brass and copper engravings and other objects using a pantograph. Some of his fine art included the engraving of size adjusted drawings on hand cut brass belt buckles, and making metal signature plates for family art. One of his great gifts was mechanical expertise under the hood of any vehicle. Jerome was a superb mathematician and was learned about the complete ages of automobiles, aviation and railway transportation. His hobbies were photography and film history. He was a loyal Red Sox fan, played jazz piano, cribbage, chess and radio. He rode in antique and modern small aircraft when opportunities arose. In the late 1940s, young Jerome helped to cut and log out trees with an old panel truck in order to build an original camp and family camp at Cross Lake with his father, a role model for planning, and master carpentry. He invented and carved watercraft models, added motors and fans, and ran them on the still water. He gained knowledge about nature, especially birds and small animals, and he would feed them from his hand. He was in the first Scout troop in Caribou, and received one of the first advance awards in Aroostook County. He had long patience, was quiet, and an avid and agreeable listener, which gained him lifelong friendships and sharpened a keen intuition. He had a sense of adventure and automotive experimentation that caused a tractor trailer engine to be installed in a '49 Chevy in the front yard; it leaped when the gas pedal was depressed like a plane taking off, causing the boltings to shudder and fenders to raise up. Jerome especially had interest in early Thunderbirds because the interior was designed like an airplane cockpit, as well as large production cars of the '60s. He was the eldest of many grandchildren and had young aunts and uncles all around who cared about him from his first day. Jerome was a member of Caribou Masonic Lodge No. 170. Jerome is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Gertrude L. "Trudy" and C. Ronald Price of Freedom and Mrs. Betheny Andrea and Gregory C. Anderson of Caribou; a daughter, Mrs. Martha Jean and John Kennedy of Rocky Hill, Conn.; three stepdaughters, Mrs. Gwenn and Steve Vecchitto of Miami, Mrs. Karen and Joe Cancelliere of Cromwell, Conn., and Ms. Cindy Lipka of Rocky Hill, Conn.; four nephews, Kyle R. and Karen Price of Winslow, Travis D. Price of Freedom, Jody R. Smith of Caribou and Whitney H. and Katie D. Smith of Caribou; great-nephews and great-niece, Kevin A. Price, Kody Asher Price and Karlee A. Price; and great-nephews and great-niece, Michael G. Smith, Matthew Asher Smith and MacKenna L. Smith; aunts, Mrs. Charlotte Higgins Short and Barry of Houlton, Mrs. Dora L. "Dode" Akeley of Bath, Mrs. Dorothy L. "Tot" Smith of Richmond, Ky., Mrs. Newty and Roy Chambers of Rockland; uncle, Fred S. "Bud" Higgins of Nevada; and many cousins, including Timothy G. Akeley of Bath, Kevin Short of Smyrna Mills, and other dear ones far away. He was predeceased by infant elder brother, Vaughn Asher; his former wife and the girls' mother, Ella (Cassarion) Chambers; and his parents. He will be remembered by former brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. "Dick" Smith of Westmanland. He will be missed by lifelong family and personal friend, David Hilton of Cumberland Center, Mark Malnichuk of Perham and Ms. Sheila Morin of Caribou, creative people all. Funeral services will be private. Interment will take place at Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery. An outside memorial service will be held in the summer for family and friends. Friends who wish to contribute in memory of Jerome may do so to the American Cancer Society , Bessie Gray Memorial United Methodist Church or the non-profit organization of one's choice. Arrangements are by Mockler Funeral Home, Caribou. For an online register, please go to www.mocklerfuneralhome.com.
Published in Bangor Daily News from January 17 to January 19, 2011
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