Peter Erik Garland

Garland, Peter Erik, (Erik). Born on December 7th, 1949 in St. Stephen, NB, Canada, to Arthur and Edith (Olson) Garland, Husband of Joyce Baxter Garland, passed away on Sunday morning, January 7th, 2024.  

Erik grew up on South Street, Calais, Me. and attended elementary school in Milltown, and graduated from Calais Academy in 1968.  At an early age Erik learned the skills needed to trap Beaver, Muskrat, Otter, Bobcat, etc…, from his father Arthur. So, most school vacations Erik could be found out in the wilderness trapping and living in the woods.  He used these skills into his older adult life until his health prevented him from doing so.  Also, as a young school-age boy he spent many wonderful days on his grandparents farm which was next door to where he grew up.  He talked often and lovingly of his grandparents Ernest and Hilda (Rogers) Garland.

After graduating high school, Erik enrolled in the US Navy but, a few months later he received an honorable discharge due to injuries sustained in a vehicle accident. From there he attended Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield and then enrolled and graduated with a degree in Forestry from The University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB., Canada. He often talked about the challenges in owning a farm, raising a family and going to school 5 ½ days a week and was proud that he was one of the remaining students who completed the degree program. Erik worked in forestry for a few years and on his off time he took flying lessons and earned his small aircraft license in his Cessna 127.  Around 1974/75 Erik found himself in Lynchburg, VA, working construction.  He was on a job site when he was knocked down by a cement mixer truck and was run over not once but twice by the dual wheels.  This resulted in crushed vertebrae and several months of recovery for Erik. He had a difficult time staying still for long though and when he was well enough, he returned home to Calais.  Always doing it his way, he opened up a bar on North St. in Calais named the Robin’s Nest.  This is where he met Melvin Smith who became a very treasured friend from day one. Melvin had family in the area and was visiting for the summer of that year. Together, Erik and Chris Hinson accompanied Melvin who was a certified rock climber on climbs in New Brunswick and in Maine. Through the years,every time Mel got to Maine he and Erik took their own kids on rock climbing excursions throughout the area. Many wonderful memories were made during this time. Toward the end of the bar business Erik partnered with Bob Burgess of Calais and together with the help of a few friends, refurbished a 1925, 36’ schooner ( no engine ) sailboat.  Together, they sailed the coast of Maine where they had many fun sailing excursions, as well as a few harrowing experiences. It was one of the harrowing experiences that Erik had his foot completely crushed between his sailboat and another sailboat while trying to tie up to wait out a severe storm in Bar Harbor, Me.  As Erik tells it, it took many surgeries and years for him to be able to use his foot again.  He was adamant that his foot was not to be cut off.  As he used to say, I still have my foot, even if it isn’t 100%, I can walk on it! He experienced issues with his foot and with his back for the duration of his life.  Erik kept the bar open from 1976 to ‘79.  At that time he received an offer he could not refuse and moved his family to Eustis, Me  in the Sugarloaf Region. It was here that he became part owner and resident manager of Tea Pond Sporting Camps with his wife at that time.  Erik always enjoyed a challenge, especially if someone said he couldn’t do something.  So, with a walking cast to protect his crushed foot, he did the unmentionable and managed the camps with several guests driving, snowmobiling, cross country skiing or being picked up by Erik for their reservation to the full service 25 person capacity wilderness lodge. Erik was not one to shy away from hard living out in the wilderness. During one of his trips to the closest store (some 3 - 4 miles out from the Camps) for supplies, he met a reporter who was interested in doing a story about the family who was living and fully operating the Tea Pond Camps.  Erik took the reporter in by snowmobile and returned the reporter later in the day. It was on the solo return back to the camps that Erik’s snowmobile broke down.  Given that the month and year was January 1981 it was a brutally cold night. Erik burrowed way down into the snow and used the snowmobile as a blocker from the wind and spent the night there.  He got back on foot to the camp the next morning much to his wife’s relief. This story is a true testament to the determination that Erik always had in life.  After hearing from his doctor for the umpteenth time that the foot was not going to heal properly if he continued life at the rigorous Tea Pond Camps, he and his then current wife made the decision to move to Robbinston, Me. It was there that he opened and operated Webster’s General Store at Mill Cove in Robbinston from late 1981 - .84.  He had many stories about life at the store that will have to be told at another time.  After the store closed, Erik went through a rough time upon the separation with his then wife, so he spent a year in Costa Rica and met a couple of people who became great friends of his. Erik enjoyed Costa Rica immensely and always wanted to go back and live there. After Erik met Joyce in 1986.they talked of the possibility of moving to Costa Rica someday.  Kids took precedence and Erik and Joyce did not regret making a home instead in Robbinston. After Erik and Joyce married in 1988, his adventurous nature settled somewhat and he and Joyce happily brought up his children from a previous relationship, his and Joyce’s two daughters plus (even while being sick with Cancer the first time and more), helped to raise with Joyce his bonus children (3 young grandchildren for 8 ½ years).  He and Joyce enjoyed many experiences together not limited to but included, spending lots of time with the kids at the family camp at Beaver Lake, Calais, Me., at the family camp at Enoch Brook, Waite, Me. both camps started by his father Art.  He enjoyed lobster fishing and always had many of his kids along with him. Shortly before Erik traveled to Costa Rica, his daughter Erika answered a knock at their door in Robbinston. The person on the other side of the door was/is a National Geographic photographer, Michael Yamashita.  Michael asked Erik to take him out fishing and Erik jumped at the chance. Several of the photos Michael took that day were printed in a National Geographic hardcover publication and of course his kids were also in the pictures. That was just before Erik had traveled to Costa Rica. His kids had student lobster fishing licenses and they loved to go out on the water with their father. They also loved it when their dad would pack us all up and go camping somewhere on an Island by boat.  Later years Erik’s health deteriorated so much that he could not do a lot of what he always enjoyed but when his and Joyce’s daughter’s were in grade school one of them did a science project on maple syrup with their dad’s help. Well, for many years after that they collected sap and boiled it into syrup. This was something he also did with his grandchildren while he still could.  The colorful, funny adventurous stories of Erik could fill several pages but, that will be another time.  Erik did things his way right to the end. Knowing he had only a few days left, he signed himself out of the hospital and went home to be with his family in his last few days.  He passed away in his sleep with many of his family members with him.  He will be loved forever and we hope he is resting in peace and not hurting anymore.  

In addition to his parents Art & Ede of Calais and Robbinston,  Erik was predeceased by his beloved grandparents Ernest & Hilda Garland of Calais and Old Ridge, NB,.Canada., his sister Rebecca Garland Cookson (2018) of Robbinston, his grandparents Guy and Marie Olson of Minnesota, his very good friend: Malcolm Cochrane of Robbinston, Me. and his very good Florida friend he met in Costa Rica, Richard Keller.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years Joyce, his children: Erika Garland Hodge (David) of VA, Kristin Sweetland of ON, Canada, Tiffany Garland (Justin) of Me, Peter Garland (Jenny) of Me, Jeremiah Garland (Katryn) of Me, Kristina Garland and Shannon Garland both of Me. his mother in-law Marilyn Baxter of St. Stephen, NB, grandchildren:  Marquis Smith of VA, Elijah and Addison Brown of Me, Erik, Emilie and Liam Garland of Calais, Me.  nephew Dana (Miranda) Cookson and their two boys, a niece Kari Cookson and her daughter.  Two very dear long time friends: Melvin Smith of Tennessee and Mary Bugg of Me. 

At Erik’s request there will be no service. The family will honor him as he wished at a later date.  Cremation by Mays Funeral Home. Online condolences can be shared at Mays Funeral Home, Calais and Eastport or if you wish PO Box 25, Robbinston, Me. 04671.