AUBURN – Elwood M. Bradford, 79, of Lewiston and Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., formerly of West Bowdoin, died Thursday, Oct. 18, at the Hospice House of Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice after a courageous battle with cancer.

He was born Jan 8, 1928, in South Portland, to Marjorie Racliff Bradford and Peleg D. Bradford.

After graduating from Lisbon High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a signal corpsman in Japan at the end of World War II. He then attended Lincoln Academy and Boston University, where he majored in drama. He became a teacher of English, speech and drama at Sabattus High School and Morse High School in Bath for a number of years.

After a short period as basic education director for the Manpower Development and Training Act program associated with the Lewiston School Department, he returned to teach at Bath Junior High School until his retirement.

Some of his fondest memories were of summer experiences during his early years as a teacher when he worked summers as a counselor and encampment director at Camp Tohkomeupog, a boys’ camp in East Madison, N.H.

His greatest passions in life were skiing, sailing, camping and performing with amateur theater groups in Lewiston/Auburn and Brunswick.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Carol Osborne, formerly of Kentucky a stepson, Stephen P. Drane of Hollis; a stepdaughter, Laura Ellen Drane of Westland, Mich.; a twin brother, Linwood Bradford of Auburn; a sister, Opal Smith of Carmel; two stepgranddaughters, Rory Ann and Victoria Chisholm-Drane of Auburn; numerous nieces, nephews, step-nieces and step-nephews of Kentucky, Ohio, Florida, and Canada.

He was predeceased by an older brother, Peleg Bradford; and four sisters, Barbara Small and Maxine Fogg, Norma Alexander and Iris Ellis.