Douglas L. Morton ’55 died on March 8, 2020 in Brunswick, Maine. 

(The following appeared in the Portland Press Herald on March 16, 2020)

Doug Morton, of Brunswick, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 8, 2020, at his home on Zeitler Farm Road, surrounded by members of his loving family. Doug was, by any measure, one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. He was the patriarch of a family that adored him and was inspired by his wisdom and class. His entire family is deeply saddened by his passing. Doug was born in Schenectady, NY, in 1933 to parents, Lyle and Helen Morton. He attended local schools before entering Bowdoin College in the fall of 1951. He joined the Psi Upsilon fraternity, and after four years of enjoyment interspersed with some studying, he graduated in the class of 1955. He often told anyone who would listen that Psi U was the best house on campus, and the friendships he made at Bowdoin lasted his entire life. Within a few weeks of graduation, Doug entered the U.S. Army, serving as an operations officer at Fort Jackson, S.C. When his tour was up, he was honorably discharged as a 1st lieutenant. Soon after, he attended the school of banking at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. Doug started his career in 1957 at Connecticut Bank and Trust in Hartford. After learning some of the basics and realizing he was homesick for Maine where many of his college buddies lived, he got an opportunity to take a job with Maine National Bank in Portland. While living in Portland, Doug was set-up on a blind date with a beautiful, young widow named Deborah (Williams) Clark, who was living in Portland with her three young children, Paul, Peter, and Dana. Doug and Deborah soon fell in love and were married at the Bowdoin College Chapel in March 1962. In late 1963, Deborah gave birth to twins, Steve and Seth. Doug’s college buddies often joked that in a span of two years, Doug went from a Portland bachelor to a married man and the father of five sons. Shortly after marrying Deborah, Doug jumped at an opportunity to transfer to Brunswick where he could raise his family and run the Brunswick branch of Maine National Bank. After several years in banking, Doug got restless and entered the local real estate business, ultimately establishing Douglas Morton Real Estate. With the older three sons out of college and the twins in high school, his wife Deborah joined him and rapidly became the star in the operation. Eventually Deborah took over the business with sons Paul and Peter while renaming it Morton Real Estate. With Deborah running the real estate business, Doug resumed his banking career at Casco Bank & Trust in Brunswick, followed by Maine Savings Bank in Portland, and finally Maine Bank and Trust. In between his banking positions, Doug, as general partner, and with the participation of his three stepsons as partners, oversaw the development of a successful forty-five-unit condominium project in Wolfeboro, NH. Doug retired from banking in 1997 to spend more time traveling, golfing, relaxing on Pole Island during summers, and running errands around Brunswick with his dog, Wills. Besides being a part of the local business community, Doug was active in the civic life of Brunswick. He served as officer and/or director of the Brunswick Area Chamber of Commerce, The Brunswick Area United Way, Military-Community Council, Regional Memorial Hospital, the Prudential Committee of the First Parish Church, The Brunswick Housing Authority, the Brunswick Sewer District, the Curtis Memorial Library, the Thornton Oaks Homeowners Corporation, and served two terms on the Brunswick Town Council. Doug was also very active with the College and spent many years attending Bowdoin hockey and football games, as well as officiating Bowdoin track meets at Sargent Gym and Whittier Field. Doug was an active member of the Portland Country Club for forty years, and was also a member of the Brunswick Golf Club. In recent years, he was an avid follower of the PGA tour and he could be found most Sunday afternoons watching golf while enjoying his extra dry martini with three olives. During retirement, Doug and Deborah traveled extensively and they managed to set foot on every continent except Antarctica. They enjoyed a wide circle of friends in Brunswick and Portland throughout their lives together, and they were especially close to Dick and Eleanor Morrell, two longtime travel mates and Bowdoin friends. Doug was predeceased by Deborah, his beloved wife of fifty-four years; youngest son, Seth, and daughter-in-law, Marcy. He is survived by four sons, Paul Clark III of Brunswick, Peter Clark of West Palm Beach, FL., Dana Clark and wife, Jean, of Acton, MA, and Steve Morton and wife, Katie Pulsifer, of Freeport. He was the proud grandfather of ten wonderful grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. As their young sons grew into adulthood and now middle age, family was non-stop entertainment for Doug and Deborah. Often the brunt of jokes and sarcasm, Doug handled it like a champ and was equally adept at handing it out. There was never a dull moment and a lot of laughter. He was both an amazing father and a best friend to his five sons. His greatest love of all in life was his wife and family, and he never failed to let it show. Also surviving are Doug’s sister, Joan Whitford of St. Louis, and her wonderful family; and brother, Bill Morton, and wife, Bonnie, of Middleburg, NY, and their two sons and grandson.