Joel Philip Stinson 1935 – 2020 BRUNSWICK – Joel Philip Stinson, 85, passed away Dec. 13, 2020 in Brunswick at his home at Avita of Brunswick. He was born at home on June 7, 1935 in Houlton to Clyde and Mildred (Boutilier) Stinson. Joel graduated from Houlton High School in 1953, where he excelled at basketball, cross country, and track. He attended the University of Maine on an athletic scholarship, where he continued to run track and cross country and earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1957. Shortly after graduating from UMaine Joel was selected for the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. He ended his active duty with the Navy, with an honorable discharge at the rank of Lieutenant, JG in 1961, continuing as a reservist for several years. While working at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. he met his future wife Carol Franklin. He and Carol were married in 1962 in Washington, and subsequently moved to Cleveland, Ohio where Joel began working at NASA. His job at NASA later moved the couple to Cape Canaveral, Fla. where they started their family. While at NASA, where he worked on the Gemini and Saturn programs, Joel earned both an M.S. degree in Space Technology and an MBA from Florida Institute of Technology. In 1972 Joel and Carol and their two children moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., where Joel would earn his doctorate in business administration from the University of North Carolina. After completion of his doctorate in 1975, Joel became a professor at Syracuse University and the family moved to DeWitt, N.Y. Upon retiring from Syracuse in 1995, Joel and Carol returned to his home state of Maine, living in Harpswell for many years. While at Syracuse, the family would spend each July at his parents’ camp on Nickerson Lake in Linneus, where Joel enjoyed canoeing, fishing, and sailing. He loved climbing Katahdin with his children and his father. Joel was an avid stamp collector, who also enjoyed playing tennis and racquetball, doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and spending time with his grandchildren. In retirement he also enjoyed competing in the Senior Games and won medals too numerous to count for tennis and track events at the state, regional, and national levels. His sense of humor and infectious laugh will be missed by all who knew him. Joel is survived by his wife, Carol of Brunswick; his son and daughter-in-law, Kurt and Jeanne Stinson of Brunswick; his grandson, McKinley “Mack” Stinson of New Haven, Conn. and his granddaughter, Keturah “Ketty” Stinson of Brunswick,. He was predeceased by his daughter, Heidi Stinson; and his sister, Wynne Lee Stinson Tidd. At Joel’s request, no funeral services will be held. Memories and condolences can be shared at http://www.brackettfh.com . Donations may be made in his honor to the University of Maine.

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