Longtime cooperative advocate Carl R. Widdowson died Tuesday, Jan. 18, at Manokin Manor with his family by his side.
Carl Widdowson
Born March 14, 1938, he was the son of the late Neal and Louise Widdowson. He was a 1956 graduate of Washington High School and was a U.S. Army veteran. He was proud to be a farmer all of his life, and was owner and operator of Widdowson Farms.
Widdowson was a board member at Choptank Electric Cooperative for 39 years, 30 of them as chairman of the board, representing Somerset County. He also served as NRECA Maryland Director for 17 years, concluding in 2010, and as a director at Old Dominion Electric Cooperative for 29 years, concluding in 2016.
He retired from the Choptank board on Aug. 27, 2019. Upon his retirement, Jeffrey D. Rathell Sr., chairman of the Choptank board, said, “In many ways, Carl shaped the cooperative’s board of directors into what it is today with his extensive experience, locally and nationally,”
Widdowson also was a member of the Somerset Ruritan Club, Princess Anne American Legion, Somerset County Farm Bureau and First Baptist Church in Princess Anne, Md. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by Barbara Brittingham Widdowson, his wife of 62 years.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Vicki and Denny McLeod, son and daughter-in-law, Wayne and Leigh Ann Widdowson, grandchildren, Carli and Jason Beauchamp, Dustin and Megan McLeod, Kasey and Cameron Gardner, and Morgan Widdowson, great-grandchildren, Averi, Siera, and Lennon Beauchamp, Gavin and Easton McLeod, and Leighton and Hudson Gardner, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Vaden and Faye Brittingham and several nieces and nephews.
Cards of condolence can be sent to:
The Family of Carl Widdowson
c/o Wayne Widdowson
29656 Widdowson Lane
Princess Anne, MD 21853