Obituary of Michael Eremita

Brewer - Michael Eremita, 89, passed away on March 31, peacefully at home surrounded by his family.

To Michael, his family was his life and he is survived by his wife of 62 years, Marilyn Giberson Eremita of Bath, New Brunswick, Canada, and his five children and their spouses: Mark and Debbie Eremita of Dedham, ME, Joe and Nancy Eremita of Brewer, ME, Lisa Eremita and Kent Bailey of Holden, ME, Peter and Allison Eremita of Wells, ME, and Carolyn and Joe McLaughlin of Brewer, ME. Michael was affectionately known as Papa to his 14 grandchildren: Sarah, Jason, Kristin, Alex, Marc, Nikki, Maddy, Michael, Matt, Shanna, Lily, Joe, James, and Maria, and two great grandchildren, Evening and Parker. He was known as Uncle Mike to his children’s friends, and to many cousins, nieces, and nephews in Massachusetts and Canada. Michael is also survived by his sister, Regina MacDonald of Dedham, MA, brother Brigadier General USAF MEANG (Retired) Nicholas Eremita and his wife Carol of Merritt Island, FL, brother-in-law Les LeBlanc of Norwood, MA, and sister-in-law Janice Oakes and her husband Jimmy of Bath, New Brunswick, Canada. In addition, Michael is survived by his business partners and lifelong friends, Tom and Marie Valley of Holden, ME as well as Tom and Marie’s children and grandchildren. Michael is pre-deceased by his sister Antoinette LeBlanc, brother-in-law Jack MacDonald, and his brother Michael, and parents, Marco Eremita and Maria Lalli Eremita of Bonefro, Italy.

Michael grew up in Dedham, MA and received a B.A. in Business from Boston University and was a brother of Alpha Phi Delta Fraternity. He joined the Air Force in 1953 as a Navigator and became a Captain. He was stationed with the 71st Air Refueling Squadron at Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, ME and did a tour of duty in Thule, Greenland. While serving in the Air Force, he met his business partner Tom Valley and together in 1957, they started Eremita & Valley, a residential building company that has built hundreds of homes and apartments in the greater Bangor area. Together they created the slogan “Eremita & Valley, Building a better Maine.” By the early 1970’s they expanded their business to include commercial development and by the 1980’s they were statewide with hotels and strip malls. He was known as Mr. Mike to his crew and employees and could always be heard asking “Didja” do something. To Mr. Mike, his crew and employees were considered family. His famous phrase even ended up on the license plate of his work truck, which was referred to as the “Didja” and would been seen on many worksites. To this day Eremita & Valley has been in operation for over 60 years and remains a family business that is proud to say “Eremita & Valley, Building a better Maine for more than half a century.”

Michael met his bride, Marilyn, in Bangor on a blind date when she was a nursing student at Eastern Maine General Hospital and they got married June 7, 1958. They settled in a home in Brewer, Maine built by Michael and Tom and that is where they have resided and raised their family for the past 60 years. Michael was a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Brewer, ME and gave back to the community in numerous ways. His generosity sometimes went unnoticed but those that knew him, knew that family and charitable giving were most important to him. Over the years, Michael has been a loyal member of: Italian Heritage Club, Knights of Columbus, Saturday Nighters Club, Whirling Eight Square Dance Club, and many more social organizations. He loved his Italian roots, especially making homemade gravy (sauce) for all family holidays, and often traveled to Italy to visit family and vacation. He also enjoyed traveling with his wife to many Air Force Reunions all over the country. Mike loved to entertain family and friends with lobster cookouts at his summer residence in Stonington, ME, where he was the founding and only member of the exclusive Stonington Yacht Club. He also enjoyed skiing and snowmobiling with family and friends. Michael was a hard worker and could always be found tinkering in his workshop, working with granite, or dropping off Gosslin’s Donuts to his job sites. Mike was a humble man and will be remembered for his dry humor, one-liners, orders, and firing an occasional cannon.

One thing is for sure, Mike lived life on his terms and in the words of Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way.”

There will be a celebration of life for Mike at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in memory of Michael Eremita to Sarah’s House, University of Maine College of Engineering or Athletic Department, Stonington Opera House, The Hope House of Bangor, The Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, St. Joseph’s Church of Brewer, or a charity of your choice.