Terry Alan Nordmann

BATH – Terry Alan Nordmann, 79, of Bath, passed away on Monday, April 7, 2025, at the Togus VA Medical Center. He lived a full life of service to his community and country and was deeply loved.

Terry was born in Huntington, Ind., on Nov. 2, 1945, to parents Albert G. and Irene Frances (Studebaker) Nordmann. Along with his brother Gary, he was part of a large family of Nordmann and Studebaker cousins, whose escapades he enjoyed remembering and recounting all his life.

In 1963, Terry graduated from North Manchester High School in Indiana. He went by bus to the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where he heard Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “I Have a Dream” speech in person. He attended Manchester College, which had a historical tradition of religious opposition to war and violence. Majoring in Peace Studies, upon graduation in 1967, he was drafted into military service. He served in the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, and later for many years, in the U.S. Army Reserve and the Maine Army National Guard, primarily as a corpsman, medic, and licensed practical nurse.

Terry served in VISTA in rural Arkansas, pursued graduate studies in sociology, and joined the Portland Maine police department. Other jobs included trucking for a household moving company, which contributed to his visiting all 48 continental states, full-time employment in the Reserves, and working with patients in a psychiatric hospital.

In 2001, Terry and his wife, Barbara Reinertsen, had a daughter, Jane Elizabeth Nordmann. Terry’s love for her was evident for all to see and he delighted in becoming a stay-at-home father. He and Jane were constant companions and shared many adventures together.

Terry was self-employed during these years as a licensed private investigator and did a variety of other work including selling books online and working door-to-door as a census taker. He also volunteered for his community, serving on the Council of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, as an active Democrat, and in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He also served in the Phippsburg American Legion where he was the Post Service Officer, working to connect veterans to services, and where he was honored in 2019 as Legionnaire of the Year.

Terry served on the Bath City Council from 2016 to 2024 and in this capacity worked on a number of groups and committees, including the Bath Housing Authority, the Herring Commission, and the Forestry Committee. He traveled to Tsugaru, Japan, in 2017 as the City’s representative to its Sister City.

Terry loved to learn. He took courses at Harvard Extension School, the University of Southern Maine, Great Courses, and Merrymeeting Adult Education on subjects ranging from coastal biology to Icelandic sagas and Old English. He was a voracious reader and would learn a great deal about any subject that sparked his interest.

Terry also enjoyed old movies, old cars, playing Settlers of Catan, taking his collie to the dog park, hunting for treasures at Goodwill, spending time at his cottage in Phippsburg, canoeing, spotting birds, and putting out nuts for the squirrels. Despite many health challenges and chronic pain stemming from his exposure to toxic chemicals decades ago, he remained always patient, kind, good-humored, and generous. He had a strong character, helped people in trouble, and cared deeply about justice.

Terry is survived by his wife, Barbara; and daughter, Jane of Bath; brother, A. Gary Nordmann and his wife Christine of Auburn, Ind., sister-in-law, Laura Meagher and husband Thomas of Dairsie, Scotland, brother-in-law, James Reinertsen and wife Helen Michael of Freeport; nephews and nieces Nick Nordmann and wife Lauren; Ben Nordmann and daughters Regan and Auburn; Daniel Meagher and wife Michelle and children Malachi, Indigo, and Atticus; Jessica Meagher and Danni Tarrant and son Edgar; and Kai Reinertsen.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., on Saturday, April 26, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Brunswick. A gathering of family and friends will follow at the church’s Founders Hall. Burial will be at Oak Grove Cemetery in Bath at a later date. Arrangements are by Daigle Funeral Home in Bath, and condolences may be made online at http://www.DaigleFuneralHome.com.

For anyone wishing to make a memorial contribution, some of Terry’s favorite organizations include the

American Legion Post 216

P.O. Box 93

Phippsburg, ME 04562;

the ACLU;

United Way of Mid Coast Maine;

and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church