LEWISTON – Gedeon “Gid” George Picher made his first earthly appearance on Dec. 11, 1936, at 56 Summer St. in Waterville. His mom, Lorette Loubier Picher, and his dad, Norman Picher, were there to greet him, along with his sister, Annette Picher (Houston).

Time passed and soon he was a happy young boy who loved playing baseball and flying model airplanes with his younger brother, John. He became a conscientious and busy student who really enjoyed his active high school years. His life continued at Colby College, where he earned a B.A. in physics.

While there, a young woman caught his eye. They soon became constant companions. He married Annette Wyman on June 13, 1959, and they headed for Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh in a 1949 green Merc packed with all their worldly possessions. At Tech he was given a teaching assistantship. He earned both B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering there.

They were soon blessed with four children: Heidi Picher (Dempsey), Keith Picher, Glenn Picher and Danielle Picher (Gaillard-Picher). In time, James Dempsey, Mary Susan Sullivan, Claude Gaillard and Caroline Clavel joined the family group through marriage.

The family lived in Winthrop for 23 years and in Auburn since 1986.

Gid chose a career of service in government rather than in industry, even though the salary was less. He worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Highways for three years, and later for the Maine Department of Transportation for 33 years, where he was a division traffic engineer, a traffic studies engineer, director of the Bureau of Planning and director of the Office of Policy Analysis. He was a registered professional civil engineer and a member of several professional societies. He represented the state of Maine on many state and national committees, including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. He also represented the United States on several international committees, traveling to Russia, France, Japan, Sweden, Canada and England.

After retiring, he became president of his own engineering company, Mainesurf Inc. He also completed a number of engineering projects for the federal government while working in Washington, D.C., and for the Maine Department of Transportation. After 1990 he enjoyed being a grandfather to eight grandchildren. They are Samantha and Justin Dempsey, Rachel and Gabrielle Picher, Serena and Leeloo Gaillard, and Tobias and Cora Picher of Portland.

He was a faithful and lifelong Catholic who believed deeply in the Second Vatican Council. He was a parish council president. He also served as a Eucharistic minister for 39 years. He was a dedicated member of St. Philip’s Parish since 1981, where he was very active in the social justice commission and St. Philip’s Parish Forum. He was a graduate of the Center for Parish Ministry. He also served on the Diocesan Human Relations Services Planning Board.

Gid was well-known for his ever-present sense of humor, his honesty and his positive attitude toward life. He was a man of integrity.