Dr. Robert B. Hutchinson, 85, of Cape Elizabeth, passed away unexpectedly Dec. 14 at his residence.
Dr. Hutchinson was born in Westbrook, a son of Ralph and Louise Lewis Hutchinson. He was educated in the Westbrook schools and graduated from Bridgton Academy. He was a 1946 graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy. He then went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in 1947 from the University of Maine at Orono. During the Korean War he served in the U.S. Navy as a Lieutenant Operating Officer for the Atlantic Fleet. He received an honorable discharge from the Navy in 1954. After the war he sailed as a Merchant Marine during summers while attending the Tufts School of Dental Medicine where he graduated in 1959.
Dr. Hutchinson moved to South Portland in 1959 to open his practice. He attended the First Congregational Church in South Portland and was a member of the choir and was a past member of the Kiwanis Club where he served as president in 1964-1965.
He was an active member of the dental community and served in many leadership roles. He was the president of the Greater Portland Dental Society in 1969-1970, the Maine Dental Society where he was president from 1978-1979, The North East Regional Board of Dental Examiners by Governor Appointment in 1985 and retired in 2008, The International College of Dentists, the American Dental Association and was a member of the clinical faculty in the Dental Hygiene Department at Westbrook College.
He was happiest spending time with family and friends at “the farm” in Whitefield. Bob especially enjoyed family gatherings around the 4th of July and Thanksgiving as well as hosting the “North Whitefield Study Club” for their hunting and fishing adventures. He also loved helping fix the world’s problems with friends at coffee clubs in South Portland and North Whitefield.
Dr. Hutchinson started his career in 1959 in South Portland. In 1971 he moved his practice to the Spurwink Medical Center in Cape Elizabeth from where he retired in 1993 after 34 years of practice.
He was predeceased by his parents and brother, Lewis Hutchinson.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Rae Libby Hutchinson of Cape Elizabeth; children, Mark L. Hutchinson and wife Lori of Kingston, R.I., John W. Hutchinson of Wellesley, Mass., and Gail Conley and husband Stephen of Winthrop; grandchildren, Olivia Hutchinson of Kingston, R.I., Benjamin Hutchinson and wife Elizabeth of Georgia, Samuel and Emily Hutchinson of Wellesley, Mass., and Thomas and Allison Conley of Winthrop; and many nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours 4-7 p.m., Mon., Dec. 19 at the Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Rd., South Portland. Memorial service 1 p.m., Tues., Dec. 20 at the funeral home. Interment will follow at the Riverside Cemetery in Cape Elizabeth.
The family has asked in lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Whitefield Historical Society, PO Box 176, Whitefield, ME 04353; or Whitefield Fire Dept., c/o Town Office, 36 Townhouse Rd., Whitefield, ME 04353.