Virgil I. Pitstick

Virgil Ian Pitstick, 88, of Boca Grande, Florida and Acton passed away September 23 at Hope Hospice House in Fort Myers, FL. He had just returned to Florida from Maine where he spent many summers at Mousam Lake in Acton. He was born in Denison, Iowa, on November 30, 1921, the son of Virgil Ian Pitstick, Sr. and Helen (McCormick) Pitstick. He is survived by his wife of twelve years, the former Anita Callahan.Following graduation from high school in Nebraska he enlisted in the U. S. Navy air corps and served in World War II as a fighter pilot and as an Advanced Combat Instrument Instructor with the rank of Lieutenant. One of his assignments was at the Navy Air Station in Sanford, home of the Goodall textile mills. There he met Ruth Goodall, great granddaughter of Thomas Goodall, and the last to bear the Goodall name. They were married in August 1945. Upon his release from the Navy he entered Bowdoin College in Brunswick and received his bachelor's degree as a member of the class of 1950. He pursued his masters and doctoral studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. After teaching in schools in Boston he became chairman of the Department of Human Relations at the University of Miami in Florida. In the course of his academic career he was Visiting Professor at the Universities of Leicester and Loughborough in England and the University of Leuven in Belgium. His second career as a consultant took him to many parts of the world before he settled in Boca Grande, Florida, in 1985. Part of every year, however, was spent in Maine where the Pitsticks owned the circa 1871 Goodall Mansion in Sanford and summer cottages on nearby Mousam Lake built by Ruth's great uncles, Louis B. and Ernest Goodall. Concerned about the future of the mansion, they gave it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1995 with the hope that its preservation would thereby be assured. Ruth passed away in 1997. Virgil was passionate about the role of the Goodall family in Sanford's history and made major contributions to the Sanford Historical Committee. Whenever Goodall-related items came on the market that the committee could not afford, Virgil came to the rescue. As the contents of the mansion were being prepared for auction, the Historical Committee was allowed to go through every room and closet and take all items it felt should be preserved for future generations. These are now at the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum where portraits and other family memorabilia are on permanent display. Virgil was a major contributor to the cost of creating the museum in 2005.Throughout his life he enjoyed swimming and travel. He always had time for cultural and social events at the Harvard Club of Boston, historical and musical programs at the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum, and the Turtle Patrol. He was a Director of the Barrier Island Parks Society for six years and a past member of the Boca Grande Pass Yacht Club. He loved practical jokes and matters whimsical; organized August parties to bay at the full moon and sent cards on Ground Hog Day to his friends.In addition to his wife he is survived by his sisters Joanne Litz and Sallye Knutson, a brother Rodger Pitstick, sons Ian and Tod Pitstick, daughter Kim Sprague, three grandchildren, Ryan, Melissa and Lindsey and two great grandchildren. There will be no local services at this time.The Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home in Springvale is assisting with local arrangements. Donations in his memory may be made to the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society, P. O. Box 276, Springvale, Maine 04083. Condolences may be expressed at the Condolences tab at left.