Rev. Earl John Thaler Obituary (1932

HARTLAND - The Rev. Earl J. Thaler, 76, died April 11, 2009 at his residence. He was born May 12, 1932 in Niagara Falls, NY, the first child of Simon and Ida (Price) Thaler. At age 12 his family moved to a farm in nearby Youngstown, where he organized the Youngstown Frontiersmen 4-H Club and was involved in church and school activities. He graduated from Youngstown High School, Concordia College in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1953 and from the Concordia Theological Seminary in 1958. Earl served as a missionary to the deaf in all six of the New England states. During this time he obtained a church building solely for the deaf, purchased a full sized school bus with S & H green stamps, organized a summer camp for deaf children, conducted Protestant religious classes in the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, CT, The Austine School for the Deaf in Brattleboro, VT, the Baxter School for the Deaf in Falmouth, the Boston School for the Deaf in Randolph, MA, the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Roxbury, MA and the Crotched Mountain School for the Deaf in Peterborough, NH. He provided interpreting and counseling services in schools for the deaf, hospitals, court rooms, and various other Medical, legal or spiritual situations. Due to ill health, Earl moved to Maine in 1972 and operated businesses in Pittsfield until his retirement in 1996. He was active in Grace Linn Memorial United Methodist Church, involved in the Sunday School program, Vacation Bible School and also teaching a Monday evening Bible study class. He has preached in a number of United Methodist and Congregational churches throughout the area. He was a volunteer for the Senior Companion Program of this area for many years. Recently, he had been a part of the Federated Church of Skowhegan. He is survived by his significant other, Charles E. Jones of Hartland; and a brother, Darryl of Pennsylvania. He was predeceased by 2 brothers, Don and Mark; and a sister, Dorine. A memorial service will be held 10 A.M. Wednesday, April 15th at the Federated Church of Skowhegan (Island Avenue) with the Rev. Mark Tanner officiating. Burial will be in the Fairview Cemetery, Canaan, later in the spring. Arrangements are by Crosby & Neal, Newport.