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.

• Francis W. Mayo ’54

  Deceased date: December 19, 2017
  Francis W. "Frank" Mayo, 86, of Turner, Maine, died Dec. 19, 2017 at the Maine Veterans Home in South Paris. He was born on Apr. 21, 1931, in Lewiston, a son of Walter and Bernice (St. Thomas) Mayo. He attended Sanford Springvale schools and went on to g…read more

• Philip B. Hatch, Jr. ’56

  Deceased date: December 16, 2017
  Sterling, MA – Philip B. Hatch Jr. 82, of Portland passed away peacefully on December 16, 2017 at his daughter's house in Massachusetts. He was born in Portland, ME on October 30, 1935 the son of Philip B. and Phyllis (Crangle) Hatch Sr. He graduated f…read more

• Peter S. Johnson ’94

  Deceased date: December 9, 2017
  PJ Johnson of Portsmouth, NH passed on from this life on December 9, 2017. PJ was the loving and proud father of Katie, Maggy and Zachary Johnson of Kittery Point, Maine. Raised in Tenafly, N.J. PJ spent his youth playing ice hockey, lacrosse and crew la…read more

• Capt. Cornelius V. Spillane III ’75

  Deceased date: December 7, 2017
  Cornelius Spillane III, born in Kittery, Maine and longtime resident of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away peacefully on Thursday at the age of 66. He is survived by his wife, Jill Spillane; sons Collin Spillane and Neil Spillane; his brother, Sean Spillan…read more

• Darryl E. Hagar ’85

  Deceased date: November 29, 2017
  Darryl Edward Hagar, 54, passed away Nov. 29. Born on April 2, 1963, Darryl grew up in Nobleboro and graduated from Lincoln Academy in 1981. He was a proud alumnus of Maine Maritime Academy, where he graduated in 1985 with a degree in maritime navigation…read more

• Albert V. Werner III ’68

  Deceased date: November 25, 2017
  Albert Vincent "Skip" Werner III, 72, passed away at his home on Nov. 25, 2017. On May 11, 1945, a record-setting snowstorm announced the birth of a strikingly extraordinary man, son of the late Albert and Kathleen (Slattery) Werner. At age 7, Skip recei…read more

• Carlton F. Edgecomb ’73

  Deceased date: November 14, 2017
  Carlton 'Carl' Fuller Edgecomb, 67, passed away on November 14, 2017, at home, with his family by his side, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Bangor, on June 25, 1950, son of Walter C. and Mary (Ranney) Edgecomb, Sr. Carlton was a gr…read more

• Robert B. Rhoads ’45

  Deceased date: November 2, 2017
  OLD TOWN - Robert B. Rhoads, 92, passed away November 2, 2017, at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born in Portland, July 24, 1925, the son of Michael Loving Rhoads and Cornelia Elizabeth (King) Rhoads. Bob lost his parents at the age of 17 an…read more

• William C. Pollard ’66

  Deceased date: October 30, 2017
  YARMOUTH - William Curtis "Bill" Pollard, 74, passed away peacefully Oct. 30, 2017, at his residence. Bill was born in Portland on Oct. 1, 1943, the son of Althea Curtis, of West Paris, and Joseph Edwin Pollard, of Norwich, Conn. He grew up on Greenway …read more

• West N. Ruroede ’83

  Deceased date: October 21, 2017
  Longtime Greenport resident West Needham Ruroede died Oct. 21. He was 58.  The son of Vance A. Wilson and Carol J. (Needham) Ruroede, he was born March 31, 1959, in San Francisco. Mr. Ruroede graduated from Greenport High S…read more