Gordon Wayne Twitchell

AUBURN – Gordon Twitchell, son of Virginia and Harold Twitchell, died peacefully at the Hospice House in Auburn on Dec. 5, 2023.
Gordon was raised on the family farm in Turner and attended public schools, graduating from Leavitt Institute in 1955. He worked at Prince Farms and Roak the Florist before entering the Air Force in 1959.

He attended the Air Transport School and was assigned to the Military Air Transport Service stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. He serviced aircraft coming up and down the East coast, Europe, Iceland and Africa. In 1960, he was sent on a special mission in the Belgian Congo as part of a United Nations operation. He was then reassigned to a base in King Salmon, Alaska where he concluded his service in 1963.

After leaving the service, he attended the Dupage Horticultural School in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating, he was a horticulturist working at the Elizabeth Arden and Woolworth Estates in Maine. He then built and was the proprietor of Hillside Gardens located in Turner. He concluded his career at L.L. Bean working there for 12 years.

He enjoyed traveling and being involved in the community. He was president of the Turner Natural History Club for many years and saw to its dissolution making sure the many valuable collections were safely transferred to the state of Maine.

Stubborn, opinionated, curmudgeonly are words that could describe Gordon. So too are the words generous and kind. He was an avid follower of Fox News. You never knew if he truly believed some of the things he espoused or if he were trying to provoke an argument which he would devilishly enjoy to the fullest.

He is survived by his brother Gilbert and his husband Elwood, his brother Gard and his wife Shirley, his sister-in-law Jan and many nieces and nephews and their children.

He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Sandra and his brother Gerald along with his beloved pets: Queenie, Samantha, Samuel and Samuella.

The family would like to thank the staffs of the Maine Medical Center, Portland; the Maine Veterans’ Homes, South Paris; and the Hospice House, Auburn for their compassionate care during Gordon’s illness.

A private burial service will be held at a later date.

Online condolences and sharing of memories may be expressed at http://www.lynchbrothers.com.