Orville M. Giddings

Orville M. Giddings, 90, husband of Roxann (Macdonough) Giddings of Ipswich, died Friday, March 29, 2019 with his wife, son and daughter by his side.

He was born in Philadelphia, PA, the son of the late Isobel Mowll and Orville Tiffany Giddings, and spent most of his childhood in Newtown, Conn, graduating from Newtown High School. After four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he attended Drexel Institute and graduated from Rutgers University in 1958 and later received a MSEE from Northeastern University. After coming to the Boston area, he worked as a microwave antenna engineer for various companies, including TRG and MA/Com.

It was though Orv’s love of hiking and skiing he met and later married Roxann Macdonough in 1960. They moved from Cambridge to Ipswich in 1962.

As a longtime member of the Appalachian Mountain Club, Orv loved the mountains but also the water. Many hours were happily spent plying the upper Ipswich River by canoe and sailing the lower out to the bay.

Orville spent many years singing with the Ipswich Summer Theater, the Newburyport Choral Society and was a founding member of the Cantemus Chamber Chorus. He and his family were members of the Unitarian/Universalist Fellowship of Ipswich in the 60’s and 70’s.  

Orv and Roxy shared fifty-eight years of happiness together and with their children and grandchildren. In addition to his wife he leaves his son Orville of Ipswich, his daughter Rebecca McCatty and her husband Steve and grandchildren Alex and Rachel, all of Ipswich. He is also survived by his sister Nancy Ormiston of Florida, and his sister-in-law Barbara Giddings of Oregon, widow of his late brother Don.

A gathering to celebrate Orv’s life will be held at the Heard House Museum in Ipswich on Saturday April 27 from 1 to 4:00 pm. Family and friends are cordially welcomed.

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