BLUE HILL – Stephen Chandler Titcomb of Blue Hill, age 63, died April 16 doing one of the things he loved the most — ski mountaineering — while in the Italian Alps with friends. Steve’s adventurous spirit took him and his wife many beautiful places throughout the world hiking, skiing, canoeing, sailing and sea kayaking. They shared a love of finding new adventures together and followed the motto “go light, go cheap, but most importantly go now.”
Steve was born May 25, 1952, in Springfield, Vt. He began skiing at a young age and raced on his high school ski team. He graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in forestry. As a young man, he bought 160 acres of forest on a mountain in northern Vermont, which would remain a place close to his heart. He was very at home in the woods, swinging from sapling trees down the hillsides, sugaring in the spring and caretaking the forest.
He put his heart and soul into the woods of the mountain. After moving to Maine, he spent a full month each spring and fall on his woodlot in Vermont, which he managed for over 35 years. Each year Steve made at least 7 gallons of syrup to give away to friends and family.
The only place that could draw Steve out of the mountains of Vermont was the harbor and ocean in Blue Hill. He felt blessed to have the best of both worlds — a place in the Vermont woods and a home on the ocean in Maine. Whether in the woods or on the ocean Steve was always aware of his natural surroundings and enjoyed the beauty and wonder of nature.
In 1982, he married Terri Ward of Seattle, and they made their home in Jeffersonville, Vt., and began raising their children Leah and Jack while building a log cabin on their woodlot. In 1996, they kept the cabin but moved to Brooklin and then to Blue Hill.
Steve was a skilled carpenter and developed his career in house restoration and rentals. He was often heard saying how much he loved providing people with a good place to live and he became close friends with many of his tenants.
Steve and Terri began sea kayaking in 1985, eventually becoming Maine sea kayak guides, first working tours out of Eggemoggin Lodge and then starting their own guide service. Each year they would take an extended kayaking trip, kayaking the entire coast of Maine (north of Portland) working their way up the New Brunswick coast.
They also enjoyed kayaking in Newfoundland and British Columbia. Steve and Terri both loved canoeing on the Allagash, St. John and North Maine Woods waterways, the Rio Grande, and the Everglades. They enjoyed hiking and skiing both worldwide and locally. They backcountry skied in Vermont, Maine, the Gaspe Peninsula and the Alps. They hiked the Tour De Mont Blanc, the Dolomites, throughout Ireland and the Annapurna loop in Nepal.
Steve enjoyed working with the Blue Hill Heritage Trust helping to improve trail conditions and make nature more accessible for the people of the peninsula. If you are interested in making a donation in his name, please donate to the Blue Hill Heritage Trust to help continue the good work that he was involved with.
He is survived by his wife, the love of his life, Terri, his daughter Leah and his son Jack.
The memorial service and celebration of his life will be held at Flye Point by the Lookout Inn in Brooklin on May 7 at 4 p.m. Feel free to bring your favorite picture of Steve and a story to share. All are welcome.
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