When I learned that Tim Ellis had died, I knew I had to attend his memorial service. A legendary leader at Chewonki for several decades, Tim influenced thousands of young people, including members of my own family.

Tim Ellis, a Chewonki leader who died in May, was celebrated in a memorial on Aug. 22. (Courtesy of Peg Willauer)

My two sons and two stepsons each spent many happy summers at Camp Chewonki in Wiscasset. At the end of camp, they would regale us with skits and songs learned at the campfire. They would laugh about some of the special events cooked up by the ever-imaginative Tim Ellis.

“Back in the day, they were called Ellisonian Roves,” recalls my stepson Ed, who later went on to serve on Chewonki’s Board of Trustees. “They were great because we would run all over the Neck, always through any mud that could be found, and they would always end in the mud flats where everyone would get totally covered. Wasn’t uncommon to lose a shoe or two. Tim led them with gusto.”

All of Chewonki’s programs emphasize a hands-on approach in which students interact with the natural world, discovering the wonders of the woods and the waters, the birds and the fields. They learn to see and love and embrace the world around them.

My two stepsons went on to teach at the innovative Maine Coast Semester, a program in which high school juniors spend a semester living together in community, away from cars and cellphones and other teenage distractions.

My stepson Andy later started a program in Burlington, Vermont, called the Burlington City and Lakes Semester, modeled in large part around the Maine Coast Semester program.  Students live in a close community while becoming immersed in the people and places and problems of the greater Burlington area.

My son David, now a top executive at Amazon, notes that Chewonki had a huge influence on his life and career. That’s not surprising since Tim always stressed the importance of people working together in a community towards a common goal. The ability to work well in teams is essential in any organization.

My son Jon still enjoys singing and hiking and camping, interests sparked by his summers at Chewonki

My granddaughter Emma attended the Maine Coast Semester program, later worked as a counselor at the girls camp and went on to become a skilled trip leader for the Bowdoin Outing Club.

Each of the 300 or so people who attended the service for Tim Ellis at Chewonki on Friday, Aug. 22, could tell similar stories about the ways the Chewonki philosophy, modeled by Tim, transformed their lives or the lives of their children and grandchildren.

Each of the speakers captured the essence of Tim Ellis — the man and his vision. Chewonki was ever in Tim’s blood, as his own father served as the assistant director of the camp.

Nancy Kennedy, president of the Chewonki Foundation, set the tone with her opening remarks: “Tim Ellis lived at Chewonki as a toddler; he learned as a camper; and he led as a man.”

Jenny Ellis, Tim’s daughter, noted that, “My father recognized people’s gifts often before they did.”

His granddaughter, Zoe Ellis Wilson, told a story about how her grandfather taught her a life lesson simply by asking her to go get some water from the well.

People who had worked for Tim commented that he was a terrific boss, always supportive yet always challenging those around him to reach higher, be better.

Many of the speakers commented about Tim’s zest for life, his sheer joy in bringing people together to sing or dance or tell stories or play games or, yes, romp in the mud.

Others noted his concern for taking care of the Earth, for sustaining nature’s bounty, for being frugal, living simply.

Tim lived an authentic life and he encouraged others to do the same. Be who you are. Spend your time wisely and well. Be a model for others, not by what you say but by what you do, by how you live.

Music filled the memorial service, music that Tim loved. Excerpts from the songs echoed his philosophy. “Look to this day; For it is life, the very life of life” … “‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free, ’tis the gift to come round to where we ought to be” … “No storm can shake my inmost calm, while to that rock I’m clinging. Since love is Lord of heaven and heart, How can I keep from singing?”

Well sung, Tim Ellis. And well done.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.