DERRY | Albert Doolittle once said he could talk "forever" about the land.
"Part of my aim in Derry is to keep the history of this place alive," he told the Derry News in an early interview.
He loved the land so much that he celebrated a birthday last year surrounded by friends and family at the Broadview Farm conservation area.
Doolittle, 93, died peacefully on Sunday morning at his East Derry home surrounded by family, including his wife of 67 years, Edith.
Doolittle was a longtime Conservation Commission member | since 1976 | a community volunteer, and was named one of Derry's "Living Treasures" in September of 2005.
"He waited for me to take his last breath," Edith Doolittle said. "He was the finest person I've ever met."
Doolittle had a long history in Derry and lived on the same land since 1934, since his father moved to Derry to set up a poultry farm.
Doolittle though, dabbled in a lot of things other than farming, including an engineering career with NASA, designing research facilities at MIT and helping building power plants. He was fascinated by planes as a child and once dreamed of becoming a pilot. His career took him all over the world. He was also an avid astronomy fan and built his own telescopes. His passion for the stars was strong, as was his passion for the land he called home and he worked hard to preserve the green space and rural character of his town.
"People say they like the rural character of Derry," Doolittle once said. "How do you get rural character? You have to have open space."
Last month, Conservation Commission members honored Doolittle and named a 95-acre conservation land area in East Derry after him. The Caras property is now known as the Albert W. Doolittle Conservation Area.
According to Conservation Chair Paul Dionne, Doolittle had not missed a meeting up until recently when his health continued to fail.
Friends and fellow Conservation Commission members had planned to gather at Doolittle's home on Monday evening to offer up a toast to the man who cared so deeply about open space, green fields, and his family farm, known as Sun Point Farm.
"We were going to thank him for his service to the community," said Commission member Margie Ives.
Ives said she would remember Doolittle as a man of integrity, gentleness, and fairness.
"We will miss him very much," she said, adding he was very instrumental in the work of the Conservation Commission in Derry, serving as the group's chairman for many years, and working hard on identifying area wetlands, and keeping open space rural and intact.
Doolittle's funeral is set for Saturday, Oct. 13, at 11 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Manchester. Following cremation, his ashes will be scattered over several places he requested, including Star Island.
Doolittle's son, Paul, said he would miss being "shoulder to shoulder" in the garden with his father, adding his dad followed "a different drummer" and never had an unkind word for anyone.
