Wayne Putnum Curtis

Wayne Curtis died on 10/23/12 at 92 years. He was born in Salem, MA, grew up in Salem Willows and later became a regular entrant in the Horribles Parade with friends Bill Wilson and Arthur Symonds. He attended Salem HS and graduated from Gov. Dummer Academy and Brown Univ. Wayne loved Ford cars and at a very young age helped deliver 1936 Fords for a garage where his father worked. He was a Navy officer spending time in Puget Sound on a minesweeper during WWII, bringing home a dog named Skipper who became the beloved family pet. In 1943 he married Flora Kimball Curtis, who predeceased him in 2000. In 1954 the family moved into a new house on Barbara Rd, Danvers, MA while Wayne sold metal conveyer belts for Ashworth Bros. The family often traveled to Province Lake & Ossipee, NH to visit Sarah Curtis and to Cleveland OH to visit Flo's parents with 4 kids sleeping on a mattress in the back of the station wagon! When Wayne was a deacon at Maple St Congregational Church he met and married Frances Gowdy who arranged weekly flowers there. His second career was with the Ardiff law firm and later driving his new PT Cruiser as a courier for the Salem, MA law firm of Tinti, Quinn, Grover and Frey. Wayne was an avid Patriots fan. Upon his retirement, Wayne and Fran moved to Herrick House in Beverly, MA. He continued to enjoy the North Shore during driving expeditions with weekly Sunday morning breakfasts (crispy waffles on a warm plate). After Fran's death in 2006, he moved to Meredith Bay Colony Club in Meredith, NH, where he danced often and enjoyed many rural outdoor events. Wayne was the son of the late Sarah Putnam and Earle Curtis and is survived by children: sons, Richard Curtis and wife, Jeannine, and Scott Curtis all of MA, and daughters Lynne Butcher and husband, Bernard, of CA and Cynthia Curtis and partner, Jim, of NH. His step-daughter is Deb Leavitt and her partner, Craig, of Fort Myers, FL. He has 9 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. Wayne will be remembered for his love of people and his wonderfully cheerful disposition. There will be a private Celebration of Wayne's life and he will be interred at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Danvers, MA. Donations in his memory may be made to Visiting Nurses of Meredith, 186 Waukewan St, Meredith, NH 03253 or Maple St Congregational Church in Danvers, MA 01923.

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Wayne Putnum Curtis

June 28, 1920 - October 23, 2012