Roger Alan Clement Sr., 76, of Naples passed from this life surrounded by his family on Friday, September 23, 2022, after a period of declining health.

Roger was born in Portland, Maine on October 24, 1945, to Fred W. Clement Jr. and Shirleyann (Kneeland) Clement. His family moved to Brewer where he
attended school and graduated in 1964. Roger displayed mechanical aptitude and a love for speed at an early age. At age 14, he was the Maine State Soap Box Derby
champion and raced in the national championships in Akron, Ohio. Throughout his life, he continued to enjoy building things and driving cars, boats and airplanes.

Roger learned to weld and fabricate with steel at Bancroft & Martin in Bangor before moving his family to Portland to join the General Electric Corporation in the power generation division in 1968. Known for his tireless work ethic, he quickly became a manufacturing engineer. He finished his 35-year career at GE’s steam turbine plant in Bangor.

In 1963, he married Jacqueline Balabas, and they were blessed with four children by the time Roger was 23. In 1969, they bought and renovated a farmhouse along with five cabins on Brandy Pond in Naples which they operated as Clement’s Cabins. The massive double fireplace in the house was constructed of bricks Roger salvaged from a building that had been razed in Portland’s Old Port. His time spent hauling and cleaning those bricks proved a good investment as the fireplace kept him and his family warm for the rest of his life — 53 winters.

A man of boundless energy, Roger found time to garden, hunt, boat and read. He cut firewood to heat his own home and regularly delivered loads of wood to customers in Greater Portland on his way to work at GE. He had a snowplow route and one year shoveled chicken coops to earn a few extra dollars for Christmas gifts. He found fulfillment in serving family and friends in their times of need. He could build and repair almost anything, often using his talent to help others. After retirement, he spent much of his time on Casco Bay on his sailboat, Godspeed.

Roger considered Naples the “garden spot of the universe” and served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Budget Committee. He rarely missed a town meeting.

He was baptized in the Christian faith as an adult, found comfort in prayer, and accepted Jesus as his savior. He regularly studied scripture with his children.

His children agree that his true calling was to be a father. He devoted himself to providing the material, emotional, spiritual, and

moral environment for his family to thrive. That same commitment to his family continued to his grandchildren and he took special pleasure in building wooden toys for them and in watching them compete in sports. Roger was a fixture at McAuley and Greely girls’ basketball games and his homemade baked beans were a highlight of the McAuley post-games meals. It brought him much joy watching multiple grandchildren and their teammates capture nine state championships in different sports over the years.

Roger is survived by a son, Roger Jr. of Falmouth, his wife Amy Tchao, and their daughters Eva and Mae; a daughter, Christine McArdle of Greenwich, Connecticut, her hus- band James, and their children James Benedict, Anne Andrews (Luke), and William; a son, Brian of Cumberland, his wife Carolyn, and their daughters Alexandra, Sarah, and Camille; and a son, Mark of Windham, his wife Lindsay, and their children Ezekiel (Ellie) and Brooke. Also surviving him are two sisters, Cheryl (Steve) Demos of Chesapeake, Virginia and Kathryn Wainwright of Baltimore, Maryland. He is also survived by his former wife, Jacqueline Kantro of Cape Elizabeth.

He was predeceased by his parents.

Visiting hours are Friday, October 7 from 4 to 6 p.m., at Hall’s Funeral Home in Casco. A funeral will be held on October 8 at 11 a.m. at the Camp Skylemar, 457 Sebago Road, in Naples followed by a reception. Burial will be private at the Forest Hills Cemetery in Bridgton.

Tributes may be shared at www.hallfuneralhome.net