Earl Weston Ramsdell

STANDISH – Earl Weston Ramsdell, 85, of Standish died Sunday, November 19, 2017 at the Coastal Manor in Yarmouth. He was born in his grandmother’s house in Sebago Lake Village on October 3, 1932, the son of Joseph H. and Jeanette Ramsdell. He grew up in that village, graduating from Standish High School in 1950. Upon graduation from high school he went to work at the S.D. Warren research facilities on a new grade development. Within the year, he was a first hand and night foreman for the startup of this grade in the manufacturing plant. He left September of 1951 to join the Air Force. His Air Force career was spent as an armorer with the 18th Fighter Bomber Group in Korea during the Korean War. Upon returning to the United States, he was assigned to the Strategic Air Commands Top Secret Special Weapons (Atomic) Group. At the invitation of the Korean government, Earl proudly coordinated and led a group of 18th Fighter Wing Korean War Veterans to the 50th Korean War Anniversary Commemoration activities on June 25, 2000. He received 20% disability from his Korean service. On March 21, 1953 Earl married Jean Thomas of Portland, Maine. He returned to S.D. Warren in 1955 following his honorable discharge. In 1959, after taking a leave of absence from S.D. Warren, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree with Distinction in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine, with his wife, three children and father in attendance. He returned to S.D. Warren and was assigned to their technical department which he became director of in 1973. In 1976, Earl became Utilities Manager and in 1985, Chief Engineer, responsible for all utilities, engineering, and maintenance operations, retiring in 1990. Earl spent 40 years with S.D. Warren in the pulp and paper industry. During this time, he was very active in the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) and other associated associations. In TAPPI, he held many responsibilities including Chairman of the Engineering Division, Technical Operations Committee, and Struction and Performance Committee. He was a member of the TAPPI Board of Directors (1979 – 1982), serving on the Executive, Finance, and Meeting Committees. He published numerous papers in the field of paper machine and coater drying, environmental improvements, and mathematical statistical procedures. He authored a book “The Practical Application of Statistical Analysis in the Industrial Process” for solving operational problems was published in 1978. He received an achievement award from the “Society for Technical Communication” for this publication. He was a guest lecturer at several colleges including the University of Maine. Mr. Ramsdell was named a TAPPI Fellow in 1982, and received TAPPI’s Distinguished Leadership and Service Award in 1986, an honor he was especially appreciative of. He was also elected into membership in the Tau Beta Pi Engineering National Honor Society, and selected for inclusion in Who’s Who in Engineering in 1976, Who’s Who in Technology Today 1982, and Who’s Who in the East 1985. He was a past member of the American Paper Industries Instrumentation Research Committee, The Black Liquor Recovery Boiler Advisory Committee (BLRBAC), The Maine Professional Development Council, and served three terms on the Gorham Maine School Committee. Earl was a current member of the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation, the University of Maine Alumni Associations, Tau Beta Pi Engineering National Honor Society, The 18th Fighter Bomber Wing Association, Standish American Legion Post 128 and DAV (Disabled American Veteran). Mr. Ramsdell was an avid outdoorsman enjoying hunting, fishing, gardening, camping, skiing, hiking, and white-water canoeing. Besides running most of Maine’s white-water rivers, he also ran the Colorado River, and was one of the first, if not the first, to run the Kongakut River in Northeast Alaska in 1983. He often described his encounter with a grizzly bear on this trip when visitors to his home saw a picture on his fireplace mantel that he took of the grizzly charging him to protect its kill, a small moose. Whenever he was feeling down about something, he would go into his study and look at these pictures and realize how fortunate he was. Earl also participated in the 1992 Maine Senior Olympics winning 1 gold, 4 silvers and 1 brass medal in track, swimming and events he had never competed in before, Baseball and basketball were the sports he participated in at Standish High School. He was predeceased by his first wife of 30 years, Jean Thomas Ramsdell, his parents, grandparents, a daughter, Annette, a brother-in-law Sherwood Libby, his sister Lorraine, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is survived by his second wife of 33 years, Janice Dianne (Carr) Ramsdell of Standish; three sons, Joseph K. Ramsdell and his wife Cheryl of Waterville, Ronald A. Ramsdell and his wife Kathy of New Gloucester, and Richard K. Ramsdell of Florida; three step-sons, Robert Seavey and his wife Shelly of Old Orchard Beach, James Seavey and his wife Debbie of Scarborough, and Steve Seavey of Windham; 15 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. An hour of visitation will be held on Friday, December 1, 2017 at the Windham Chapel of Dolby Blais & Segee, 434 River Road from 10:00am until 11:00am when a Memorial Service will begin at 11:00am at the chapel. Burial will follow at Sebago Lake Cemetery, Route 114, Standish, ME.

Earl Weston Ramsdell

October 3, 1932 - November 19, 2017

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