Peter Ladd
July 17, 1956 – October 19, 2023
“Peter Ladd left a legacy at Hancock Lumber, and across Maine, that is uniquely his own. Humble, unassuming, self-sufficient, kind, talented, dependable, and fun loving – these are all attributes I think about with respect to Peter. He was, of course, one of the best baseball pitchers to ever hail from the state of Maine but you would rarely hear about this from Peter himself. For me, Peter was an icon at our Windham store. When you walked through the front door you saw Peter, always there with a warm and kind smile. All of us who knew and worked with Peter were blessed by his presence. I will remember him with great fondness, respect, and appreciation. “
– Kevin Hancock, Chariman + Managing Owner, Hancock Lumber
Below is a story about Peter from Kabe Micklon, fellow coworker of Ladd at our Windham location.
I have quite a few Peter Ladd stories I’ve been thinking about these last few weeks. Everything from philosophical discussions of our bodies just being vessels (Peter was 67 years old, which puts him one year older than my mother and one year younger than my father. And while he certainly was a father figure to me, he always made me feel like his equal), to MLB stories like purposely hitting Bo Jackson with a pitch because Peter didn’t like his attitude and ego (“Take your base, you baby!”). But there’s one story that stands out beyond all others that I wish to share with the world:
My son, Calvin, only knew Peter as the nice man that he saw when he had a doctor’s appointment. Cal’s pediatrician was right next door at Mercy/Northern Lights, so we always came up to say hi to Peter after appointments. One day after a doctor’s visit, I saw Peter ALLEN in the parking lot and told Cal “Hang on, I want to say hi to my coworker, Peter.” Calvin replied something along the lines of “Wait, but that’s not the REAL Peter!” I simply LOVED this phrasing, and told Peter Allen that he’s the FAKE Peter, and always reminded Peter Ladd that he’s the REAL Peter, which they both loved!
After a lot of consideration, I decided to tell Calvin this weekend that Peter Ladd passed away. Cal was sad, but asked some very mature questions considering he’s only turning seven next month: “How did he die?” “What does cancer do?” “How old was he?” and most poignantly, “Wait, does this mean I’ll never see him again?”
This wasn’t Calvin’s first experience with death, but I could see him connecting some dots he never did before. I told Calvin what I’ve told everyone else about Peter’s passing- while Peter passed away too soon, he lived a FULL and MEANINGFUL life that very few of us get to live. I also believe Peter fought until he made it back to his home; he would’ve hated passing in a hospital, which showed me how strong and great of a fighter he was. While we may lose the war, we can still win the most important battles.
I also explained how Peter was actually a star athlete that almost NOBODY gets to experience in their lifetime, and showed Cal what pops up when you google search Peter’s name. Calvin said that NONE of those pictures on Google looked like the REAL Peter, EXCEPT for his obituary picture (see attached) of him playing guitar and singing into a microphone… How crazy is that?! Cal doesn’t care about the MLB accolades; he cared about the nice man that made him laugh each time he visited my work after his doctor appointments…
I guess all that I want to say is that he was always the REAL Peter. That he was never a phony. Peter was matter of fact whether you liked it or not. He gave me wisdom I’ll never forget, and I’ll miss him DEARLY. I can still hear his laugh, as well as his mannerisms which I’ll carry on and use for the rest of my life (like answering the phone in a British voice to his friends he recognized on caller id, “Yeeees?….Why, yeeees!” Or “Good morning, siiir!” followed by “Why, yes, siiiir!” or “Very good, siiir!”).
While I’ll always miss him, and while the world is missing Peter Ladd, the “REAL PETER” will never leave my heart.
Check out the images below, a few of our favorite Peter Ladd moments shared with dear colleagues and friends. Forever in our hearts – until we meet again, Pete!
Read more about Peter’s legacy in this Portland Press Herald article, and his full obituary online.
