BIDDEFORD- Charles Mitchell Gould January 14, 1951 ~ December 12, 2025
In the predawn of Friday, December 12, Charlie became, as dear friends
Michal and Jona call it, “Animated Stardust.” He passed away at Gosnell
Hospice House in Scarborough with his lady love Gail Hood and his sister
Barbara by his side, holding his hands.
During the last 8 months of his 74th year, Charlie was truly Living with
pancreatic cancer, making the most of the time he had left. While
undergoing the hardships of chemo, he determined to continue pursuing
his favorite pastimes. Charlie and Gail loved the quiet splendor of Moose
Pond, enjoyed breakfasts with his Freeport classmates, attended – and he
performed in - plays, and reveled to Yo-Yo Ma in concert with Wabanaki
musicians. And he chose to say, “Yes!’ to invitations: sailing on Casco
Bay; R&R at cottages or condos offered by friends; sharing meals out and
welcoming visitors at home - lots of visitors - he treasured every one.
Charlie had a good life growing up in Freeport within a spirited, supportive family. He graduated from
FHS in 1969 and eventually from UMO earning a BS in marine biology, followed later with an MBA in
1981. Rather than move out of state to seek his fortune, he decided to stay in beautiful Maine, settled in
Portland, and carved out a fulfilling life both professionally and personally.
Enriching his life, Charlie developed interesting avocations with like-minded friends. As a musician
playing key board and bass, he co-founded a few bands, the first, “Vaarg,” when he was 17 years old.
Many years later he teamed up with “Lincoln Continental,” an RJ Tavern favorite. But most notable
was Charlie’s long-standing, foot-stomping band “Loose Screws,” which, for decades, energized their
dancing fans in the greater Freeport-Portland area.
Theater was another enthusiasm. In the late 1990s he joined fellow Freeport High School graduate,
John Nichols and his Stone Pinhead Ensemble in Portland. Charlie gleefully performed in Porktown,
Jesus and the Pirates, and others of John’s fantastic, satyric plays. After moving to Biddeford in 2021,
he got involved with City Theater as a set builder and light board technician. Another role Charlie
enjoyed for ten years was as a “patient” in the hands-on simulation clinic at the Portland campus of the
University of Medicine & Health Sciences. For each session, he was assigned a patient profile
including life circumstances and illness symptoms. Charlie was allowed to play the part as he saw fit,
often adding an expert Maine dialect.
Back in the 1980’s, Charlie became interested in astrology. After years of studying, he began to write
and publish, with wit and wisdom, his monthly “Power of Choice Astrological Forecast,” which he sent
to subscribers for nearly forty years. Here is a parting message excerpted from “Charlie Gould's
Astrological Forecast January 2021. Winter Solstice! We'll be challenged to let go of people and
things dear to us. Yet moving ahead always is what life does. I sincerely hope these monthly
missives give an insight you may have missed, an alternative view from what you are accustomed, an
occasional bon mot or even a bit of humor.”
He was also attracted to and investigated astrophysics and energy fields. E=MC², energy is neither
created nor destroyed. Charlie looked forward to his consciousness becoming one with the universe.
Charlie is preceded into the astral plane by parents Dee and Charlie Gould of Freeport, brothers Jamie
of Natick MA, and Matthew of Falmouth MA. Left earthbound to miss and joyfully remember him are
his lady love of 20 years, Gail Hood of South Portland; sister Barbara and spouse Mike Ray of
Lincolnville; lifelong friend Jonathan Rogers; dear friend Michal Rogers Gould and cousin Jerry Gould
of Pownal; many fun-loving classmates and friends; Jennie Hood of South Portland; Greg Hood and
family of Beverly MA; Bobby Hood and family of Saco; and close to heart, but far flung along the
Eastern Seaboard, in Albuquerque, and in Chile are sisters in law, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A casual Gathering to Celebrate Charlie will be held Saturday, January 10, 2026 from 1 to 4pm, at the
Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St, Freeport ME. Please bring stories to share.
In lieu of flowers, you might consider making a donation to Hospice of Southern Maine at 390 US
Route One, Scarborough, ME 04074, or online at www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/donate or to City
Theater Associates Inc, PO Box 993, Biddeford ME 04005.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com