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Edward "Ed" Gayton

Date of Death: August 29, 2022

Date of Birth: March 26, 1951

Biography:

Edward “Ed” Isaac Gayton, 71, of Durham passed away at Maine Medical Center in Portland on August 29, 2022.

Ed was born in Lewiston on March 26, 1951, to parents Germaine and Edward Gayton. He attended Lisbon schools and during his years at Lisbon High School Ed was a stand-out athlete, excelling at baseball, football, and basketball. He earned an Education degree at the University of Maine, Farmington, and taught in local elementary schools for decades. Ed had a passion for teaching as big as he was and loved getting to know each of his students and their families. He combined his love of sports and teaching by coaching the girls and boys basketball teams at Durham Elementary School and starting the Saturday morning youth basketball program.

Later, Ed’s easy-going manner and “gift of gab” served him well as a local real estate broker and made him a well-known personality in his hometown.

Family meant everything to Ed. He and his high-school sweetheart, Nancy Austin, married in 1975 and together they built a home and raised two children, Katie and Alex, who remain closely connected while raising their own families.

As an extension of their devotion to family, more than 20 years ago Ed and Nancy made the decision to open their hearts and home to children in need. Over the years they have fostered multiple children and went on to adopt six.

In his limited free time, Ed enjoyed playing golf and tennis with friends, swimming in his pool, and attending car shows, especially the Bonny Eagle and VW shows to see his dream car, the 1951 Ford “Shoebox.” Or you might have found him in his recliner catching up on reruns of “Walker Texas Ranger.”

Ed is survived by his loving wife Nancy; daughter Katie Ballou and husband Jake of Durham; son Alex and wife Krista of Durham; daughters Sabrina, Kamryn, Annie, and Abby; sons Eddie and Johnny; and beloved grandchildren Isaac, Noah, Gabriel, Margaret, Elizabeth, Gage, and Fiona all of Durham; sisters Sandra and Roger Belanger of Lewiston, Linda and Gary Gamrat of Lisbon, and Doris Burke of Florida.

A visitation will be held at Shiloh Chapel, 38 Beulah Lane, Durham, on Friday, September 9, from 5-7:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held at Shiloh Chapel on Saturday, September 10, at 11:00 a.m. Donations in Ed’s memory can be made to the Ed Gayton Scholarship Fund at Lisbon High School.