Sheldon F. Goldthwait ’60 died on January 31, 2026, in Bar Harbor, Maine.
(The following was provided by the Mount Desert Islander on February 2, 2026:)
Sheldon F. Goldthwait, Jr. ’60
Sheldon F. Goldthwait, Jr. died on January 31, 2026, at the age of 87. The Goldthwait family moved to Bar Harbor in 1944. He was away from MDI when he had to be, through Bowdoin College and his early work life, but came back as soon as he could and before long followed in his father’s footsteps at Bar Harbor Banking and Trust, working his way from “mail boy” to teller to president of the bank.
He often described working for the early road crews and roofers of Bar Harbor, as a delivery boy at Daney’s Market and a host at the Mary Jane, and was proud of having been Boy Scout den chief for a local surgeon.
When he retired from banking, he took on the job of which he was most proud, sternman on a lobster boat. He went for a decade on F/V Cod Fish out of Bar Harbor and another decade on F/V Rich Returns out of Bass Harbor. He also joined the crew of the Ocean Star out of Murphy’s Pond, Port Hood, Cape Breton, with Robert and Hugh Watts, with whom he had family connections.
Speaking of family connections, if one were to be incautious enough to fall into the trap of Sheldon’s innocent question — “Where are you from?” — you would then be subjected to a barrage of detailed questions regarding your family, your heirs and assigns, some of them most unwelcome, until Sheldon had matched you up with relatives you never knew you had or did not care to acknowledge.
As for his own family, he married Jill in 1980 and, after a six-year trial period, during a family emergency, decided she should have a wedding ring. He chose a Celtic knot pattern that confounded a local jeweler for months. Jennifer, Daniel and Summer were the lights of his life, with the welcome addition of spouses Reg, Carol, and Alex. Then came the next generation, who got all the glory, grandchildren Sebastian, Kate, Santiago, Eliza, Will, and Ben. He is survived by his little brother, John, and John’s wife, Nancy.
Sheldon supported or participated in an abundance of local activities, none more important to him than the Bar Harbor Fire Department. A bewildered woman found this out on an early date, when she was left sitting in front of two untouched entrees when the whistle blew and Sheldon vanished. The restaurant staff simply smiled and said “Go ahead and eat. He’ll be in sometime to pay.”
The rich resources of our community were behind our family at every step of his final journey. From the crew at the BHFD who went to bring him home to MDI after his hospitalization in Bangor, to the spectacular care he received during his two-week stay at Birch Bay, to the year-round neighbors on Albert Meadow who were always here for us, to the community at large who came bearing soup, home-baked bread, casseroles and cookies, we thank you.
Sheldon touched an astonishing variety of people. Celtic musicians, farmers, genealogists, boatbuilders, librarians, business owners, commercial fishermen, writers, sailors, politicians, gardeners, health care workers — so many people of so many backgrounds who seemed to find their way to the core of this reserved and quiet man, understand his kindness, and love him for it. Our deepest thanks to you all, our anchor to windward.