AUGUSTA – Dr. Lewis Smith Gilfillan, 88, died Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007, at Maine Veterans’ Home, Augusta, after a long illness. Dr. Gilfillan was born Dec. 24, 1918, in Skowhegan, to the late James and Edith (Nutting) Gilfillan. He and his family lived in Bar Harbor, where he graduated from Mount Desert High School. Dr. Gilfillan received his undergraduate and D.M.D. degree from Tufts University in 1940. He completed his internship and residency in oral surgery at the University Of Cincinnati Hospitals, Ohio. He joined the Public Health Service and served the Coast Guard during World War II. Stationed in San Francisco, he was assigned to the U.S. Navy ship, the General H B Freeman, which sailed the Pacific, and attained the rank of senior assistant/dental surgeon. Dr. Gilfillan returned to Maine after his honorable discharge from the Coast Guard, Aug. 12, 1946, and began his career as an oral surgeon, first in Portland and later in Augusta, where he opened his private practice. During this time, he was also involved in establishing and subsequently teaching at the Dental Hygienist Program at Westbrook Junior College. In addition to practicing at the VA Hospital at Togus, he had a clinical appointment from Harvard University Dental School to teach their dental students and residents at Togus. After he retired from dentistry in 1986, he continued to enjoy his love of the outdoors by working in his garden, tending his fruit trees, boating, fishing and cross-country skiing at his home in Sidney. Dr. Gilfillan was a member of South Parish Congregational Church, Augusta and the Masonic Lodge, Augusta. He had been active in the Augusta Country Club and Kiwanis Club of Augusta. He was also a member of the American Dental Association, Maine Dental Association and Kennebec Valley Dental Society. The family wishes to thank the very dedicated and skilled staff at Maine Veterans’ Home for their compassion, care and support. Dr. Gilfillan is survived by his wife, Wanda Womack Gilfillan of Augusta; his son, William L. Gilfillan and his wife, Christine, and their daughter, Kathleen Connelly, all of Brewer; his daughter, Dr. Carol A. Gilfillan and her husband, Dr. Joseph E. Simon, of Amelia Island, Fla., and their children, Jennifer A. Simon and husband, James Shilkett, of Chicago and Eric J. Simon of San Francisco; a brother, Robert Gilfillan and wife, Barbara, of Bar Harbor; three nieces, a nephew and their families. A celebration of Dr. Gilfillan’s life will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at South Parish Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, with the Rev. Bruce Forbes and Pastor Richard Kimball, of Sixth Street Congregational Church, New Auburn, officiating. A private interment will be held at the New Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, Mount Vernon Road, Augusta. Donations in memory of Dr. Gilfillan may be made to Maine Veterans’ Home Activity Fund, 310 Cony Road, Augusta, ME 04330. Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton & Hewins Funeral Home and Cremation Service, One Church St., Augusta. www.khrfuneralhomes.com
DR. LEWIS SMITH GILFILLAN
