ORLAND – Dr. George McKay Lord Jr., 81, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2017, at Eastern Maine Medical Center surrounded by his loving family. He was born on April 3, 1935, in Bucksport, the son of George McKay Lord Sr. and Vivian Allen Lord.
George was a graduate of Bucksport High School, where he was a football, basketball and baseball four-year varsity athlete, earning the nickname “Lightning Legs Sonny.” He went on to earn a B.S. at the University of Maine, Orono, where he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. After his studies at Orono, George completed his doctorate degree at the Illinois College of Optometry, where he was a member of the Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society. George practiced optometry for 34 years serving his patients of Bucksport, Winterport, Hampden and many other surrounding towns before turning their care over to his son Steven.
George knew in his heart he lived a full and blessed life, sharing his life’s interests with his wife, Nancy, who was the center of his world, his family, and his close friends. He enjoyed field trials and bird hunting with his English Setters, going on fishing trips with his son and Dead Stream Pond buddies, biking in Acadia with family and abroad with friends, playing the ukulele and sweet potato horn to his children and grandchildren, jamming on the baritone horn in the 9-Song Band, playing bridge, skiing, boating on the lake, making peanut butter fudge, sharing stories and marshmallows around the campfire, coaching softball in the early years and being an ever-present fan in later years at his grandchildren’s games and activities.
Family time together was never in short supply. Gatherings at the family home in Bucksport, the camp on Toddy Pond, and the house at Sugarloaf were full of laughter and fun and a source of great joy for George and his extended family. By example he showed his children and grandchildren the values he held close, and they are forever grateful to him for playing such a prominent role in shaping their lives.
He is survived by Nancy Jewett Lord, his wife of 58 years, of East Orland; his three children, Holly Jenkins and her husband, Ted, of Andover, Mass., Jill Bowden and her husband, Greg, of Newburyport, Mass., and Steven Lord and his wife, Jeanne, of Hampden; his six grandchildren, Benjamin and Bryce Jenkins, Emily and Caleb Bowden, and Tyler and Abby Lord.
His family wishes to thank the nurses and doctors of EMMC for their tender care during his last days. Gifts in his memory may be made to Elm Street Congregational Church, P.O. Box 838, Bucksport, ME 04416, where George was an active member and past trustee.
A memorial service and celebration of his life will take place on Saturday, March 11, at 1 p.m. at the Elm Street Congregation Church. Dessert and coffee will follow in Brown Hall.
Arrangements are under the direction and care of Mitchell-Tweedie Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Bucksport. (mitchelltweedie-young.com)
Author information
The post Dr. George McKay Lord Jr. appeared first on The Ellsworth American.