CORNISH – Charles “Charlie” Peter Dow passed away on Jan. 13, 2023 at the age of 62, after a brief but valiant battle with Leukemia.

Charlie was born Feb. 18, 1960, to parents Esther Phyllis (Brown) Dow and Lester B. Dow and was raised in South Portland with his 10 older siblings.

He followed in the footsteps of many of his brothers and went into commercial fishing. His first jobs were aboard the fishing vessels “Bonaventure” and the “January Cold” with his longtime mentor and friend, Harry Tiensivu. Charlie went on to captain his own boats: the “Avatar” and the “Terri & Ruth”, owned by Reggie Lamb.

Charlie met his true love, Debbie (Hansen) Dow in 1979, and they quickly developed a relationship over CB radio. They went on their first date in March of 1980, and he proposed just a few weeks later. They were married in November of 1981 and raised three children in Scarborough. They eventually moved to his dream home in Cornish, where they continued their love of over 40 years

Prompted by a large oil spill in 1996 and a desire to spend more time with his family, he began working in environmental remediation, where he met his best friend and future business partner, Brian Sellick. Together, they started Allstate Environmental Services in 2010, which continues to operate to this day.

Outside of work, he was a man of many interests. He loved tinkering, building new things, and always had a project brewing. Most recently, he started making his own maple syrup. What began as a small hobby quickly blew up into building his own tapping system, boiler, and eventually a sugar shack. No one in the family has experienced a shortage of maple syrup since. He also loved going for long car rides with his wife, Debbie, fishing with his brother Bib in the summer, and sharing his GPS-like knowledge of roads, interstates, and highways with anyone traveling along the Eastern Seaboard. Wherever you were going, Charlie knew the best way to get there.

He was predeceased by his siblings Dean Dow, Kevin Dow, Ethel (Dow) Healey, and Leonard Dow.

He is survived by his loving wife, Debbie Dow; children Charles and Supriya Dow, Joshua Dow, and Jennifer and Jordan Tanguay; grandchildren to whom he was a beloved “Papa”, Acacia Dow, Tegan Dow, Jason Dow, Jasmine Dow, and Delilah Dow; siblings Lester Dow and his wife Denise, Wayne Dow, Cheryl (Dow) Stewart, Arthur “Bib” Dow and his wife Patricia, Derry Dow and his wife Mary, and Jody (Dow) Farwell, sister-in-law, Kathy Dow; and two very spoiled dogs, Mollie and Maizee.

To express condolences or to participate in Charlie’s online tribute, please visit http://www.MaineCremationCare.com.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a monetary donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

P.O. Box 22324

New York, NY 10087

Or, if you are able, a blood donation to the Red Cross.

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