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Philip Andrews Nixon

Date of Death: January 29, 2026

Date of Birth: November 23, 1938

Biography:

Philip Andrews Nixon, of Brunswick, ME, known to all as Andy, passed away peacefully on January 29, 2026 in his beloved home surrounded by his loving family. 

Andy was born on November 23, 1938 in Brooklyn, NY to Philip Andrews and Hilda Weidman Nixon. He grew up on the north shore of Long Island, NY and fell in love with sailing at a young age. During his childhood, Andy traveled to Maine to visit his grandfather Paul Nixon, Dean of Bowdoin College. 

With the support of his grandfather, Andy attended the Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts where he excelled academically, as well as on the football field, ski slopes and tennis courts. In his late teens and early twenties, Andy crewed on the 12-meter Gleam on Long Island Sound and on the 57-foot Ondine for a transatlantic race to Sweden. He graduated from Yale University in 1960 with a degree in history. 

Andy served in the U.S. Navy from 1961-1965. During Officer Candidate School, he met his wife Brooke Nichols. Andy and Brooke married on June 9, 1963. Several years later, in 1965, Andy completed the notable Buenos Aires to Rio Race on Fearless, the US Naval Academy sailing vessel. Andy and Brooke joined the Peace Corps, serving in Sierra Leone, West Africa from 1965-1967. Andy helped set up a business cooperative for coffee and cocoa farmers, and Brooke taught English. In 1967, Andy and Brooke moved to Maine, settling on Great Island in Harpswell where they explored Quahog Bay in their trusty rowboat Redwing and sailboat Ariel. 

Andy's first job in Maine was working for Governor Kenneth Curtis, assisting with environmental legislation, economic development and petroleum policy. In 1970, Andy joined the Dead River Company, where he served as President, Chief Executive and Chair from 1973 to 2008. During his tenure, Andy built Dead River into one of Maine's largest employers and the largest distributor of home heating oil in Northern New England. He led with kindness and a strong moral compass, always putting the employees and customers first, and making sure the oil trucks were clean! Over these years, Andy served several governors from across the political spectrum in informal advisory roles. He was the Chairman of the Board of the Maine Community Foundation from 1989-1993, and after retirement, he served on the Maine Board of Environmental Protection. 

Andy's dedication to his career was matched by his dedication to his family. After raising two daughters on Quahog Bay in Harpswell, Andy and Brooke moved to Brunswick in 1979. Between 1983-2000, they welcomed ten additional children from Calcutta, India through international adoption. Andy always made time to attend his children's activities and sports games, and in his retirement, he was the devoted grocery shopper for his family.

At his core, Andy believed in giving back. He supported the International Mission of Hope in Calcutta, India, helped to start an orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam, and contributed to a reforestation project in Kadapa in southern India. Andy was also a generous supporter of nonprofit organizations serving the needs of Maine people. He was especially dedicated to Preble Street which supports individuals experiencing homelessness, housing, hunger, and poverty in Portland and beyond.

Between the late 1960s and 2017, Andy shared his passion for sailing and ocean adventures with his family and his cherished racing crew "the lads." He logged thousands of nautical miles at the helm of his beloved sailboats, Ariel, Seabird, Angelita, Whitecap, Windalier and Kingfisher, along the Maine coast and beyond. The annual Eggemoggin Reach Regatta and the Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race were among his favorite races.

In his retirement, Andy rowed his Whitehall Symmetry daily, convening with the eagles and seals on Quahog Bay. When his Parkinson's brought him "back to shore," Andy continued on rowing machines and working out at the Bowdoin College gym with his dear friends in the "old guys club." Through his many ups and downs as a melanoma survivor since 1997 and living with Parkinson's since 2014, Andy always told the doctors his goal, "I want to get back to the gym." He was last at the gym with his buddies in May 2025.

Andy raised his twelve children with kindness and compassion, instilling the values of hard work, integrity, service and love. He forged a special connection with each child. From sailing and rowing, reading and running, working out at the gym, following sports teams and keeping up with current events, Andy's varied interests live on through his children. 

Andy is survived by his wife Brooke, his twelve children: Lucia, Rachel, Eliot, Oliver, Preya, Malini, Bip, Jasmine, Hilda, Rajani, Gloria and Paul, and six grandchildren: Brooke, Lyle, Casper, Acadia, Aurelius and Ramona. 

The family thanks the CHANS Hospice staff for the loving care, comfort and support they provided to Andy and his family in his final days. 

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 6th. 

Donations in his memory may be made to Preble Street, 55 Portland Street, Portland, ME. www.preblestreet.org/donate/