CAMDEN — Edward Doudera, 75, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, December 16, 2024, with his wife of 38 years, Vicki Wenzel Doudera, beside him. 

Ed was born on Palm Sunday, April 10, 1949, in Passaic, New Jersey, the first child of Arthur Edward and Gloria Mumford Doudera. He and his younger brother, Jon Joseph (1952-2017), grew up in Glen Rock, a close-knit commuter town in Bergen County. Ed loved exploring the brook behind their home (and catching anything that crawled,) visiting grandparents in Long Island and rural North Carolina, and roaming the beaches of Montauk Point State Park on family camping trips there each summer. 

From an early age, Ed’s character was shaped by Scouting and the values it represents. He achieved the prestigious Eagle Scout designation, journeyed by train to Philmont Scout Ranch, and could rig up a tarp or make a campfire in a jiffy. As a young dad, he helped his sons rise through the ranks of scouting, lending a hand with Camden’s Troop 200 whenever he was needed. 

Ed attended Boston University (after what he called a “false start" as an engineering student at Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, NY) and graduated with a degree in business administration in 1972. While studying at BU, he worked at Tufts-New England Medical Center in the research administration department, monitoring accounting and other aspects of medical research grant efforts. After BU, Ed attended Suffolk University School of Law in the evenings, while he continued to work at Tufts, now as an assistant administrator. In his last year of law school, Ed became the executive director of the American Society of Law & Medicine (ASLM), a fledgling non-profit devoted to bridging the gap between lawyers and health care providers. ASLM had two journals, which Ed helped edit, as well as a national, and later international, membership. Ed planned and executed seminal conferences on important issues, such as the treatment of those with mental illness, care of the elderly, human transplantation and hospital ethics committees. He co-edited a series of six books resulting from the conferences (published by University of Michigan) and wrote a number of professional articles, before leaving ASLM in 1985. 

About that time, Ed and Vicki started dating and decided to embark on a grand adventure. On a bitterly cold day in January of 1986 they left Boston and drove north in Ed’s Datsun 280Z, finding and falling for a dilapidated but beautiful Victorian on Elm Street in Camden. They bought it a few months later, rolled up their sleeves, and renovated what became the Blackberry Inn. They opened in June of 1986.  

They paused in their innkeeping duties to marry on September 20, 1986, at the First Congregational Church of Camden, with a lively reception at the Camden Yacht Club and a honeymoon in Cancun. Life at the inn was hectic but happy, and Ed was famous for his lavish breakfast fare, with specialties that included Apricot French Toast and Brie Souffle. For more than a decade, they welcomed guests from all over, cheerfully booked schooners and made beds, and brought three wonderful children – Matthew, Nathan, and Alexandra – into the world. Ed also started a law practice, working from the inn at first and later moving to an office on Main Street in downtown Camden. 

In 1998, Ed and Vicki sold the Inn and bought another fixer-upper, this time on Trim Street in Camden. There they continued raising kids, cared for a succession of pets, and enjoyed life together. It was also in 1998 that they purchased a camp on Pitcher Pond, a place they treasured in every season.  In 2005, Ed earned a master of law degree in intellectual property and technology from Franklin Pierce Law School, now the University of New Hampshire School of Law. His law practice grew to involve business creation and representation, copyright and trademark issues and real estate matters. He retired in 2019, but his involvement with his community was far from over. 

Ed was what one friend called a “silent do-gooder” in the community. If he believed in a person or a cause, he dove in with his whole heart and sharp intellect. He served for many years as the pro bono attorney for Midcoast Habitat for Humanity, helping families attain affordable housing and enabling the organization to grow. Over the years he gave expertise freely to many other non-profit boards and organizations, such as the Pitcher Pond Association, where he served as Treasurer; Saltwater Classroom, also serving as Treasurer; and the Knox Clinic, where he was Vice President. He was instrumental in the Clinic’s recent purchase of their permanent home in Rockland, and was helping to expand the dental clinic and new primary care practice. 

Ed had a strong sense of fairness, justice, and honesty, and provided concise, thoughtful advice. He also solved sticky problems, and was a master at making a plan happen – whether it was the formation of a business or subdivision; the purchase of a medical clinic; the transfer of a home; or the creation of a deck, dock, or delicious dinner party. (But hold the peas and beans, please.) 

Traveling was a passion of Ed’s, often to warm destinations with a photographer’s eye for people, culture, architecture, and sunsets. He loved a relaxing vacation, but spoke often about a difficult trip when he accompanied local medical providers to supply care in Haiti. Most recently he traveled to Cuba and New Orleans with Vicki, but he was also happy to head up to camp and fish with his grandsons; hop on the DownEaster for a jaunt to Boston; or wind west through the White Mountains to visit his new granddaughter in Vermont. 

Ed will be forever held in the hearts of his wife, the Hon. Vicki Doudera; children Matthew (Sarah), Nathan (Samantha), and Alexandra (partner Alexander); grandchildren Atlas, Leland, and Sloane; niece Erika D’Amato (Joe); nephew Brian Doudera (Lisa); brother-in-law William Wenzel (Lucia); sister-in-law Tasha Doudera; mother-in-law Gloria Guiduli; and father-in-law Ronald Wenzel (Jan); as well as dear cousins; great-nieces Noa and Mia; great-nephew Joseph; and other family members.

He was predeceased by parents Gloria and Arthur Doudera, and his brother Jon. 

A service to celebrate Ed’s life and impact will be held on Friday, January 17, at 3 p.m., at the First Congregational Church of Camden. Dress casually if you wish, as he was never a fan of neckties.

Contributions in Ed’s honor can be made to the nonprofit organizations he was most recently active with: Saltwater Classroom and the Knox Clinic (https://www.saltwaterclassroom.com/ and https://knoxclinic.org/).

Condolences, memories and additional information may be found at www.longfuneralhomecamden.com. Arrangements are with the Long Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 9 Mountain Street, Camden.