Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home

Although I knew Camden from working here as a kid from away, I didn't meet Frank until 20 years ago after I bought a house here. Although I hadn't moved in yet, I was making long trips here from CT, to haul stuff up here before my CT house was sold. For one such trip in late fall I had dug up some small trees and shrubs to transplant in Camden before the weather turned. I needed some mulch and related material to dig the plants in before leaving for Ct that night, and went to Rankins late in the day to get the mulch etc. Turned out that they were out of mulch, but on my asking where I could find some and explaining my time limits, Frank, without hesitation asked me how much did I need, and then said " Look, I.ve got a pile sitting up in my back yard, and you just go up there and take what you need, and we'll figure things out whenever you get back up here'. A good businessman, but more important, a fine man, perceptive and empathetic, and a conveyor of trust and of a sincere unforced willingness to help others. After that first meeting, I didn't see Frank for many weeks, but when I finally did, he immediately greeted me by name, and I have had the pleasure of his acquaintance and our mutual greetings in the store or around town all these years since then. Frank was an enrichment to Camden and to so many people, including myself.