YARMOUTH – Known as Rod to friends and family, Ormerod Kay Duckworth, 82, of North Yarmouth, passed away peacefully Dec. 24, 2023, with his wife Elizabeth by his side. Rod was born in Norristown, Pa., on Sept. 18, 1941, to Helen Rader Duckworth and Ormerod Kay Duckworth Sr. Rod was raised in Norristown, and attended local schools. He graduated from Albright College in Redding, Pa., with a BA in Business. Rod was an only child so he enjoyed the Fraternity life where, all of a sudden, he had plenty of brothers, some of whom became his lifelong friends. Rod’s game of choice was football in high school and college, and he enjoyed being captain of his teams. On Sundays he usually was found watching his favorite teams on TV. Shortly after college, Rod met his bride to be, Doris Ellen Potteiger of Redding, Pa. Rod always said “Doris swept him off his feet”. They married and settled in Hartford, Conn., Rod enlisted in the U.S. Air Force when the Vietnam War was heating up but he never did go overseas. Rod’s size-14 feet were as flat as a pair of skis so he served his time at the Otis AF Base in Massachusetts. He was honorably discharged after six years.

Rod found his niche in the insurance industry and it became his lifelong employment. He never sold insurance but his organizational skills were noted and he remained in management until his retirement. During this time, Rod and Doris moved several times along the mid-eastern seaboard while raising their two daughters, Pam and Sue. Their marriage ended upon Doris’ death in 1997, after 32 years. Rod retired at that time.

A couple of years later Rod moved to Portsmouth, N.H., to be near his youngest daughter and her husband. While in Portsmouth, Rod discovered that he had a great interest in historic homes and their architecture. He soon became a docent at several of these homes. It was there that he met Elizabeth Baxter Hardin and the two were married in 2006. Shortly after, they moved to Maine and settled in Falmouth where Rod became involved with the historical society and did docent work at the Tate House in Portland. He enjoyed his time with Maine Preservation and his involvement with town committees in North Yarmouth, before his health began to fail.

Rod was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease almost 20 years ago. It was very slow to progress but it began picking up its pace about a year before the Covid pandemic began. He suffered from a loss of balance and his memory began to fail. He didn’t mind the isolation that was required during Covid because it spared him the embarrassment of not remembering names and following conversations. By nature he was the opposite of that: always a very social person. People who knew Rod will always remember him as a good listener, a kind and considerate man with a mega-watt smile.

Rod is predeceased by his parents, and first wife Doris. He is survived by his loving wife Elizabeth, his two daughters and stepdaughter: Pamela Schroeder, her husband Jeremy, and their children Reid and Cora Schroeder of Wyoming; Suzanne Trites and her children Cameron and Kyle Trites of Pennsylvania; stepdaughter Katherine Nelson, her husband Chris, and their children Robert, Jeffrey and Lizzy of Nevada.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff at Bay Square at Yarmouth who showed such kindness and care to Rod for the past year. Thanks also to the hospice staff at Compassus who attended to Rod’s every need and comfort until he went into the light of the Lord on Christmas Eve.

The family will be planning a memorial service and remembrance celebration for Rod in June 2024. In today’s digital world, we will find a way to get the word out.

Arrangements in the care of Lindquist Funeral Home, Yarmouth.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at http://www.LindquistFuneralHome.com for the Duckworth family.

If you wish to send a donation in memory of Rod, please consider a donation to Maine Preservation,

PO Box 488,

Yarmouth, ME 04096

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