By Shelagh Talbot
Woodrouffe Lambert Bartley, known by most as simply Tony, is a true Greenville kid. His family has resided there for multiple generations. They were an ambitious and industrious lot, creating businesses that would be assets for the town for years to come. Their offerings over the years included automobile sales and service, marine sales and service and suppliers of home heating oil for the area. Tony was no slouch in that area either and as soon as he was old enough, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the family business. But let’s go back to a seminal part of his life when he first met his bride to be. She’s a Bangor girl; her name is Rowena Trenholm, otherwise known as Pinkie.
They met while Tony was in college. He and his best friend Arthur Hathaway were students at the University of Maine in Orono and decided to take a swim course at the YMCA in the city of Bangor. Arthur had suggested that it would be a terrific way to meet some girls from the area. Tony thought that was a great idea also and the young men made a bet to see who would be the first to get a date. As it turned out, Rowena was there to take the swim course as well. She wanted to get her swimming license because she planned to work at a Girl Scout Camp at Green Lake, east of Bangor.
No matter who won the bet, Tony asked Rowena out and she accepted. They started dating regularly and then Tony was called up to join the service. I’m sure there must have been a few letters back and forth as they talked about getting together once his stint was up. The delightful upshot of all this was they did indeed get married shortly after his service was over, and Tony brought his bride home to live in Greenville. The family embraced Pinkie from the start, and she became involved in the family business, working in the office.
The couple bought a house in town, just minutes from that family business. There they raised four children, three girls and a boy – Sue, Elaine, Diane and Woodrouffe. Woodie III worked with the town water company, Greenville Sanitary and now is Utilities Manager of Brunswick Landing ( once known as the Naval Air Station in Brunswick, Maine.) Sue, the eldest daughter, worked with the Dover school system in many roles before retiring to Greenville. Elaine pursued education as her career. She earned her Doctorate in Education and works for Maine’s Department of Education. Diane elected to stay in Greenville and has created rewarding work for herself in her hometown. She is an expert chef, with a thriving catering business. With Bartley Event Center and lakeside cabin rentals on Pritham Avenue, this family continues to be an important part of what makes Greenville the special place it is.
My heart goes out to the Bartley family. Tony and Pinkie were wonderful people..May all of you find comfort in the memories you have. Sending hugs to all of you.
Tony did a lot for kids as well. He always held the GHS senior picnic at his camp at Hartford Point on the shores of Moosehead. He also seem to always have a smile on his face. A really nice man.
Our love to Pinkie and the Bartley family. Tony was generous in heart and spirit.
When Linda and I came to Greenville as newlyweds in 1973, our wonderful adventure began, and the warmth of our reception was exemplified by the Bartley family. From teaching senior English to Sue to 6th grade basketball to Diane, I had the great pleasure of teaching all the Bartley kids with, as you can imagine, some tough parent-teacher conferences. Pinkie and Tony were always good to Linda and me.
A couple memories that quickly come to mind are, first, when we bought our first house on Lincoln St, and had a -30 degree freeze, Tony left a commercial dryer on our porch so I could thaw the cellar pipes. He got wind of our dilemma and came to the rescue – a Greenville response, a Tony Bartley response. Second, I have many fond memories of working with Tony on Fishermen’s Breakfasts which he made sure were successful. On two of those, ’77 and ’79, I came home in time to take Linda to Dean Hospital to deliver Melissa and Stephanie.
We have great respect and affection for Sue, Elaine, Woodie, Diane, and, especially at this moment, Pinkie. Heartfelt condolences.