Cameron E. Gifford left us September 18, 2018.

Gifford was born on  September 23, 1931 at St Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford. He was a member of the original Quaker settler family of Giffords Landed in Sandwich, MA, in the late 1600s.

The family eventually settled in the Westport and North Dartmouth region, and farmed the land there. Gifford’s father Ralph worked the family farm and his Grammy Gifford was the weighty friend of the Allen’s Neck Meeting. He attended the Moses Brown School, a private Quaker academy, and Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.  

After graduating from Earlham, he worked at the Chicago Natural History Museum where he assembled the allosaurus still on display in the museum. 

While in graduate school, he did research in sounding in bats with Donald Griffin, then affiliated with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. He studied with Eugene Odum, the founder of the Ecology Movement, completing his dissertation on the migration of bobolinks, and received his PhD at Harvard University in 1964.  

He was hired by Earlham College, and worked in the Biology Department, eventually becoming department chair. He joined an aquaculture project headed by John Ryther at Woods Hole, but remained in Falmouth when the project moved to Florida. He bought and operated the H.V. Lawrence flower shop until trickle-down economics and Hurricane Bob bankrupt the business.

He worked at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1993 where he taught in the Marine Trades Department and eventually directed the library. He also gardened, played the bagpipes, and attended the Scottish Highland Games. He retired in 2004.

He was a long-time member of the of the Falmouth Conservation Commission, chairing it from 1988 to 1997. He shared his flowers and vegetables  with various organizations and businesses.

To quote one of his children, “He never got to see the fjords in Norway but he got to see an awful lot in his almost 87 years.  Scientist, teacher, biologist, oceanographer, bagpipe, kite maker, gardener and birdhouse maker par excellence.”

In addition to his family, he leaves his “Grumpy Old Fart” hat.  He will be missed.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and our blended family: Deborah Gifford Gimer of Huntington Beach CA (Robert Gimer);  Stuart Gifford of Falmouth; Bruce Steeples of Lakeville, MN. (Deborah Steeples); John Steeples of Ramona, CA. (Jamie Steeples); Sheila Anders of Flagstaff, AZ. (Trent Anders); grandchildren: Sarah Withers of Alisa Viejo (David Withers); David Woolley (Stacey Woolley) of Mission Viejo, CA.; D. Cameron Steeples of Ames, IA.; Max Steeples of Madison, WI.; Brandon Steeples of Oregon; and Chelsea Lauren Steeples of Ramona, CA.  

He is additionally survived by 6 great grandchildren.

Per his wishes, there will be no formal service or memorial but rest assured his ashes will be sent to sea on an east running tide.  He would like those remembering him to look out over Vineyard Sound, cherish, love and protect where we live.

To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit www.warehamvillagefuneralhome.com