Bridgton and Winthrop-Alfred Winthrop Maxwell, III of Bridgton, formerly of Winthrop, passed away Saturday, June 26, 2010, at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough from metastatic melanoma. He was born on July 22, 1953, in Augusta, Maine to Robert W. and Dianne M. (Kenney) Maxwell. Chum or Chummy, as he was known in his early years, was a 1971 graduate of Winthrop High School where he earned a reputation as a golden-toed soccer player and a consummate skier. He attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, became Al to those he met in this stage and future stages of life, and achieved similar recognition in soccer and ski jumping at the college level. He graduated from Bates in 1975 with a degree in both Physics and Math. He enjoyed diversity in employment. He held several posts in Maine state government. He became a Certified Financial Planner affiliated with the IDS Corporation, then moved to the field of high technology, first with the Lotus Corporation in Cambridge, MA, and on to the IBM Corporation from which he retired in 2008 as a senior software engineer. He was also a State of Maine Registered Professional Engineer. On June 20, 1998, in a beautiful lakeside setting in Bridgton, he married Janet M. Vermeulen. They bought a farmhouse on sixty acres of fields and woods and deeply enjoyed the natural beauty surrounding them. Family and friends looked forward to the summer celebration hosted by Al and Janet each July for the past eighteen years; the first few held at their previous home in Freeport. Well studied and well travelled, his long-standing interest in Eastern philosophies was enhanced through numerous trips to the Far East, visiting or working in India, Nepal, Thailand, and other countries of Southeast Asia. While happy working at home on his farm in Bridgton or at his beloved West Carry Pond where he contributed the lion?s share of work in constructing the family cottage in the mid 1970s, he enjoyed winter play time in Florida, Hawaii, South America, the islands of the Caribbean, the Austrian Alps, and ski areas of northern New England. He was a commercially-rated pilot and, at the Bridgton farm, housed his Maule M4 in the hangar he built. He soared into the sky from his meticulously maintained runway. Though he was an accomplished pilot, his standing as a much loved husband, son, and brother always prompted a collective exhale from family when he touched down. He was a daring and extraordinary chef, creating the most delicious vegetarian dishes with interesting and exciting mixes of spices and herbs, often with produce grown in his large garden. Simply stated, he could do anything, and do it well. He was predeceased by his father Robert in 1990 and by his four grandparents in prior decades. He is survived by his wife, Janet, of Bridgton, his mother, Dianne, of Winthrop, his brother, David, of Winthrop, and other relatives and friends around the globe. His college buddies Bob, David, Jimmy, and Steve are among his closest of friends. A celebration of his life will be held at his farm at 143 Winn Road in Bridgton on Saturday, July 17, 2010, at 2:00PM. His trek through the mountains of Nepal with his wife was a beautiful highlight in his life and he formed an everlasting connection to the spirit of the region. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations in his memory be sent to The Nepal Trust. Donations may be made on line at www.justgiving.com/alfred-maxwell-chum-our-pal-al or you may send checks made payable to The Nepal Trust to Janet V. Maxwell, P.O. Box 126, Bridgton, ME 04009 and she will forward the donations to the Nepal Trust home office. For more information about The Nepal Trust go to www.nepaltrust.org. Alternatively, in honor of his fondness for and appreciation of animals, you may send donations to Harvest Hills Animal Shelter, 1389 Bridgton Road, Fryeburg, ME 04037. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.khrfuneralhomes.com Arrangements are in the care of Roberts Funeral Home, 62 Bowdoin Street, Winthrop.