In Memory of Paul "Doc" Corrigan


 

Paul G Corrigan O.D. Dr. Paul George Corrigan, Sr. died suddenly at Eastern Maine Medical Center on December 18th after suffering a heart attack. He was born in Calais, Maine, on February 18th, 1923, the second son of Edward J. and Edith (Aiken) Corrigan. He is pre-deceased by his brother, Philip Aiken Corrigan. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth Gerry Corrigan, their two sons, Paul Jr and his wife Jan of Greenville, ME, Bill and his wife Mary Ellen of New Gloucester, ME, and three daughters, Mary Edith Springuel and her husband René of Glen Echo, MD, Patt Morrison and her husband Bill of Miami, FL, and Mickey Carr and her husband John of Yarmouth, ME. He also had 16 grandchildren.

Dr. Corrigan was a graduate of Calais Academy and Holy Rosary Business School in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. He received Degrees in Optometry from Pennsylvania State College and Massachusetts College of Optometry, and for many years practiced his profession in Millinocket, Maine, until his retirement in 1987. He was a World War II US Navy veteran. Dr. Corrigan was an avid outdoorsman. He helped develop and maintain the Millinocket x-country ski trails at the Northern Timber Cruisers snowmobile club. He loved to fly fish, hunt and x-country ski. He and his sons spent many days each year together in pursuit of Brook Trout and Whitetail Deer. He taught all his daughters how to bait a hook. In 1956 he and his wife Betty purchased a camp on Millinocket Lake where they spent summers with their children, coming to town only for church, work, and little league games. After retirement, Paul and Betty went to camp when the snow melted and stayed till the pipes froze. Dr. Corrigan was a communicant of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church. He was very proud of his long affiliation with the Democratic party. Though reticent to reveal his political views to strangers, his family and friends knew that his political values were anchored firmly in the New Deal of Post-Depression America. The things he valued most were the family he and Betty raised and the strong ties both of them had to the community of Millinocket.