TOPSHAM — Samuel Wolkow of Topsham died Saturday July 18, 2009, at Amenity Manor in Topsham.

He was born in New York on April 21, 1920. He married Evelyn (Peck) Wolkow on Oct. 27, 1946.

He attended the New York University School of Engineering and was a registered professional engineer.

He was employed by the Maritime Administration Department of Commerce as a naval architect/marine engineer for more than 40 years. In that capacity, he was in charge of administrating shipbuilding construction contracts at various shipyards throughout the United States as the Government’s Construction Representative.

In 1974, he was awarded the Department of Commerce Bronze medal for sustained superior performance.

He was a World War II veteran, serving in the Army Air Corps.

He was a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society of Testing Materials. He served as the national secretary of the ASTM Shipbuilding Standards Committee for four years.

Upon retirement from government service in 1980, he entered private practice as an engineering/management consultant and also served as an expert witness in legal matters involving admiralty and contract law.

He was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick and served as chairman of the board of management in 1984.

He was a volunteer at the Museum of Art at Bowdoin College and was at one time a volunteer tour guide at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath.

He was an avid sports enthusiast and participated regularly in track events in the Maine Senior Games program from its inception in 1976.

He was predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Evelyn Peck Wolkow, in 2008; a sister, Elizabeth Baylis in 1995; and a brother, Jack Wolkow in 2008. Surviving are a daughter, Michelle Guptill and her husband Charles of Brunswick; a son, Jonathan Wolkow of Saco; three grandchildren, Jessica Ralston and her husband, Shaun, of Bow, N.H., Ryan Guptill of Brunswick, and Kathryn Guptill of Manhattan, N.Y.; and two great-grandsons of New Hampshire.

In accordance with his wishes, there will be no funeral. A private family memorial will be held at a later date.

Arrangements are by Kincer Funeral Home in Richmond.