Glendon A. Croswell

Glendon A. Croswell
SACO & OLD ORCHARD BEACH -- Glendon A. Croswell, of Saco and Old Orchard Beach, died on Monday, May 26, 2014, at the Monarch Center in Saco on Memorial Day.
Mr. Croswell was born on Oct. 9, 1925, in Greene, to Charles A. and Bernice (Adams) Briggs. Mr. Briggs died in 1928. In 1932 Bernice married Robert A. Croswell, and Glen and his sister Virginia assumed Mr. Croswell's name. In 1943 during World War II, Glen graduated from the Farmington High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army.
Upon his induction into the Army, Glen was assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) and studied at Harvard University. Upon Congress' termination of that program in 1944, he volunteered for Paratrooper duty and was a radio operator with the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 17th Airborne Division. In 1945 he participated in Operation VARSITY, parachuting behind German lines in advance of the Allied crossing of the Rhine River into Germany.
Following his military service and studies at the University of Maine, Glen joined the New England Telephone Company, subsequently working for several units of the Bell System. One unit was Western Electric's Air Defense Engineering Service where he worked on SAGE, an air defense radar warning system. The Telephone Company relocated him from local Maine offices to Portland, then to Boston, to NYC and finally to Basking Ridge, N.J., AT&T headquarters. Glen retired from AT&T as a financial analyst and Division Manager in 1983. Glen and his wife Barbara lived in Long Valley, N.J., but upon retirement they moved to Camden and then in 2002 to Gorham, and subsequently to Old Orchard Beach.
Glen was an active volunteer for several organizations including Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport and Mercy Hospital in Portland. In addition to other tasks at Penobscot Bay Medical Center he installed over 100 Emergency Response Systems for persons living alone. He volunteered in AARP's
Glendon A. Croswell
Income Tax preparation program, in Meals on Wheels, and in the Rockland BelRock Telephone Co. Retired Pioneers, continuing his Pioneer service of many years. He was a member of the National Watch and Clock Collectors Club and collected and restored antique clocks in New Jersey and in Maine. At one time he maintained over 50 running clocks, and over the years built state-of-the art workshops for clock repair, repairing heirlooms for many friends and neighbors. He was a crossword puzzle enthusiast and a devout Red Sox fan.
During the early years of his retirement he and his wife enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and Canada, often with the Elderhostel program. They canoed many of the lakes and rivers in Maine and spent much time exploring Maine's coastline and hinterland. Glen was a member of the Camden Rotary and Westbrook-Gorham Rotary clubs and was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship while a member of the Camden club. He enjoyed taking courses at USM's Senior College (OLLI).
Glen was predeceased by his sister, Virginia. Surviving are Barbara, his wife of 34 years; his daughter Susan Khoda (Mike) of Colonia, N.J., son Thomas (Lisa) of Lexington, Mass., son Dr. Robert (Kim) of Waterville, and son Ralph of Wrentham, Mass.; also two stepchildren, Katherine Crowther (Wayne) of Sylvania, Ohio, and Harold Jacobs (Marilyn) of West Chester, Pa.; and eight grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Glen's kind and generous spirit will be sorely missed by all who knew him. His remains are being donated to the medical school at UNE with final interment at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta. A private memorial service will be held this summer.
The family wishes to give special thanks to the Monarch Center in Saco where Glen received outstanding care for the last year and a half of his life.
Gifts in Glen's memory may be made to Rotary International
or to your charity of choice.