AUGUSTA – David C. Gagnon, 93, died Sept. 15, 2014 at the Maine Veteran’s Home, in Augusta.
David Charles Gagnon was born in Benton, Maine on July 15, 1921, the son of William and Jennie (Hatch) Gagnon.
He graduated from Winslow High School in 1939 and from Thomas College in 1941. He served in WW II entering on February 13, 1943. He was involved in the European, African, and Middle Eastern Theater, and commanded, as Platoon Leader, the 757 Tank Division. He was wounded in Italy, and returned home after being honorably discharged, with the rank of Captain, on June 9, 1947. He was awarded the Purple Heart, and the French Croix de Guerre. Upon his return home, David put his accounting degree to work as an accountant for Armour & Company in Waterville.
On March 11, 1951, he married Anita Elizabeth Page. Following David’s assignments with Armor & Co., they moved to Woodsville, New Hampshire, Sommerville, Massachusetts, and then to Reading, Massachusetts. He and Anita had four children; Donald, Daniel, Dwight, and Carol, and enjoyed life on Highland Street in Reading for sixteen years. In 1968 Armour & Co. wanted David to move to New York City. He commuted every other week, from Reading, to live and work in New York so that son Donald could complete his senior year at Reading High School. After this, he and Anita decided it was time to move back to Benton, as that was what they felt was best for the family. They were right. He left employment with Armour & Co., and once home, he went to work as an accountant for Ralston Purina Poultry (which became Fort Halifax Packing Co.) in Winslow. The move also allowed David to put his skills to work at his church, serving over forty years as treasurer and bookkeeper for the Benton Falls Congregational Church.
Being back in Benton, he and Anita were able to look after their parents as well as continue to raise their children who were quickly heading off to their own lives. Fort Halifax Packing Co. closed in 1983, and David decided to study real estate and became an agent for Perkins Realty, and then transferred his association to Adams Realty of China, ME. Yet at 67 Yrs. old, David began the best career of his life; Tax Collector and Treasurer for the Town of Benton. He enjoyed working with all the people at the town office who he considered his second family. They treated him and Anita most kindly, and his family can’t express in words the appreciation for what this opportunity meant to him, and it’s contribution to his longevity. The work kept him fit, sharp minded, and vital. He retired at 90 Yrs. old.
During these years, he and Anita were able to do some traveling. He stayed actively in contact with his surviving comrades of the 757 and attended several reunions throughout the U.S. He and Anita even traveled with the 757 back to Italy where he had been during the war. Also, with son Donald being in the Navy, he and Anita got to visit California, Texas, Virginia, and Florida. David once got to take the final crossing, aboard ship, one of Don’s cruises from Hawaii to San Diego. He and Anita also traveled with Anita’s sister Lois and her husband Horace to PEI Canada, New Jersey, Florida, and west to Washington State. Yet, as grand as these travels were, David most liked being close to home looking after relatives and friends, mowing the yard, and tending a large vegetable garden. For the last 25 years, he lived where he wanted to be, at his boyhood home on Eames Rd. in Benton, where he grew up with his parents and brother Robert. To all of his family, this was also their gathering place and home.
Be it known, David was a loving, loyal, kind husband, father, son, brother, and friend who will be deeply missed. He is survived by his wife Anita of Benton, ME; son Donald R. Gagnon and his wife Dorothy of Stratford, Conn.; son Daniel F. Gagnon and his partner Lin Coomer of Saco, ME; son Dwight D. Gagnon and his wife Kay of Benton, ME; and daughter Carol G. MacBride of Hartford, ME; eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Special thanks to devoted, caring friends, neighbors, Maine General Hospice, and the folks at The Maine Veteran’s Home. In lieu of flowers, donations my be made in David’s name to The Benton Falls Congregational Church, c/o Dawnela Sheehan, 274 Bellsqueeze Rd., Benton, ME 04901
A memorial service will be held at the Benton Falls Congregational Church, Benton, ME, on Saturday, September 20, 2014. at 2:00 PM.
Arrangements under the care and direction of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan.
