Alan James MacQueen, of Wiscasset, left this world suddenly on June 10, 2013.
He was born in Lynn, Massachusetts to Alan and Ruth MacQueen on November 27, 1941.
He grew up in Topsfield, Massachusetts and Lyndonviille, Vermont.
At the age of fifteen, Alan went to live on a dairy farm with Gladys and Elmer
Burington in East Burke, Vermont, where he discovered his love of dairy cows,
horses and farming. He graduated from Lyndon Institute and received his degree
in Animal Husbandry from the University of Vermont, and at the age of forty,
obtained his Masters Degree in Business from the University of Notre Dame.
Alan went to the Rising Tide Community Market in 2009 as Grocery Manager,
moving up to General Manager in December 2012. Prior to that, he was Vice
President of Marriott Management Services, had his own plumbing and heating
business in Bar Harbor, and along with his wife, Candee Rogers MacQueen, had
dairy farms in Missouri and New York under the name Alan-Dee Dairy Farm.
At the time of his death, they were the resident farmers at The Morris Farm in
Wiscasset where they formed the Alan-Dee Dairy 4-H group. He also bred
Clydesdale horses, some of which became famous as Budweiser Clydesdales.
Five of his Clydesdales reside at The Morris Farm where they graze at the top of
the hill overlooking the Holstein cows and dairy goats. Also in residence are
numerous cats which were another of Alan's loves.
Alan was truly "God's Shepherd". He thought nothing of taking time to drive
eight hours to help a friend rescue a donkey and see that she was safe and
comfortable in her new home. To him this was truly a joy! If you had a problem
trimming or cleaning your horse's hooves, he'd be there to help you, show you
the proper way, and demonstrate the proper way to discipline your animal. When
you came into work with a question as simple as, "are my chickens old enough
to go outside?" he would stop his work and give you a tutorial on what to do!
His knowledge and patience were endless and there was never a question of his
sharing anything he knew. Of course, he used this love of animals on his own
farm to the extreme, keeping old cows as pets when someone else would have
considered them a burden. This is truly the ruler by which Alan's life can be
measured. As the General Manager of the Rising Tide Community Market in Damariscotta, Alan proved
to be a much beloved leader of his "Tide" family with his loyalty, trust and dedication to
employees and customers alike.
He is survived by his wife, Candee Rogers MacQueen; his sons, Jeffrey, Stephen and Chip;
his sister, Carol Tibbetts of Newark, Vermont; his brother, Craig MacQueen of Lebanon,
Missouri; ten grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
There will be a celebration of Alan's life at the Darrows Barn at Round Top Farm in
Damariscotta, on July 2nd from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. There will also be a religious service at
The Morris Farm in Wiscasset, on June 29th at 2:00 p.m.
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