Vaughn O. Gavel

Vaughn O. Gavel, 83, of Springvale, died March 19, 2005 at the Newton Center in Sanford following a long illness.He was born in Haynesville, the oldest of five children of Edward and Ida (Orser) Gavel. Mr. Gavel was a Sanford High School graduate. During the Korean War, he served as a medic in the Army. He worked for a time at the Sanford mills and then went on to work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. After he retired form the shipyard, he worked at Ekto in Sanford.Mr. Gavel was a man of many interests, including woodworking, stained glass, photography, fishing, and hunting. More important to him than his hobbies was his family and his faith. He, along with his wife, was the longest tenured member of the Curtis Lake Christian Church in Sanford. When he was healthy, he enjoyed playing the organ at church services. His devotion to his family was displayed in many ways. He was a very loving husband, father and grandfather; he and his wife enjoyed over fifty years of marriage. Mr. Gavel enjoyed spending time with his family members, especially his grandchildren. He also liked traveling down east with family to Bar Harbor and Blue Hill.Survivors include his wife, the former Betty Davis of Sanford; two daughters, Elizabeth Barr of Sanford and Kathleen Spencer of Springvale; two brothers, Wayne Gavel of Cherry Hill, NJ and Galen Gavel of New Durham, NH; two sisters, Alta Gavel and Hazel Hilton both of Sanford; four grandchildren, Richard Barr Jr. of Sanford, Meredith Barr of Philadelphia, PA, Christopher Barr of Portland and Melissa Spencer, of Springvale; one great-grandson, Ethan Barr of Nashua, NH and many nieces, nephews, cousins and one aunt. Visitation will be held at Carll-Heald & Black Funeral Home, 580 Main Street, Springvale on Tuesday 2-4 and 6-8 PM. A funeral will be held at the Curtis Lake Christian Church in Sanford on Wednesday at 11:00 AM. Burial will be held in the Spring at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Newfield. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be sent to the Alzheimer's Association, 163 Lancaster Street-Suite 160B, Portland, ME 04101. To leave a message of condolence online, please visit www.healdfuneral.com.