WILTON — Norman K. Twitchell passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 28, after 76 years of great adventures; 55 of those years were spent with his wife, Suzanne Luce Twitchell. Both were raised in Farmington and for the past 25 years, have shared their time together in their homes in Maine and Florida.
Norman is described by an old friend as outgoing, engaging and a “handsome dog” in his youth. Water-skiing in Weld and Rangeley was off-season training for his premier sport, alpine racing. Norman won the Maine Class A State Alpine Championship, was a high school skimeister, attended four junior national competitions and captured the Sugarloaf Schuss title when the race was held on Winter’s Way. To wind down after the season, he would ski Tuckerman Ravine on his birthday.
After graduating from Farmington High School in 1957, Norman continued his undergraduate education at the University of Maine at Orono, with a three-year interim with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. He followed this up with a master’s degree in science from Colby College. He earned his pilot’s license with the help of the GI Bill.
While teaching in Eastport on Long Island, he flew his 1956 Cessna 182 in continuous roundtrips between Maine, New York and Florida. While cruising either on a houseboat or later on a trawler called Zan-Bar, the Twitchells managed to explore all of the Great Lakes, conquered the Great Loop Circle, familiarized themselves with much of eastern Canada and the Bahamas and sailed the Caribbean many times.
The family built their home primarily by themselves on Wilson Lake in Wilton. They loaded, unloaded, hauled and faced 11 tons of Vermont marble for their unique fireplace.
Norman served on the SAD 9 School Board, belonged to the Elks and Lions clubs and the West Farmington Fire Department. He also captained a party barge during the Blueberry Festival for the Friends of Wilson Lake for over a decade.
Norman is survived by his wife, Suzanne; two sons, Richard and John; two grandchildren, Justin and Jessica; and three brothers, Charles, Stephen and Paul.
He was predeceased by his parents, Kenneth and Ava.
Tributes and condolences may be shared on his memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com.
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