BAR HARBOR –Edric Parsons Starbird, 86, died unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep on May 7, 2017, in the home he loved, surrounded by the trees and mountains of Acadia National Park.
Edric was born on July 9, 1930, in Dover-Foxcroft, son of Elonia (Nuite) and Norman Starbird. He graduated from Dover-Foxcroft Academy, where he excelled at both academics and football.
With his sights set on higher education but with little money for college, Edric enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after graduation. Smart and ambitious, he performed military intelligence duties during the Korean War, working within the USAF Strategic Air Command, while preparing himself and saving for the college education to which he aspired. He then enrolled at the University of Maine, Orono. A geology major, Edric spent summers in the backwoods of Maine collecting topographical information for the National Geodesic Survey, loving the time outdoors and the adventure of fending for himself in the wilds.
At the University of Maine, he was an active member and officer of Phi Kappa Sigma. He was also elected to the presidency of the Student Senate, the school’s highest student government office. Following the campaign, he met a young college election volunteer who would become the great and everlasting love of his life – Mary Anne Holt of Corinna, Maine.
After Edric graduated, he and Mary Anne married. They moved to Boston where Edric commenced a long career with Esso (now Exxon). They then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where their sons Scott and Russell were born. From there, Edric and his family moved to Houston where he rose through the ranks at Exxon to become a senior marketing executive. At the same time, his role at home was also expanding; Mary Anne gave birth to a third son, named Edric Norman Starbird.
During his career at Exxon, Edric rose to become head of marketing for the general aviation fuel sales division, a multi-billion dollar business. In the early 90’s, after 36 years at Exxon, Edric retired. The couple returned home to Maine and built their dream home – a bold and majestic design in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, set in the bucolic woods of Bar Harbor and overlooking Frenchman Bay.



Edric treasured the great outdoors, a value he instilled in his three sons, who have endowed their own children with a love of camping and hiking. He also loved animals, especially his dogs, another passion he passed on to his sons and grandchildren.
Over the years, he accompanied his artist wife on many outdoor adventures to photograph the scenes she would later paint. They climbed the Continental Divide, they summited Mount Katahdin, they camped in Death Valley and they spent their golden years roaming every inch of Acadia National Park. They backpacked, canoed and hiked through rainforests, deep woods, and alpine tundra. And they always did it together.
After Mary Anne passed in 2012, Edric continued to nurture his second love – the home they had built together, and the park-adjacent grounds on which it stands.
Through most of his senior years, Edric was active in Bar Harbor Congregational Church where he sat on several boards/committees and served as a deacon. He is also remembered as an active member of the Lions Club, where he at one time served as President and King Lion.
Edric is survived by three sons, Scott Starbird and wife, Valerie, of San Rafael, Calif., Russell Starbird of Half Moon Bay, Calif., and Edric N. Starbird of Denver; sister, Norma Greenleaf of Kansas City, Kansas; seven grandchildren, Ryan, Gregory, Castine, Renata, Siena, Katrina and Weston; as well as several nieces and nephews.
A reception for family and friends and celebration of his life will be held at Edric’s home in Bar Harbor on Sunday, May 14th, from 4pm to 7pm. A church service will be held Monday, May 15th, 9am, at Bar Harbor Congregational Church, with the Rev. Rob Benson officiating. A graveside committal at Ledgelawn Cemetery, Bar Harbor, will follow the church service.
Those who desire may make contributions in Edric’s memory to Bar Harbor Congregational Church, 29 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609.
Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 1139 Main St., Mount Desert. Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.