CHESTERVILLE – Eugene Mosher, who was killed Tuesday evening in a crash in Gorham, was a caring man who always had a story to tell, his boss said Wednesday.

“He’s going to be sadly missed,” said SAD 9 Transportation Coordinator David Leavitt. “His job involved working with special-needs students and you create a bond.”

Mosher, 77, had worked for the SAD 9 transportation department for the past eight years. During the school year, he drove a bus.

Mosher and his wife, Winona, 65, left Farmington Tuesday evening and were believed to be heading to New Hampshire, said Edith McCleery who was in the Farmington Grange with Mosher. McCleery’s late husband, Robert, was a cousin to Mosher, she said.

Gorham police and fire departments responded to a rollover at the intersection of Main Street and Gray Road, according to a police report, to find Winona had gotten out of the vehicle with help from bystanders.

Mosher was trapped and had to be extricated. Both were taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland where he was pronounced dead.

According to the report, Mrs. Mosher received a minor injury to her head. She remained a patient at Maine Medical Center Wednesday afternoon with her condition unavailable.

The cause of the accident was not known, police said. Both were wearing seat belts.

Longtime firefighter

Farmington Fire and Rescue was mourning the loss of one of its own Wednesday after learning of Mosher’s death. Mosher had been a member of the department since 1984, said Fire Chief Terry Bell.

“He was a great guy, always supportive of the department and myself,” Bell said. “According to our records, today would have been his birthday, July 16, 1930.”

“Dedicated” was another word used by friends to describe Mosher and his participation in several groups.

“He held a lot of offices and belonged to a lot of organizations. He was master at Farmington Grange No. 12 and I think he’s been master more times than anyone else,” McCleery said. “It will be quite a loss for the Grange. Winona is overseer and their son, Basil, is lecturer. The Moshers are three of the top officers.”

The Moshers welcomed the Grange into their home for meetings during winter months for several years, she said. He liked to cook and entertain and often did so for the Grange and the Masons.

“He liked people and was very outgoing,” McCleery said.

Raised on a farm on Mosher Hill, Eugene Mosher left Farmington for Norridgewock to work for an insurance company, she said.

He worked Tuesday for SAD 9. “He worked yesterday transporting district interoffice mail and he provided security at Mt. Blue High School on weekends,” Leavitt said.

His wife worked at Franklin Memorial Hospital for several years. That’s how they met. Winona helped nurse him back to health when he suffered from appendicitis, McCleery said.

Mosher was also active member of Maine Lodge 320 and Chapter 143 Order of the Eastern Star of Farmington, said Charlene Cox, an OES member.

“He was a dedicated family man and was dedicated to the Rainbow Girls and Eastern Star. He was a very caring man,” she said.