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.

• Robert B. Jones ’66

  Deceased date: December 18, 2014
  Robert "Bruce" Jones, 71, died on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014 in Augusta after a lengthy illness. He was born in Waterville on May 14, 1943 to Doris Willette Jones and Robert Buck Jones who predecease him along with hi…read more

• Kent Chesley Chase ’84

  Deceased date: December 11, 2014
  Kent C. Chase 53, died Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, at his home in Kingfield. He was born July 16, 1961, in Farmington to Lendell and Eunice (Pinkham) Chase. Kent grew up in Kingfield and attended local schools graduating from Mt. Abram High School with the c…read more

• John M. Ross ’54

  Deceased date: December 4, 2014
  John Mason Ross, 81 of Lynnfield, died December 8 in Melrose after a long period of failing health. He was born in Bangor, Maine on October 26, 1933 and was the son of the late Harry F. and Margaret (Mason) Ross. Mr. Ross was raised and Bangor and al…read more

• Terry G. Favreau ’69

  Deceased date: November 20, 2014
  BRUNSWICK — Terry G. Favreau, 69, of Oak Ridge Road, died Nov. 20 at his home, with his wife and family by his side.Favreau was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Jan. 21,1945, to Fernand and Eleanor (Bam…read more

• Lawrence R. Beal ’65

  Deceased date: November 14, 2014
  North Port, FL, and Tenants Harbor, ME - Lawrence R Beal, 71, died at home in Florida on November 11, 2014, following an …read more

• Larry A. Doyle ’72

  Deceased date: November 1, 2014
  Capt. Larry A. Doyle, age 64, passed with his loving family at his side at the Moffitt Cancer Research Center in Tampa, FL. on November 1, 2014. Larry was the son of Archie and Lois Doyle of South Portland, ME and was born on April 25^th, 1950. …read more

• William H. Kelley ’59

  Deceased date: October 27, 2014
  Captain William H. Kelley, 79, of Marblehead, MA and Palm Beach, FL, passed away at Salem Hospital on October 27, 2014. He was the beloved husband of the late Marie "Mayo" (Audet) Kelley. Born in Marblehead, he was the son of the late Morris and Harriet (…read more

• Richard R. Paton ’66

  Deceased date: October 7, 2014
  Richard R. Paton, 70, of Ellington and formerly of Coventry, beloved husband of Caroline (Wiatrak) Paton, passed away on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. He spent his career in Risk Management and retired from Phoenix Insurance. He served his country for 27 year…read more

• Michael J. Riley ’76

  Deceased date: October 2, 2014
  ROWLEY: Michael J. Riley, 60, beloved husband of Judy (Pietrini) Riley, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, October 2, 2014. Born in Japan, he was the son of the late David W. and Dorothy M. (Caufield) Riley. He was raised and educated in Beverly, grad…read more

• Frederick J. Grondin ’47

  Deceased date: September 25, 2014
  SACO — Frederick John “Buffer” Grondin, 86, of Saco, passed away after a brief illness, early Thursday afternoon on Sept. 25, 2014, at his residence. He was born in Biddeford on Dec. 16, 1927, a son of Arthur and Hannah (Coffey) Grondin. Fred grad…read more