By Will Tuell

For the third week in a row, Downeasters struggled to cope with the loss of a beloved community member as news of the passing of Dr. John Gaddis, a lifelong resident of East Machias who practiced family medicine for decades on the banks of the river he grew up on, swept through the greater Machias area.  Known for his folksy Downeast manner and a willingness to treat a wide range of aches and ills, Gaddis was, for many Washington County residents over the span of four-plus decades, the only physician they ever saw.