Alan Edgar Webber "Edgie"

Alan Edgar Webber, also known as “Edgie” (pronounced with a hard “g”) to his grandchildren, passed away peacefully at his home of 70 years; he was 89. In his final days he enjoyed sitting in his favorite room looking at the copper beach trees he planted decades ago, chatting with family and feeling fresh air on his face. This was exactly how he wanted to leave this earth.  

Alan spent his early years in Brookline, Massachusetts with his parents, Max and Rebecca. He enjoyed playing baseball in the street with his friends and earning money mowing lawns and shoveling snow. He attended several different schools and bragged about being thrown out of most of them. He always said he wasn’t a good student because he wanted to work with his father, and learn the antique business, rather than study traditional school subjects. A fun fact is that one of his grade school teachers in Brookline, Teena Ogden, would later become his aunt via marriage - more on that later.  

In 1946, Alan and his parents moved “out to the country” to Middleton, Massachusetts. They purchased 50 acres of land, a house and an old horse barn. Alan and his father transformed that old red barn into an antique shop filled with 17th and 18th-century English furniture and hooked rugs. Alan often flew to London and New York to buy and sell items at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Within minutes of seeing an antique dresser or desk, he could tell you when and where it was made as well as the species of wood used to build it. The quality and depth of unique furniture made “Max Webber Antiques, Inc.” one of the most prestigious shops in the country.  

On a fateful day in his late teenage years, Alan knocked on the door of Lillian Paine’s house in Middleton, looking for her son Marshall, who worked at the antique shop. Marshall’s sister, Marilyn, answered and Alan knew right then she was the person he would marry. They dated for a few years and Alan loved to tell the story that when visiting Marilyn at her home, Marilyn’s mother, Lillian, would proclaim precisely at 11:00 PM from the top of the stairs, “Alan, it’s time to go home.” By the way, Teena Ogden (Alan’s grade school teacher) was married to Lillian’s brother Ted.  

Alan and Marilyn married in 1959, moved into a house within walking distance to his antique shop and 9 months to the day later had their first child, David. Two years later, another son, Jonathan was born, two years after that a daughter Elizabeth and 2 years after their final child Sarah was born. The family of six ate dinner every night at a round antique table and everyone had their assigned seat. Alan, being a neat and tidy type of guy, was often appalled at how much milk was spilled on that table and the hooked rug underneath. Truth be told, Alan’s children may have deliberately spilled some milk to lovingly annoy him.  

Alan’s parents were from Nova Scotia, so many summers were spent in Culloden (near Digby) at the family summer home. He had several cousins in that area and his days were filled with golf and his nights with family barbecues, poker games and lots of laughter. Nova Scotia was Alan’s happy place and he had such fond memories of his time there. 

 When his children were older, two of them chose to get married on the Middleton property next to the old red barn. Elizabeth married Peter and Sarah married Rainer - they were both great celebrations made even more special by the location. Alan was very proud of his homestead and made sure it was meticulously taken care of at all times, especially for the weddings of his daughters.  

After Alan retired from the antique business, he and Marilyn traveled to experience other cultures, cuisines and visit every single museum on the planet - Alan’s love of historic items ran deep. That travel didn’t last forever, though, because they became grandparents and within the span of 15 years welcomed 13 “grands”: Max, Jared, Jacob, Karena, William, Andrew, Alexander, Matthew, Rebecca, Rachel, Annika, Isabel and Olivia. They had a very busy schedule spoiling each and every one of them. They even bought a second home in York, Maine to be near David, his wife Julie, and their four boys. 

 In 2018, Marilyn passed away (Obit for Marilyn ) and Alan carried on without her. He missed her terribly, especially at that round dining table where they started the day together over coffee. Alan’s favorite phrase from then on was, “Marilyn was the best thing that ever happened to me - no question.” While he lost his pal, he did his best to stay active. He loved to prune his trees, sit in the sun, putter around the house, take scenic rides in his treasured Subaru and share stories with everyone who visited. Fortunately for Alan, Elizabeth lived next door and they spent countless hours in beach chairs, within view of the barn, reminiscing about good times. Alan truly loved to talk. During this time period, he welcomed 7 great-grandchildren: Maddox, Finn, Chase, Declan, Henry, Laiken and Mira.  

Alan’s legacy is clear. As a businessman, it’s his reputation as one of the country’s foremost antique dealers in 18th-century English furniture. As a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, it’s his generosity, work ethic and desire to provide opportunity for his family. All of his 24 descendants have benefited greatly from his presence. Our Edgie will be missed.  

In lieu of flowers, please plant a tree, help it grow, prune it a bit and sit back and admire its beauty - just what Alan would do. 

Services are pending announcement.

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