GORHAM – Victor “Vic” Joseph Neuwirth, age 83, died on June 19, 2025, at his home in Gorham.
Victor was born in Mahopac New York in 1941 and died in Gorham surrounded by love and caring and comfort. He is survived by his loving wife Noelle, his sister Carol Gurski of Brookfield, Connecticut, his son Arin Hilton of Farmington Maine and Arin’s mother Jacqueline Ranco of Minnesota. Two adored and very spoiled black cats, Sir Smudge and Lady Pester, predeceased him.
Vic lived his early years in Carmel New York then moved to Maine in 1967, first to Wells then, in 1998 to the wonderfully happy Gorham home where he spent the rest of his life.
Victor graduated from several New York education institutions with full honors all the way. After high school, he was in one of the first classes at Stoney Brook University where he majored in chemistry as well as taking extensive physics coursework. He had graduate study in chemistry along with numerous conferences, institutes and workshops on such subjects as environmental science, laboratory safety, nuclear power, physics, astronomy and meteorology. Always his main field was chemistry.
Vic began his career as a senior research associate at Technicon Controls. The rest of his professional life was in teaching, first at the high school level then in higher education institutions ultimately landing at the University of Southern Maine Department of Chemistry where he taught 25 years before retiring in 2008. Vic and Noelle founded V&N Enterprises which provided a framework for Vic’s many years as consulting chemist to various companies including a legal firm dealing with the Three Mile Island incident (for which he was a professional witness); he was also a consulting chemist for Mid Cape Restorations in Hollis and Southern Maine Industries in Gorham along with several other individual cases.
Vic’s interests included woodworking and the Gorham home is filled with the beautiful results of his many projects. He also loved gardening and had created a fenced area of the back yard for vegetables, especially green beans. He made a small yet productive greenhouse and had planned to build a much larger one. He was an avid reader both silently to himself and as an excellent reader of science fiction books where he entertained Noelle as she drove, on many a long drive to visit family in Connecticut. Vic was a member of first Wells Lions Club followed by membership in Gorham Lions and then in the Westbrook Lions club. Vic volunteered for various churches where he helped improve infrastructure and spent many hours in leadership roles.
Noelle is a especially appreciative of the care given by providers from Right at Home and of the many prayers offered by friends, family and parishioners. In lieu of flowers Vic requested that donations be sent to the Animal Refuge league in Westbrook. This donation request would also have been strongly approved by Sir Smudge and Lady Pester.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday August 16th at 1 PM at the First Parish Congregational Church, 2 Church St., Gorham.
Pastor Christine Dyke of First Parish Church and Reverend David Farrington of United Church at Christ North Gorham will officiate with eventual burial in Eastern Cemetery in Gorham. No date has been set for that. Arrangements throughout have been expertly provided by Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com