Ellsworth Damon Obituary (1921

Ellsworth (Ellie) Ernest Damon, 95, of Whitefield, passed away peacefully on April 28 at Togus Hospice. He was surrounded by loved ones. Ellie was born in Greenville, October 5, 1921 to Ernest and Orpha Damon. When Ellie was a very young child the family moved to the Thayer Road in Whitefield to the house that he called home for the next 90 years. Ellie was an avid gardener and the homestead flourished under his care. He grew apples, plums, and blueberries, grapes and a huge garden. His root cellar was always full and the shelves in the basement were well stocked with his preserves. Ellie took pride in growing what he ate, and he loved to eat! Ellie served his country in the army during WWII. He deployed to the European Theater until the war ended and was in the Army of Occupation after the war. He served in an armored car division as gunner and radio operator. After the war Ellie went to work in Alaska where he first learned to fly. Ellie continued to fly for many years and owned a Piper J3 that he flew all over the state landing in fields and snowfields as he never had a pilots license. He kept his plane in Dresden at the airfield of theFlying Farmer with whom he was great friends and flew for many years. After his time in Alaska, Ellie worked various jobs, working in the woods and lumber mills, he worked for Potters Pots in Whitefield making lobster pots. He continued to work in the woods cutting his own firewood his entire life. He was always a few years ahead on firewood and said that it was the key to a long life. He said I'm not going to die and let someone else burn MY firewood. At 92 he could still be found out in the woods with his John Deere B and Stihl chainsaw, head down doing what he loved. Ellie Joined the Masons in 1950 and has been a member of the Riverside Lodge #135 in Jefferson for more than 65 years. In the late 1950's he went to work at the then young Baxter State Park where he worked as the ranger at South Branch Pond. He lived and worked at South Branch for 12 years. He helped cut some of the early trails in the park and there is still a trail there that bears his name. After leaving Baxter, he worked on the Maine Central Railroad in Rockland where he ran the entire railroad yard. He ran the office, did maintenance on the trains, cleaned cars, greased couplings, you name it, he did it. He worked at the railroad until his retirement. After retirement Ellie devoted the rest of his long life to the things he truly loved: working in the garden, cutting firewood for himself and others, taking hunting and fishing trips with family and friends. He had many connections around the state and loved to go on road trips with his camper. He was always invited on a moose hunt because he was a great cook as well as great outdoorsman and knew how to dress game. He loved company and always had visitors, when you visited Ellie there was always someone there with him on the porch or in living room. Ellie was truly loved by many and will be missed. Ellie is survived by his extensive family and many, many friends. A celebration of life will be held Sunday May 7 at 11 am at the Gardiner Lion's Club House, 10 Lion's Avenue in Gardiner with a potluck to follow. Arrangements are under the care of Staples Funeral Home 53 Brunswick ave Gardiner