Webster Van Winkle, 94, of Chamberlain, died Oct. 8 at Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta.
Mr. Van Winkle was born July 15, 1912, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the first child of Vere and Hazel Van Winkle.
His family lived in the Seattle area before moving to Los Angeles. After high school, he attended the University of California at Berkeley. His family fell on hard times during the Depression so he left Berkeley and worked delivering ice. In 1936, he moved to New Jersey and sold institutional food for Sexton & Co.
In 1937, he married Elise Davis and they raised four children in Summit, N.J.
He started his own institutional food business, the Webster Van Winkle Corporation, in 1953. He became involved in local community activities, especially the YMCA and the board of the Summit Trust Bank.
Mr. Van Winkle’s personal interests included athletics: football and track in high school, rowing at Berkeley, and softball and golf in Summit; outdoor recreation: fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing; gardening: vegetables and fruit trees; and coin collecting.
During summer vacations at Wellfleet, Cape Cod, he developed a passion for sailing and shell fishing. He sailed his 23′ Yugoslavian sailboat from New Jersey to Florida and back.
In 1973, he moved to Chamberlain, where his love of the ocean turned to lobstering. Although he only fished a few traps, as of July 2006, at the age of 94, he was Maine’s oldest licensed commercial fisherman.
Another major focus of his life from 1973 until his death was the Miles Health Center. During those three decades he helped guide a small hospital into a major health center. He served as Chairman of the Board, Chairman of the Advisory Committee, and was a strong supporter of Home Health. He was a tireless advocate and fundraiser for improvement of facilities, services, and employees. These contributions were recognized by naming the Webster Van Winkle Medical Building on the Miles Memorial complex in his honor. He also served on his local Board of Appeals for many years.
His wife died in 1994 and the last twelve years of his life were shared with Alice McAdams of Damariscotta.
He is survived by three sons and one daughter, Webster Van Winkle Jr. of Boise, Ida., Davis Van Winkle of South Casco, Keith Van Winkle of Norwich, Vt., and Barbara Van Winkle of Ellicott City, Md.; ten grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and siblings, Shirley Mazza of Venice, Fla., Nancy DeMarco of Hammonton, N.J., and Jim Van Winkle of Santa Monica, Cal.
Celebration of life 2 p.m., Mon., Oct. 16 at St. Andrews Church in Newcastle.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Miles Health Care or Webster and Elise Van Winkle Excellence in Health Care Fund, 35 Miles St., Damariscotta, ME 04543.
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Strong Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 612 Main St., Damariscotta.
