WEST FALMOUTH — Stuart Woodworth McGuire, 84, died Feb. 1 at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough.

Born Dec. 29, 1928, in Malden, Mass., he was the youngest of three sons of Lee Wesley and Ethel Wienes McGuire. 

He went to high school at Malden High School and graduated from  Hebron Academy in 1948. He attended Columbia College, transferring to Ohio State University School of Optometry, where he graduated first in his class in 1954. Following a five year term in the U.S. Air Force, he entered University of Michigan medical school where he graduated in 1962, performing an internship in Ann Arbor. He completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Indiana University Medical Center.

He returned to his beloved New England and established a private practice on State Street in Portland in 1966. He joined the Maine Eye Center in 1995. He served as Chief of Ophthalmology at Mercy Hospital and an assistant clinical professor for the University of Vermont College of Medicine.

McGuire specialized in routine medical ophthalmology and low vision care, which culminated in several years of service with the Iris Network in Portland. In addition to his distinguished surgical practice, he was a pioneer in low vision services as early as the 1970s, and worked to give people with the most serious eye conditions great attention and support. He prized the personal relationships with his patients above all else and was truly an “old school” practitioner, receiving a citation from the Maine Medical Association recognizing his 50 years of devoted service.

He enjoyed acting in community theater, performing to warm reviews with the Portland Players in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and singing at various benefit venues throughout the region where he was in demand as an entertainer. Those who were fortunate enough to know him recall his jokes, false accents and shaggy stories with warmth and humor.

Advertisement

McGuire spent many wonderful summers as a boy on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire and, later, on the beaches of the Kennebunk area, where he worked as a lifeguard and met his beloved wife of 59 years. He and his family enjoyed spending time in the Rangeley Lakes area where they had a vacation home for many years. Rangeley continues to be a special place for all of them.

He is survived by his wife, Janet, of West Falmouth; his daughter, Christine Scammell, and her daughters, Hallie and Madison, of Scarborough; his son, Todd, and his wife, Rebekah, and their daughters, Molly and Abigail, of Port Townsend, Wash.; and his brother, Austin Dole McGuire, and wife, Marion, of Salt Lake City. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Lee, and son-in-law, Kerry Scammell.

A visitation was held at Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel. Burial will be private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Iris Network, 189 Park Ave., Portland ME 04102 and the Hospice of Southern Maine, 180 U.S. Route 1, #l, Scarborough, ME 04074.

Sidebar Elements


McGuire


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.