The tradition of Eight Bells pays respect to deceased mariners and signifies that a sailor's “watch” is over.
The practice dates back to the days of the sailing ships, when sailors couldn't afford to have their own time pieces and relied on the ship's bells to tell time. The ship's boy kept time by using a half-hour glass. Each time the sand ran out, he would turn the glass over and ring the appropriate number of bells. Each ship “watch” is four hours, or eight bells, in length.
Submissions for Eight Bells
If you learn of the passing of a MMA classmate, associate, friend or family member, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations so that we may include the information in our Eight Bells listings. Send obituaries or their digital links to alumni@mma.edu.
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Fenton R. McAvoy ’53
Deceased date: July 23, 2025Fenton R. “Dude” McAvoy, 92, of East Hartford, CT and formerly of East Millinocket, ME, died peacefully on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 with his family by his side at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, CT. He was the loving husband of 52 years of the late Ann…read more -
Jon P. Wing ’74
Deceased date: July 19, 2025Jon Phillip Wing of Bel Air Maryland, formerly of Scarborough, Maine, died on July 19, from complications of prostate cancer. He was 73. Jon, a retired Vice President of Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors, was the son of Arthur Wing, a salesman …read more -
Rock A. Levasseur ’65
Deceased date: July 17, 2025Rock A. Levasseur, 81, of Plymouth, MA, passed away peacefully on July 17, 2025. Rock was born in Portland, Maine in 1943 to Roch and …read moreMatthew H. Grose ’82
Deceased date: June 27, 2025Matthew Hunter Grose, 65, of Mornington, Australia, and formerly from Bath, Maine, passed away in Australia from complications with cancer on June 27, 2025. Matt was born in Bethesda, Maryland, on Dec. 14, 1959 to Wilbur H. Grose and Eileen R. (Brennan…read moreGordon M. Ward ’59
Deceased date: June 14, 2025Gorham – Gordon M. Ward, a longtime resident of Gorham, passed away peacefully on June 14, 2025, at the age of 86. Gordon was born in Waterville, Maine on November 16, 1938, the beloved son of Esther and Malon Ward. His family moved to Portland where h…read moreCapt. Donald V. Church ’55
Deceased date: June 1, 2025Captain Donald Vernon Church, beloved father of three, grandfather of nine and great grandfather (aka Grumpa and Grumpy Winkle) of eight and a half passed away in his Bristol home on June 1, 2025 just a few days shy of his 91st birthday. We are certain th…read moreCapt. Richard C. Holt, Sr. ’58
Deceased date: May 23, 2025Captain Richard Curtis Holt, Sr, age 87, of Greenland, formerly a 50 year resident of Rye, passed away on May 23, 2025 at his home fol…read moreRichard L. MacLean ’50
Deceased date: May 22, 2025Richard MacLean, 95, of Forestdale, MA passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 22, 2025, after a brief illness. Born in Allston, MA, the oldest son of the late Horace and Eleanor (Lombard) MacLean of Allston. Rich graduated from Maine Maritime Academy …read moreCapt. Jeffrey W. Monroe ’76
Deceased date: May 13, 2025Jeffrey Wayne Monroe, 71, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, husband of Linda Mallik Monroe, entered into eternal rest Tuesday, May 13, 2025.…read moreAllen E. Huntley ’68
Deceased date: May 3, 2025Allen E. Huntley, 78, passed away peacefully surrounded by family, on Saturday, May 3, 2025 at Pen Bay Hospital. He was born in Camden to the late George A. Huntley and Patricia A. (Allen) Huntley on June 20, 1946. Allen graduated from Rockland Distric…read more
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