LINCOLN – Gene S. Wilbur, 78, died peacefully July 27, 2010, at his winter home in Pensacola, Fla., after a brief illness with bone cancer. He was born Aug. 8, 1931, in Acushnet, Mass., son of Roger and Abbie Wilbur. Gene touched many lives through 30 years of service in education. He was principal of Mattanawcook Academy, Lincoln, from 1978 to 1981; superintendent for Southern Aroostook District, Island Falls, from 1981 to 1984; and superintendent for Penobscot Valley District, Howland, from 1984 to 1988. He was also principal of Shead High School, Eastport, and taught in Calais and Thomaston. Gene was a Korean War veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy from 1948 to 1952 as an artillery gunner on the destroyer USS Herbert J. Thomas. He held a bachelor’s degree in education from Bridgewater State Teachers College in Massachusetts and a master’s degree in education from the University of Maine, Orono. Gene was a lifelong Red Sox fan, and wrote an unpublished book on baseball, which was favorably reviewed by his hero, Ted Williams. He was also a well-read student of history and wrote an unpublished biography of President Andrew Johnson. Gene enjoyed summers with family at the oceanfront cabin he built by hand in Robbinston. His passion for world travel was sparked in his eighth decade, with multiple trips to Europe and Latin America, along with his wife, Mary, and sometimes his son, Sam, accompanying him. He is survived by his wife, Mary Wilbur of Lincoln; son, Sam Wilbur; daughter-in-law, Lindsey Wilbur; and grandson, Wyatt Wilbur, all of Kihei, Hawaii; sister, Susan Darling of Machias; and sister, Priscilla Mandell of Ocean Grove, Calif. No local services will be held.
GENE S. WILBUR
