Obituary of William Tudor Sturtevant

William Tudor Sturtevant, 84, passed away on December 4 after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was a longtime resident of North Gorham where he and his wife Mary Ellen raised their five children and entertained their many friends in a peaceful setting beside the Presumpscot River Born in Hebron to Fred C. and Alma “Daisie” (Verrill) Sturtevant, Tudor was named for William Tudor Gardiner, Maine’s governor from 1928 to 1933, for whom his father worked as a chauffer. Tudor enlisted in the United States Army, rising to the rank of E-7. His tours of duty included combat with the Seventh Cavalry in the Korean War. The former drill sergeant’s term of endearment for friends and family was “knucklehead.” In 1957 he married a New Jersey girl with Maine roots, Mary Ellen Moore, and after retirement from the military in 1967, they returned to Maine with their growing family and settled in the old farmhouse by the river. Turning to the construction trade, Tudor became a foreman for Dahlgren Construction where he worked for more than 20 years. In his downtime, he worked constantly on the renovation of the farmhouse, turning it into a warm and beautiful homestead for his family. Tudor approached life with a “can-do” attitude, and there was nothing he couldn’t figure out how to build or fix. He will be remembered for his love of family and his large number of close friends, a tough determination to always “get it right,” and his pride in the combined military service of his family which numbered more than 50 years. Tudor is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mary Ellen, and his four surviving children—Melinda, and her husband Rand Blaser of Fayetteville, NC; Thomas, and his wife Karen of Provo, UT; Priscilla Friscia, and her husband Don Everhart of Safety Harbor, FL; and William of Chattanooga, TN; his stepbrother, Ernest and his wife Frida, of Colorado Springs, CO; four grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by five brothers and his son, John. At his request, there will be no services. A celebration of his life will be held in the summer when all can gather to pay tribute to a long and generous life. The family would like to thank Hospice of Southern Maine for their service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Southern Maine, 180 US Route One, Suite #1, Scarborough, ME 04074 or made online at www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/give. Arrangements under the care of Direct Cremation of Maine, 182 Waldo Avenue, Belfast.