LOVELL — Albert Stearns spent his last few days at home in Lovell surrounded by loved ones, listening to old familiar tunes, and gazing out the window from time to time at his favorite mountain, Baldface. He left the house for the last time in the early morning hours of December 1, 2024, wearing his John Deere cap and with one of his beloved wife Jacky’s homemade chocolate chip cookies tucked into the pocket of his flannel shirt. He was 90.

Al was born January 28, 1934, to Marcus and Esther Stearns and grew up with his two older sisters on a small dairy farm in West Lovell. He graduated from Fryeburg Academy in 1952 and attended the University of Maine before serving in the United State Marine Corps. Always the proud Marine, Al liked to wear his Korean War veteran’s cap while out and about, often connecting with other vets and bantering about which branch of the military was superior.

He loved going to the dump, puttering outside, coffee ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, red hot dogs, beans, watching Lawrence Welk reruns, spending time with his kids and grandkids at the family’s Kezar Lake camp, forecasting the weather by looking at Baldface, his John Deere tractor, his 1995 blue Chevy pickup, and especially telling stories about the old days in Lovell. Al reveled in telling detailed stories about playing football at the academy, caddying at the Kezar Lake Country Club at age 11, waiting tables at Severance Lodge, piling into the back of a pickup truck with summer coworkers from Conifer and singing songs the entire ride to Bridgton to see a movie, and gathering after work with summer help from Kezar Lake resorts — Severance, Farrington’s Conifer, Quisisana — for fun and refreshments at Lovell’s teen hangout, the Horseshoe.

It was at the Horseshoe that Al met the love of his life, Jacky King, a pretty nursing student from Connecticut who accompanied a classmate to her hometown of Lovell during a break. Al and Jacky married in 1956 and raised their three children in Charlestown, N.H., where Al worked as a master electrician. Upon retirement in 1999, they moved to Lovell and built a house on the farmland where Al grew up.

Al is survived by his wife of 68 years, Jacky; daughters Karen Epranian (Bill) of St. James City, Fla., and Rondi Stearns (Stan Tupaj) of Lovell; son Steven Stearns of Bangkok, Thailand; grandchildren Sam Cote, Tom Cote (Nancy), Jayna Epranian, Ben Tupaj (Cassandra), Anabella Cherry (Zach), and Nick Stearns; great-grandchildren Jacquelyn and Selena Cote and Reagan and Jackson Tupaj; and brothers-in-law David and Richard King as well as many nieces and nephews.

Al was predeceased by his sisters Marguerite Kimball and Marcia Hamlin and his niece Esther LeBlanc.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Al’s name can be made to Lovell United Church of Christ, PO Box 232, Lovell, ME 04051; Lovell Historical Society, PO Box 166, Lovell, ME 04051; or Chatham Historical Society, 1061 Main Rd., Cha- tham, NH 03813.

A celebration of life will be held in Lovell on July 12, 2025. Arrangements are under the care of Wood Funeral Home, 9 Warren St., Fryeburg, ME. Online condolences may be shared with Al’s family at www.chandlerfunerals.com