Gordon Taylor Wells, II - Obituary

ordon T. Wells, II passed away peacefully on September 8th after a brief battle with brain cancer. Gordon was born in Washington, DC on March 16, 1935 to Evelyn Ona Sims Wells and Herbert Wilson Wells. He spent his early years in College Park, Maryland. He graduated from McKinley High School in Washington, DC in 1953. He attended Stetson University in DeLand, Florida and was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity. He graduated in 1957 with an AB degree in History and Political Science. After graduation, Gordon was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was on active duty through 1958 and on reserve duty until he was honorably discharged as a Captain USAR in 1969. In 1958 he began working for Citizens Bank and Trust Co. of Maryland where he held various positions through 1963. In 1963 he joined the family home heating oil business, G.T. Wells and Sons. He rose to President of the concern before selling the business in 1981. He was elected to the Board of Directors of Citizens Bank and Trust Co. of Maryland in 1968. He held various Board positions in the banking industry over a 40 year span. His last position was on the Board of Directors of Suntrust Bank, retiring in 2008. He had many interests throughout his life revolving around literacy, the community and helping those in need. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Prince Georges County attaining the Legion of Honor in 1989; President of the College Park Board of Trade; a member of the Young Men’s Democratic Club and elected as a “Lifetime Member” in 2000; President in 1988 of the Business and Industry Group in Support of Libraries; a charter member of the Superintendents Advisory Council – Prince Georges County Public Schools; a member of the Prince Georges Economic Development corporation; Director of the University of Maryland’s Summer Institute for Creative and Performing Arts; a member of the Prince Georges Chamber of Commerce and the Corridor Chamber of Commerce; director of the Melwood Training Center. He was on the Board of Advisors for Stetson University, College of Arts and Sciences. He was the Scoutmaster of Troop 228 in College Park, MD of the Boy Scouts of America. He went on to become the Patuxent District Chairman and then Council Vice President, Chairman for Exploring. He was extremely proud of being presented the William H Spurgeon III award for his outstanding dedication to the Exploring Division. He met the love of his life and future wife, Jean Scheiferstein, while attending Stetson. They were married in DeLand, Florida at St Barnabas Episcopal Church in 1956. He and Jean moved to University Park, Maryland in 1958 where they raised their family, son Taylor and daughter Jennifer. The household also included the prerequisite number of dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and hamsters. Every summer he took great pride in his garden growing vegetables that graced the family dinner table. In 1999, Gordon and Jean started a new chapter in their lives when they move to the South River Landing community in Edgewater, Maryland. They quickly immersed themselves into the slower pace of the waterfront community making new friends and exploring all the activities that Annapolis had to offer. Gordon spent many wonderful hours on the back deck overlooking the water while in conversation with friends and neighbors. His stories of growing up in Maryland, his views on the state of the world, his keen business advice and his wit and humor kept friends coming back for more. He was an avid reader of history and biographies and his library shelves were always filled with the most current works. They spent the winter months at the family home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The island house had been purchased in 1941 by his grandfather and he and Jean took great pride in maintaining and adding to the natural landscape of the unique property. The gardens, their pride and joy, were featured in the 2015 Fort Lauderdale Garden Tour. He was a member of the Miles River Yacht Club in St. Michaels, MD and Lago Mar Beach Club in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Gordon is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marian Jean Wells of Edgewater, Maryland, his son G. Taylor Wells, III (David Zinnamon) of Edgewater, Maryland and his daughter, Jennifer J. Wells (Arthur Agnew) of Edgewater, Maryland. He is also survived by many loving cousins, nieces and nephews. His legendary wit and story telling will be sorely missed and his stories will go on forever. Friends are invited to celebrate Gordon’s life on Thursday, September 21 from 11 a.m. until his funeral service begins at 12 p.m. at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice. Online condolences may be made by using the memories tab on the left side of this page.