Joseph Alfred Henry "Al" Marin, 93, Southport, Maine, passed away Aug.16, 2026, surrounded by family. 

Consistent, steady, and stubborn, could describe Al Marin, but he was loved and respected for his unassuming manner, intelligence and wisdom. 

Born Feb. 7, 1933, in Auburn, Maine, to Alfred Magloire and Mary Jeanne (Ouellette) Marin, of St. Agatha, Maine, Al graduated from St. Francis High School in Biddeford, Maine in 1951, earned his B.S. from St. Anselm's College, Manchester, New Hampshire in 1955, and then served in the U.S. Army medical detachment at Frankfurt, Germany, until 1957. He completed his master's in zoology and physiology at the Univ. of Maine Orono in 1964.

After being discharged from the Army, Al’s first job was teaching science at Fort Kent Community High School, in Fort Kent, Maine. He married Marylyn (Jane) Jalbert the following June,1958. They settled in St. Agatha where Ellen, Gene, Ann Marie and Connie, the first four of their six children were born. Once Al had completed his master’s degree in 1964, he moved his young family to Hillsboro, New Hampshire, to begin teaching biology at Nathaniel Hawthorne College, in Antrim, New Hampshire. Two more sons, Steven and John, were added to the family in their early Hillsboro years. They spent summers traveling and camping often in the company of family and friends.

Eventually Al managed a campground on Newfound Lake in Bristol, several summers. In 1982, because the college phased out the biology department, Al started a new career with the logistics team at Sanders Associates in Nashua, New Hampshire. He made the daily commute to Nashua for 15 years until his retirement in 1997. 

Al and Marylyn headed for warmth and sunshine after 40 years in Hillsboro, joining their dear friends Hal and Mary Moore in Cocoa, Florida. Life in Cocoa, was full of activity but in 2018 desiring to be closer to family, they returned to Maine, settling in the Boothbay Harbor area. Al and Marylyn had been married 66 years when Marylyn passed away in December 2024.

A devout Catholic for many years, Al had a personal encounter with Jesus in 1979. What he had believed intellectually had become an experienced reality. He found great joy in friendships with other believers and was active in churches and related ministries. He gave generously, and served faithfully as a deacon at the Contoocook Valley Bible Chapel in Hillsboro, and with organizations like the Gideons and Promise Keepers. While in Florida, he volunteered at the Sharing Center and participated in the Cocoa sister city program with Beit Shemesh, Israel. A trip to Beit Shemesh with the group was a highlight of his life. He was especially fond of his Anchor Church family in Boothbay Harbor, as they surrounded him with love and support following Marylyn’s death.

Al loved sports of all kinds. Growing up on Long Lake in St. Agatha, with its long cold winters he learned to skate well, though the community offered few opportunities for team sports. The opportunities came in high school where he played hockey, baseball, tennis and football. He picked up golf too, and enjoyed playing through most of his life.  He went on to coach the Hawthorne College golf and hockey teams, leading the hockey team to its division championship. He was a fan of the Boston professional sports teams, especially the Red Sox and Patriots. It wasn’t unusual  to find him comfortably snoozing through the games on weekend afternoons. 

A licensed amateur radio operator for 68 years (call sign K1CYJ), Al was active in the 3905 Century Club, the YLSSB System, and the Contoocook Valley Radio Club. He operated from Germany, Maine, New Hampshire and Florida, mentoring many student operators. In his retirement years, he made regular calls with old friends, and some new ones too.

Al was a man of few spoken words, but he loved the written word. Not only was he an avid reader, but he enjoyed writing. He took advantage of his sharp memory and wrote his life story, a gift the family will cherish. He kept many friendships alive through the years by corresponding, with quick notes, Christmas letters, personalized birthday cards which he created on his computer, and most recently by writing a monthly blog for family and friends.

He was a member of American Legion Post #36 in Boothbay, and in April, participated in Honor Flight Maine with his son Steve, flying to Washington, D.C. -- a proud moment. 

He is survived by his children Ellen Reed and husband Dan of Marlow, New Hampshire, Ann-Marie Ford and husband John of Sharon, Massachusetts, Connie Miller and husband Matt of Jay, New York, Steve Marin and wife Jen Davis Marin of Boothbay Harbor, John Marin and husband Michael Brown of Idyllwild, California; his former daughter-in-law Yvonne Gould of Hillsboro;  his sister Terry Ouellette of St. Agatha; and brother Paul and his wife Avril of Madawaska, Maine; his sisters-in-law Anne Romano, Manchester, Connecticut and Greta Jalbert os St. John, Maine; 22 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. 

He was predeceased by his wife Marylyn in 2024, and his son Eugene in 2020. Al held a special place in his heart for his devoted caregiver Miri Lyons, who also cared for wife Marylyn before her passing.  

A Celebration of Al’s Life will be held at Hall Funeral Home and Tribute Center, 975 Wiscasset Road, Boothbay, Friday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m.

To leave online condolences for the family, please visit hallfuneralhomes.com.