Ronald Ralph Bickford

Ronald Ralph Bickford, 93, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2026, after a brief illness, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine.

Born on February 27, 1933, in Rockland, Maine, to Donald Bickford and Gertrude Ladd, Ronald grew up in the coastal town and graduated from Rockland High School in 1951. He served in the United States Coast Guard along the Maine coast before purchasing a 40-foot Wheeler boat and sailing it from Rockland to Riviera Beach, Florida. There he established a charter fishing business. In 1960, he married Martha Frye, and together they built a life in South Florida. He cherished his many trips to Chub Cay and Bimini in the Bahamas, where he spent joyful days fishing, snorkeling, and diving.

In 2010, Ronald returned to Maine to retire in the town he had always loved. He found quiet pleasure in watching the harbor, spending time with family, and sharing stories of his youth in Rockland and his adventures at sea. Known for his warmth, humor, and gift for storytelling, he brought laughter and a vivid sense of the Maine coast to everyone around him.

He was predeceased by his parents, Donald Bickford and Gertrude Ladd, and by his older sister, Betty Joseph, who passed away on December 11, 2024. Ronald is survived by his wife, Martha Bickford; his daughter, Carrie Bickford and her partner, Brian Fuller; his brother, Richard Bickford and Richard’s partner, Elaine Higgins; his niece, Maryellen Joseph; and several nieces and nephews.