Robert Eliot Shapleigh

Robert Eliot Shapleigh ('Shap'), of Alton, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully on the evening of August 28, 2019, with family by his side. Robert grew up in Eliot, Maine, graduating from Eliot High School in 1955. He served six months in the U.S. Army reserves. He then worked as a bricklayer for E.A. Ricci Construction in Portsmouth, NH.  He was also a volunteer fire fighter for the town of Eliot, Maine. In 1962, he married Sheila Ann Robinson, and together they shared 57 years of marriage. Many will remember him as the owner and operator of the Edgewood Restaurant in Alton, NH, from the mid-seventies to mid-eighties.  During the winter months, he worked at Pease Air Force Base in maintenance and clearing the runways for air traffic. Before that he owned and operated The Country Store in Lebanon, Maine.  After retiring from business, he continued to work at Pease Air Force Base until it's closure in 1990. He later retired from the Oyster River School District where he worked as a custodian. He was proud to be a member of the Free & Accepted Masons and the Shriners. He was raised on November 17, 1965, in his home lodge, Naval Lodge No. 184, in Kittery, Maine.  He became a Shriner in April of 1967, belonging to both the Kora and Bektash Temples.  He was actively involved in the Bektash Mini-Kar Patrol, participating in numerous parades over the years to raise money for the Shriners Hospital for Children. He took great pride in his home, yard, and vehicles, so when he wasn't at work, one would probably find him painting the house, mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, or washing and waxing the cars.  If a visitor stopped by, it wouldn't be unusual for them to find upon departure that their car was now sparkly clean. Over the years, he built an extensive collection of old coins.  He also had a great love for antique cars, and slowly amassed many die cast models of them that he liked to display. Attending antique car shows was something he always looked forward to. He was especially fond of his 1930 Model A Ford. He became well known for the yard sales that he would have on summer weekends, reselling items he had found at other yard sales.  He had a special gift of 'negotiation'; he could convince you to sell him a ten-dollar watch for fifty cents, and then resell it for twenty. He also had an interesting ability to ask a complete stranger all the right questions to discover that somehow, they knew someone in common. We will miss his comedic desire for only a limited number of foods...hot dogs and French fries, peanut butter and toast, Happy Meals (for the toys, of course), and all things chocolate, especially ice cream... We will miss his relentless teasing of his children, grand-children and great-grand-children...waving to people who were not really there, trapping one between his knees, stealing peas off one's dinner plate, and hiding one's birthday gifts so you'd think you had none... We will miss the pranks he played on others...putting a For Sale sign of a competing realtor in the yard of a real estate friend, chaining the car of an employee to a tree as a deterrent from peeling out after work, and hiding the brand-new cruiser from a police chief friend from another town... We will miss his quiet generosity toward others... He was predeceased by his parents, George E. Shapleigh and Eunice C. (Cole), and his sister Christine (Shapleigh) Bilodeau.  Loved ones he leaves behind include his wife, Sheila A. (Robinson) Shapleigh; his brother Richard W. Shapleigh, Sr.; his three daughters, Leslie Jackson, Jennifer Shapleigh, and Cydney Shapleigh; his grandchildren Jonathan Douglas and his wife Ashley, Caitlin Wentworth and her partner Ryan, Andrew Jackson, Timothy Douglas, and Matthew Johnson; his great-grandchildren Harley Hook, Austin Douglas, and Brandon Douglas; his many nieces and nephews; along with his many friends. Our sincere appreciation goes to all the wonderfully kind hospice caregivers at Lakes Region VNA who were so gentle and supportive throughout his last days. Calling hours will be on Thursday, September 5, 2019, from 4-7 at Edgerly Funeral Home 86 South Main Street, Rochester, NH.  A funeral service will be held on Friday, September 6,11:00 AM  at the Eliot United Methodist Church, 238 Harold L. Dow Hwy, Rte. 236, in Eliot, Maine, followed by burial at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery on State Road in Eliot. To sign the online guestbook, please visit www.edgerlyfh.com In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Shriners