Douglas L. Rafter, Portland’s longest-lived municipal organist, died July 3 in Portland, Maine. He was 97.
A native of Wilmington, Vermont, Rafter moved to Portland in 1971. A concert organist, he had a repertoire of about 275 pieces of organ music memorized. He also taught music at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, at the University of Southern Maine, and privately. Rafter served as organist and choir director at Immanuel Baptist Church for 13 years, and then worked at other churches in the Portland area until his retirement in 2005.
Over the years, he gave 1,700 organ concerts throughout the United States. He played his first organ concert in Portland in 1936, right after earning his Associate’s certification from the American Guild of Organists. In March 2010 he was honored by the AGO for 75 years of consecutive membership, all but the last five of which had been in uninterrupted service as a church organist and concert performer.
Douglas Rafter was Portland’s municipal organist from 1976 until 1981, playing both classical and popular works. He played summer series concerts for 68 years, and was also noted for his Christmas preludes before the annual Magic of Christmas concert.
A memorial service was held at Woodford's Congregational Church, 202 Woodford St., Portland, on Wednesday, July 17, at 10 a.m. Donations may be made in his memory to FOKO, PO Box 7455, Portland, ME, 04112.
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