Jerry J. Durgin

Jerry J. Durgin, 85, of Yarmouth, formerly of Newport, passed away on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at Bay Square Assisted Living in Yarmouth.

Jerry was born on October 27, 1932 in Bingham, the son of Leslie and Jane (Kennedy) Durgin. He attended local school, where he participated in every sport, but excelled in his favorite sport and lifetime obsession….baseball. While growing up, he spent countless hours in the woods with his father. They enjoyed working and hunting the woods around Bingham and Brighton, which resulted a life long joy for Jerry.

Following graduation, Jerry served in the United States Air Force. Upon discharge, he went on to earn his Bachelors degree from the University of Maine at Orono in Forestry. His time spent at UMO was spent making life long friends with his fraternity brothers at ATO.

Jerry enjoyed anything to do with the outdoors. He would take the month of November off every year to go deer hunting, with the “boys” at the camp that his father built. He also loved fishing, bird hunting with his favorite dog Buck, and later in life he took up golf. Depending on the his day at the course, this could be described as a joy or a curse. His second love (after baseball) was skiing. He was skiing before there were tow ropes and helped cut the first trails at Sugarloaf. He became one of the first ski instructors at Sugarloaf. He was a Sugarloafer!

He is survived by his sister Betty Jane (BJ) Banton; his daughter Leslie and son-in-law Rick McKenney, daughter Jennifer Gardner and son-in-law Scott Gardner; and his four grandchildren Brad McKenney, Eliza McKenney, Jerod Gardner and Liam Gardner.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 10:30 AM in Bingham Village Cemetery, Bingham. That afternoon, as he wished, we will raise our glasses to Jerry at Rachel’s on the Green at Val Halla in Cumberland, Maine from 2:00-4:00pm. For those unable to attend….raise your glass, think of a fun story or moment you remember, and toast his life. He was one of the best. the “toast” to dad at Val Halla is casual and we encourage all to wear Red Sox gear.  

A special thank you goes out to the all the staff at Bay Square in Yarmouth. His time there was filled with new friends and experiences. Every day you made his life enjoyable and you made him feel special. He truly loved you.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Giberson Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Bingham. To send an online condolence or to view the online guest book, please visit www.gibersonfuneralhome.com.

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