Gordon Eaton

Gordon Willard Eaton of Worton, MD died Monday, January 10, 2011 at Capital Nursing Home in Dover, DE. He was 87 years old. Gordon W. Eaton was born April 14, 1923 in Chicago, IL and was the son of the late, William C. Eaton and Marguerite “Pursain” Eaton. Mr. Eaton moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland from Chicago in 1949 at the age of 25 to be a farmer. He chose Maryland for the Chesapeake Bay to sail his original homemade sailboat and Kent County for it's rich farmland. He came looking for a run-down farm to resurrect and found one at the head of Still Pond Creek. When Gordon purchased this 211 acre farm it consisted of extremely eroded farmland with gullies "large enough to hide a truck" and a really long lane that was impassable by car. Eventually, with the help of the Soil Conservation Service resurrection was begun. Funds limited progress as did Gordon's lack of experience. Now with a young family, Gordon at times supplemented his farm income selling fertilizer, insurance, real estate, and he even taught school in Rock Hall and served on the local school board. Gordon had completed his Bachelors of Agriculture degree from University of Delaware after transferring from the University on Illinois College of Agriculture. Yet, "the general attitude of local farmers was that I was a silly book farmer making circles in the fields and going nowhere". But persevere he did. Soon the farming improved as the erosion was finally getting under control. The old growth forests were left untouched and terraces and buffers were put in as he continued to search for ways to save the soil. Gordon became one of the first no-till farmers in Kent County and found that small acreage with widely rotated crops protects against pests and the need for heavy chemicals and produces high yields. In fact, when Gordon retired from grain farming in 1988 his yield records were in the top 25% of the country! He was an avid conservationist deeply interested in ecology and a proud tree farmer. Gordon's retired farmland of mature trees, grassland, and waterways is now in the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and part of the Chesapeake Bay's protected coastal corridor. Gordon married Leone Elizabeth Retzel of Chicago, Illinois soon after moving to Maryland in March of 1951. They had three children. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Leone Elizabeth Eaton just last year and one brother, Robert Eaton years ago. He is survived by two daughters, Nancy Adams of Worton, MD, Barbara Czeizinger of Milford, DE; one son, Gordon W. Eaton Jr. of Newark, DE; six grandchildren, January Eaton, Kolohe Czeizinger, Aaron Czeizinger, Christa Czeizinger, Alex Adams, Spencer Adams, and one great grandchild, Michael Reef. A visitation will be held Friday, January 14, 2011 at Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, 130 Speer Rd., Chestertown, MD from 6-7pm. Services will be held Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 1pm at Christ I. U. Church in Worton, MD. Interment will follow the service in Christ I.U. Cemetery. In lieu of flowers contributions can be sent to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 162 Prince George Street, Annapolis, MD 21401.

Gordon Eaton

April 14, 1923 - January 9, 2011