Dean George Tibbitts

TOPSHAM - Dean George Tibbitts, 77, died peacefully at his home Saturday evening, July 11, 2015 after a yearlong battle with lung cancer. Born, January 25, 1938 in East Millinocket, Maine, the second identical twin son to Edith Mae Stratton Tibbitts and Carrick Amos Tibbitts. He attended schools in East Millinocket and graduated from Schenck High School in 1956. Eleven days after graduation, he joined the US Navy.

On May 17, 1958, he married Barbara Ann Smart of Millinocket, Maine. They moved to Newport Rhode Island where Dean was stationed aboard the USS Vandivier. He was chosen to join a new program: Admiral Rickover's New Nuclear Powered Navy. Over the next several years, they moved to Vallejo, California, Pocatello, Idaho, and Schenectady, New York for training in this new field. His next duty station was the USS Bainbridge, where he was a plank owner. He served aboard this ship for 4 years, traveling to Charleston, South Carolina, and Collingswood, New Jersey, and deployment cruises. A new ship was being built and Dean was sent to training in Saratoga Springs, New York. From here he was assigned to the USS Truxton, home ported in Long Beach, California, where he ran the nuclear reactor engines. He served aboard the Truxton for 8 years, moving to Bremerton, Washington for an overhaul and then back down the west coast to San Diego, California as well as several deployment cruises. In 1976, after 20 years of service and obtaining the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer, he asked to be assigned back to the East coast. He was stationed in Groton, Connecticut teaching nuclear power. In 1979, he retired from the US Navy with the many honors that he had earned over the years. He began working at Maine Yankee, in Wiscasset, Maine and retired from there in 1997 when the facility was being closed.

Surviving him are his wife of 57 years Barbara; daughter Dina and her husband Tony; son Scott and his wife Angela; grandson Jeffrey and his wife Michelle; granddaughter Sarah and her boyfriend Corey; grandsons Griffin, Caleb and Angus; step grandsons Garrett and Sage; great granddaughter Vivienne. Also his twin brother Donald, sisters Carolyn, Patricia and her husband Karl, Helen and her boyfriend Richard; sister-in-laws Ethel and her husband Al, and Constance; brother-in-law Frank and his wife Elizabeth. Some aunts and uncles and many nieces and nephews.

Visiting hours will be held Wednesday, July 15th from 6-8 PM at Stetson's Funeral Home 12 Federal St. Brunswick. A memorial service will be held Thursday July 16th at 11am at the funeral home. A graveside service with military honors will be held on Saturday July 18, 2015 at 11am in the East Millinocket Cemetery.

Memorial condolences may be expressed at stetsonsfuneralhome.com