BANGOR and WAYNE, Pa. – Wendell Howell Livingston, 95, went to his eternal rest Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, 11 days after a severe stroke. A retired attorney, he had lived happily for the past 8 1/2 years at Sunbury Village, a senior retirement residence in Bangor. Wendell was born July 10, 1916, in Washington, D.C.
As an infant, he moved with his parents to the Chicago area, and then to suburban Philadelphia, six years later, where he lived until 2003. The eldest of four siblings, Wendell belonged to Paoli Troop 1 of the Boy Scouts and became an Eagle Scout. He and his family remained active members of Wayne Methodist Church for many decades. Wendell graduated from Radnor High School in 1933 and four years later from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He joined the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity in college and played soccer on a team that won the 1937 Little Three Championship. Wendell studied law at Beasley School of Law at Temple University, receiving his degree just prior to the U.S. entry into World War II. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army from December 1942 until June 1946. While on active duty in the southwestern U.S., Wendell met Ramona Tripp, also serving as an officer in the military. They were married in uniform at Carlsbad, N.M., in April 1944. After Wendell’s return from the Philippines in 1946, his family moved to Wayne, Pa., and he began his long career in the insurance industry. In the 1980s, Wendell retired from full-time employment after more than 20 years in the legal department at Keystone AAA Insurance Co., Philadelphia. He continued to work part-time at the law firm of Becket & Lee in the Great Valley, until health concerns prompted his move to Maine to be closer to his two daughters. He brought with him Tango, the last of a series of cats who had shared his home. Wendell enjoyed sports, particularly tennis, softball and bowling. He loved going to Cape May, N.J., for family vacations, swimming in the ocean, playing cards and gardening. He listened to the news on the radio and watched college basketball on TV.
He enjoyed family gatherings and will be missed at the Thanksgiving dinner table by his two daughters, Ann and Jane; two granddaughters, Emilie and Grace; and their families. Wendell is also survived by a brother, Philip R. Livingston Sr. and his wife, Betsy, of Bryn Mawr, Pa.; godson, Reid Livingston of Kentucky; and niece, Amanda Curtis of Wellesley, Mass.; and their families. Wendell was predeceased by his wife of 49 years, Ramona, in 2003; and sisters, Janet and Beatrice Livingston. He donated his eyes to a research project at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, where he and his siblings had been enrolled for many years in a longitudinal study of the genetic factors influencing the development of macular degeneration. The family wishes to acknowledge especially the excellent care provided to Wendell in his later years by the team of personal care assistants, Sally Eastman, Andra Medina and Holly Burk. They also thank Dr. Kerry Riker and the staff on the sixth floor at St. Joseph Hospital for easing Wendell’s final days.
A memorial service celebrating Wendell’s life will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, in the chapel at Sunbury Village, 922 Ohio St., Bangor, with his son-in-law, the Rev. Levering B. Sherman Jr. officiating. Burial will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests to those who wish to honor Wendell’s memory in a tangible way, a charitable donation to American Macular Degeneration Foundation, P.O. Box 515, Northampton, MA 01061-0515. Cremation arrangements entrusted to Hampden-Gilpatrick Funeral Home, 45 Western Ave., Hampden. Messages of condolence and memories may be shared through
www.hampdengilpatrick.com.