NAPLES, Fla. – Jerome E. “Jerry” Maschino, 85, died peacefully in the afternoon on Jan. 28, 2022, in Naples, Fla., due to complications from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He was born in Gardiner, on Sept. 25, 1936, to Carl W. and Mary (Farrell) Maschino. He had recently moved to Ave Maria, Fla., to be near his second daughter and her family. Jerry is remembered by his family as someone with many interests and hobbies, and for his love of learning and teaching.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 58 years, Mary F. (McNamara); children Sara Maschino of Gardiner, Anna Bragdon (Tarren) of Ave Maria, Fla., and Karl Maschino (Anne) of Fairfax, Va.; grandchildren Isabelle and Sebastian Jadik, Wyatt, Waverly, Asher, and Jude Bragdon, and Hannah and Ryan Maschino; nieces and a nephew; and many friends.

He was predeceased by his brother, Jacob Maschino.

Jerry grew up working on his family’s farm in South Gardiner, where he enjoyed mechanical tinkering and exploring the outdoors. He loved music and, in high school, was an All-New England Orchestra selection for percussion. Most importantly he met his future wife, Mary, in the high school band. Jerry was a graduate of Gardiner High School (1954), the Defense Language Institute (1956), and Nasson College (Chemistry, 1963). He remained active in his high school and college alumni associations, and rarely missed a Gardiner reunion through 2021. In college, he was pictured in Time magazine for having tracked Sputnik via amateur shortwave radio.

Jerry’s lifelong passion for Chinese language, culture, and cuisine began with his military service, straight out of high school, as a Mandarin Chinese Interpreter for the U.S. Army. Following his honorable discharge, Jerry married Mary, his high school sweetheart, in his senior year of college and went to work as a chemist. He was a lifelong member of the American Chemical Society. Over the years, he moved his family to Dorcester, Mass., Stratham, N.H., East Greenwich, R.I., Townsend, Mass. and finally Waverly, Pa., where the family stayed for 17 years. Jerry and his wife eventually moved to Indianapolis, where he fell in love with flying airplanes and went on to teach student pilots at Eagle Creek Airpark and Indiana State University. He was a member of the Quiet Birdmen.

Jerry was never one to sit still. He spent most of his career with Litton Industries, retiring in 1998. Before retirement, Jerry’s evenings and weekends were filled with activity. Some of his accomplishments include co-founding a computer hardware and software company; being a professional photographer; teaching photography, chemistry, and calculus to private students and at local colleges; and volunteering as a Cub Scout leader and soccer coach. Jerry enjoyed rising early on annual vacations to Chincoteague, Va., to photograph wildlife on Assateague Island.

After retirement, he moved back to Gardiner and became very involved in the community, serving as an election official, on the library board, as a substitute teacher, and as a member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Jerry also took on a new project restoring a wooden 42-foot trawler he named the Explorer. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and earned his 100-ton master’s Captain’s license.

Jerry will be greatly missed by the many friends he made along the journey and most of all by his family.

Visiting hours will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, at Staples Funeral Home, Gardiner. A private interment will take place at St. Joseph Cemetery, in Gardiner, on June 3. A celebration of life will be held at the Randolph United Methodist Church on Saturday, June 4, at 2 p.m.

Arrangements are entrusted with Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner. Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website: http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a gift in Jerry’s name to the Gardiner Library Association or charity of your choice.

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