“To the entire Cobb family, including all of the Wilderness Bound Boys who learned to see Gary Cobb as their second Father:
When I heard the news of Gary’s passing, my heart sunk and my tears started to flow, but then I smiled.

I smiled for many reasons.
I smiled because of the incredible courage he showed in fighting a terrible disease, successfully extending his time here on earth.

I smiled because of the great life he lived.

I smiled because Gary was the epitome of his description of Pierce Pond to his Father Floyd upon first seeing that spectacular Watershed: “Better than good.” Indeed, the soft-spoken King Of The Understatement was “Better than good.”

I smiled in knowing the profound and positive influence he had on many, many, people, including the family he dearly loved, and especially the lives of so many young men who attended Wilderness Bound.

I smiled in knowing that only Gary could have successfully used nature, the forest, ponds, rivers, the weather, fly-fishing, and mountains to teach these young men about lifelong truths, challenges, and philosophies.

I smiled at the nickname us campers gave Gary: “The Master.” Indeed, Gary was “The Master” of so many things but was especially “The Master” of giving us young men enough latitude to learn and make mistakes on our own, yet never stopped being the great leader of our special group.

I smiled when I thought of the many hours we shared with Gary around campfires glued to Gary’s spectacular and colorful storytelling.

I smiled knowing that Gary was a consummate teacher, quizzing us at the campfire about Maine trivia, and rewarding the young man with the winning answer by telling his lieutenant-at-hand: “Give that man a marshmallow!”

I smiled when I thought of the Wilderness Bound “reunion” we had several years ago, knowing that its true purpose and spirit was to thank Gary and Betty for all that they had done for us young men during those vey formative and vital years.

I smiled to think of the enormous impact Gary had on conceiving and leading the creation of The Maine Wilderness Watershed Trust, now called The Pierce Pond Watershed Trust. I gladly have made year donations to the Trust since its inception, because of Gary Cobb. I am also giving a sizable portion of my estate to The Pierce Pond Watershed Trust because of Gary Cobb. I smiled when I told Gary all of this prior to his passing. He was so genuinely appreciative. I highly encourage others to generously give to the trust in Gary’s honor.

I smiled knowing that Gary has brought his Red Sox pride into heaven, looking to assure Babe Ruth never made it there due to “curse” he created.

Lastly, I smile and will always smile knowing that my second Father Gary is now with my biological Father in heaven.

God Bless you Gary Cobb.
You are, and will always, be missed.”

“I remember distinctly when I fell in love with Pierce Pond, and the part that Gary played in that. It was a cold Spring in 1989 and we were picking up the last Grand Laker that Greg Drummond ever made. I was new to fishing, had no idea how special a Grand Laker was and had come to Pierce Pond for the first time with my now-husband Michael Curci. The dock was thick with black flies and I was unprepared. By the time we got loaded and across the water my neck was red with bites. After dinner that first evening, I couldn’t understand why people were in such a rush to leave the dining room. I had no idea that after fishing all day there was an expectation and excitement for evening fishing! Then there was the rain and the cold. We had plenty of both. While I tried to be a good sport, after a couple of days of cold, rain, enough black fly bites that in addition to my neck, my ears were red and swollen, I was pretty exhausted and couldn’t wait to get back to our cabin, cabin number 1 that year. Imagine my delight when we walked in and the woodstove was burning and the cabin was warm as toast. Gary had come down and lit the fire. He knew I was new to fishing and he knew I was important to Michael. I sat in my rocking chair in front of that fire and knew I had found a special place that I would want to come back to over and over and make a permanent part of my life. ”

“Of all his wonderful qualities, what most I appreciated about Gary was his “quiet wisdom.” How with few words, he could guide a conversation, or a meeting or, in the case of the Pierce Pond Watershed, a movement.

The fact that I write this today, after working with the Trust for over 30 years protecting lands in the watershed and beyond, is just one of many testaments to the quiet wisdom of Gary Cobb. Gary and I had got to know each other in the late 1980’s when I was working on land conservation issues with the Natural Resources Council of Maine. When threats to the watershed emerged in 1989, Gary first gathered a group of loyal friends of Pierce Pond, who ultimately became the founders of the Maine Wilderness Watershed Trust. He then reached out to me to bring my expertise and skills to work with this group to help them pursue their dream for the watershed.

In the world of land conservation and land trusts, the concept of “community conservation” has taken hold over the past decade – focusing not only protecting land, but the communities which depend upon it. Gary cultivated the concept of community conservation long before it became a thing. He and his family provided the magic of creating and sustaining a fiercely loyal Pierce Pond community that was intimately intertwined with the efforts to preserve the watershed.

And here we are today, having accomplished so much — in large part due to the Gary’s foresight and his ability to quietly inspire and guide others.”

“Gary was a wonderful man, loved by all. Truly loved by ALL . . .
He was a loyal, compassionate person, steady and forthright. A loving husband, a caring father, a wonderful grandfather, a friend to us all. He had so many interests that were deep and complete: history of the Watershed and Camps, history of our state and our country, the inner workings of age-old engines, politics, BASEBALL . . .

He was witness to so much it is hard to believe it all happened in one lifetime. He grew up on the Pond under the intelligent sporting camp tutelage of Floyd and Maude. He worked as a boy with his grandfather ‘Bumpah’. He befriended Howard the gatekeeper, who was cutting down trees with an axe a hundred years ago. He was a lumberjack, he taught school during the winter off-season. He built canoes, laid trails, built cabins, bridges and roads. He was a skilled pilot as was his father Floyd. He guided many people - famous and unknown – fishing and through the woods on elusive deer hunts. He escorted passels of wild boys into the North Maine Woods teaching them how to skillfully guide wooden canoes down the great Allagash and St. John Rivers, and with those boys ascended the top of Maine’s highest peaks, Mt Katahdin and Bigelow.

He trusted people, not a commonly found attribute. I think I lifted myself to earn Gary’s trust. Having people trust you is a benchmark of being a good person. Perhaps that is one of the best things I learned from Gary.

What a storyteller! And he had so many great and wonderful stories. I would fall silent (Karen can hardly believe that I could ever fall silent) any time it appeared he might possibly launch into an old story, maybe one that I heard countless times, or something new. It did not matter to me. Just to hear him go on . . .

And he laughed, and laughed well. He could hardly get to the end of a joke without his wonderful laugh crashing through. He had a great way of saying things, just by adding silly little descriptions or wording that added color, and always with a chuckle.

He was honest. From the beginning I thought, “Here is a man who knows the right way to live a life, to be, as a person, to be a part of a family, a place, a community.” Indeed I placed him on a pedestal, but it was a well-deserved place for him to be.

He was proud and yet humble, in the finest sense of the words. He cared about how he came across. If he felt his meaning might not be understood, he took care to make it clear. Truth was one of the most important aspects to a full and happy life for Gary.

And indeed Gary was happy. I am so grateful and honored to have been a part of Gary’s and Betty’s life, and the life of the Cobb family, and Pierce Pond Camps. He changed Karen’s and my life immensely and I will be forever grateful. Thank you Gary, I will always carry you with me.”

“Pictured here in 2004 are 3 generations of the Peterman Family. son Sid Peterman Jr, Sid Peterman, Gary, grandson Blair Peterman and son Bob Peterman. Our Grandfather Henry Newton started fishing at Pierce pond in the late 50s early 60s with Floyd and we followed up with Gary. ”

“The legacies of Floyd, Maudie, and Gary have provided such joy. May they rest in peace and may their contributions live on for generations to come.

For over three decades, the appearance of Dad’s Native American pack basket, sitting beside the front door, was the first sign that the Pierce Pond fly fishing trip was in the offing. He would leave it there and add to its contents for a couple of weeks as things came to mind. In fact, in April of 2010 at the age of 93, when a broken hip finally ended his fishing trips, the basket was already out by the door in anticipation.

Les Tarbell was introduced to Pierce Pond in 1972 by a friend from Allis Chalmers Paper Company and was a guest until 1977. He so enjoyed the experience that in 1980 he invited my two brothers and husband to accompany him for a week. For my older brother, one week was enough, but my younger brother has gone often. My husband, on the other hand, has never missed a week since then. My son was allowed to play hooky from school in 1998 so he could join his dad, grandfather, and uncle. A three generational fishing trip was just too good an opportunity to pass up. On his first day he caught a Board fish and showed them all up. Since then he has only missed one year for the birth of his son.

One standout memory is probably from 1996 when Dad got lost in the woods and caused great consternation and worry. It never occurred to him, an old time Mainer, that he wouldn’t make it out in one piece. It got him a terrible tongue lashing from his younger son and a headline in the Dock Talk edition that year.

After Dad died, my daughter Meghan broke through the gender ceiling and took his place in her uncle’s boat. She loved it. Collectively, more than 125 weeks have been enjoyed at Pierce Pond by members of my family, treasured memories all. ”

“Very sorry for the loss of Gary. Gary was a fantastic steward for the area and just a fine gentleman.”

“Gary (and others) helped us to build our small log cabin just off the Carrying Place Road. I had sent Gary a note and some drawings and ask him if he and a crew could build a cabin for us in the old manner . . . . Gary recruited a few local folks to help and - viola - they built a cabin off our drawings - right to the inch! . . . . My best recall of special time spent with Gary usually occurred in the late summer/fall (after guests had left the camp) when we would spend an afternoon flying over the local country to see, as Gary put it, “what the neighbors were doing”! ”

“I have been going to Pierce Pond a long time, through the Floyd era, the Gary era and now the Andy era.
When I think of Gary Cobb I think of a quiet and gracious man. He was always there to great us when we arrived and also to say good bye when we left. One who wanted his patrons to be comfortable at Pierce Pond. Even though we go to P Pond for some good fishing and peace and quiet away from the craziness of the city he kept us connected a little bit with the Red Sox scores on the sandwich board. We would all check it out when we came in for breakfast. I liked his visits in the dinning hall just checking us out to see how we were doing. Just another one of his ways to show interest in his patrons. May you be at peace Gary.”

“Fifty plus years ago in 1970 it was my first ever trip to Pierce Pond. Upon arriving at the dock I was greeted by a smiling young man. It was the beginning of a friendship that lasted a lifetime. Over those years I spent time working for Gary at Wilderness Bound. We fished in the summer, trapped beaver in the winter, and searched the woods for old artifacts and relics. We always found time as the sun rose over the pond for conversation and coffee.

When next, if I’m lucky to witness another Pierce Pond sunrise, it will be in quiet appreciation of the place and the man who introduced me to it.”

“During the first year of the Trust at a board meeting Jerry Bley wisely invited Dick Spencer to address us. Spencer had recently achieved an easement on the west shore of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. This easement prohibited any development. Spencer discussed the ability to raise funds needed to purchase such an easement. He cited the many camps and cottages on the east shore of the lake which were owned by families for many generations. He stressed the invested interest these folks had in protecting their property.
He was concerned that in our case we were just a group of people going to a sporting camp. This might limit our ability to raise funds that would be needed. “None of you own a single acre on Pierce Pond.”
He can be excused in his concerns in not knowing the dedication of the folks who relished their reservations at Cobb’s Camps. At that time all of the watershed land was owned by just 3 companies, Scott Paper, Penntech& CMP. Abbe, Estes and Cobb’s Camp were all year to year leases.

Gary Cobb had created a feeling of ownership in his guests. Many of them came 2-3 times a year. They all knew that those dates were guaranteed unless they asked to change them. They felt ownership in a piece of the that special watershed. They also knew that Gary Cobb was a very trusted steward of the watershed, not just the Camps themselves. Gary was very proud of what the Trust had accomplished. If you want to operate a sporting camp you need only try and emulate Gary Cobb.”

“Gary Cobb’s influence in preserving Pierce Pond cannot be overstated. In 1989 when one of the major landowners of the watershed made it known to Gary that their land was going to be listed for sale, Gary knew it would be attractive to land speculators who were gobbling up land in northern New England. To prevent the potential development of Pierce Pond something had to be done quickly. Fortunately, Gary had a personal relationship with the landowners and persuaded them to give him time to find a suitable buyer. Gary put together a small group of like-minded Pierce Ponders who soon after met for an all day brainstorming session at a Portland restaurant which led to the creation of the Maine Wilderness Watershed Trust, now known as the Pierce Pond Watershed Trust. But there was insufficient time for the Trust to raise the funds necessary to purchase the land. Again, Gary’s personal relationship with two of his guests resulted in a friendly purchase and eventually placing conservation easements on the land which among other things, eliminated virtually all development rights.

The ensuing years saw the Trust extend it’s protection of Pierce Pond and adjacent lands with the purchase of a large tract from Central Maine Power Company, and the placing of conservation easements on most of the remaining watershed land, as well as sensitive areas surrounding the Otter Ponds, the Kennebec and Dead Rivers, and the Harrison Camps. In each instance Gary’s knowledge, judgment and personal relations facilitated the transaction. But Gary’s influence in preserving Pierce Pond was felt in more subtle ways. He was able to persuade the paper companies to spare cutting some rare old growth stands of timber. He monitored the happenings throughout the watershed and alerted the Trust whenever there was a potential problem or issue that had to be addressed. He and his wife Betty granted the Trust conservation easements on their land which guarantees that their camps will remain operating as they are now.

Gary was truly a steward of the land and more than anyone was responsible for the creation and enduring success of the Trust and thereby protecting Pierce Pond for future generations to enjoy.”