Obituary of Kenneth Budge

Kenneth Clayton Budge – father, grandfather, great-grandfather, kind and generous community member, sports fan, and career armed services veteran – died January 7th, 2017, surrounded by his family, after suffering a stroke two days prior. He was born on December 10th, 1930, the son of Clifford and Elaine Budge, and he grew up in the “Mills District” of Springfield, Maine along with his brothers Dalt and Ron and sisters, Marilyn and Hope. Ken graduated from Lee Academy – glad to be out of the classroom – and enrolled in the United States Air Force, eventually becoming Master Sergeant and a skilled communications specialist who served in combat zones in Korea and Vietnam and with other distant deployments in Japan, Germany, Alaska, as well as various bases within the continental United States. He married his love, Tina Scott, and they raised a daughter, Kendra Eilene. In 1971, after 20 years in the Air Force, Ken retired, returned to Springfield and decided to put his communications training to civilian use. He bought a copy of the national electrical code, immersed himself in study for several weeks, then drove to Augusta where he sat for, and passed, the national exam. Combining this with his extensive training and experience in the military, he was immediately granted a Master Electrician license and he began his second career, doing everything from replacing light fixtures in the Reed Plantation Gym to wiring houses, churches and small businesses, consulting on the electrical work of friends and neighbors, and thawing the pipes, and fixing the furnaces, stoves and dryers of folks throughout the region. It was clear to him that generosity is a human choice and a reflection of God on earth, and he gave freely of his time and skills, often with no thought of payment. In the evenings, sometimes long after jobs had been completed, he or Tina or close friend Norm Ham would hear a knock at the door only to go and discover a half-dozen perch or brook trout, mushrooms or fiddleheads, some well-wrapped venison steaks, or a bucket of berries – payment for his work for a family in need. He loved this unending process of each person taking care of his neighbors in whatever ways provided help. His many efforts in the moving project for the Springfield UCC parsonage, decades ago, resulted in the building being named in his honor. He was also the de facto electrician for the newly re-opened Springfield Fairgrounds in the 1970s. Beginning in 1990, he was the (unpaid!) electrician for the current Fair Association, where he was an integral member of the group which resurrected the grounds and made the fair into one of the finest small fairs in Maine. Ken engineered, wired, “troubleshot”, and maintained the fair electrical systems until his retirement in the early 2000s when he donated his remaining electrical stock and equipment to an electrician who was just beginning his career. All who knew him understood that Ken gave of his time and expertise with no fanfare. Because so many of his peers have passed on, it can now be difficult to remember all that he did for others, from Webster to Carroll, Lakeville to Lee, Mattawamkeag to Molunkus. But God remembers. In middle age, he added a plowing business to his “pastimes”. At one point he had 28 customers and he was busy all night during big storms with his wingman, grandson Aaron. Ken and Tina, along with Norm, were huge sports fans. They were dedicated followers of American Legion baseball when Aaron played and the team competed in the regionals in Massachusetts, and they were devoted to granddaughter Aarika and the little girls who were first the Lee/Winn Hornets and who then grew up to become the dominant high school girls athletic teams in Maine, as the Lee Academy Pandas. For decades, Ken, Tina and Normie were known as absolutely steadfast sports fans for Lee Academy athletics. Whether they had a grandchild participating or not, made no difference. They loved it when young people were active in athletics and they would go anywhere in Maine to watch LA sports teams compete and to encourage and support young athletes – and to have dinner out, a longstanding tradition in the Budge lineage; if you travel, you eat – often and well! In 2000 the students and coaches of LA awarded Ken and Tina the “Most Dedicated Fans” award, with a plaque and ceremony, an honor of which they were extraordinarily proud. In 2010, they and their children donated to renovate the guidance offices of Lee Academy, as well. After Tina's passing, Ken and Norm continued the “fan” tradition by traveling – and eating their way – across the northeast to follow Aarika and the Colby College Mules women's basketball team. “Gimpy” as he was often called later in life (when she was little, his granddaughter could not say “Grampy”…) was a kind and patient teacher to his two grandchildren, Aaron and Aarika. The Budge house was the “crash pad” for them on Friday nights and during summer afternoons, and a constant source of good company and good food, throughout their young lives. Likewise, Ken was a far better father-in-law and grandfather-in-law then his son-in-law and grandson-in-law ever imagined they would have. And it should be noted that, especially after many long years away from her while he served his country, Ken's daughter, Kendra, was the shining light of his life. Ken and his family hunted, fished and explored the woods and waters of eastern Maine for decades. A special place was lower Sysladobsis Lake, where Ken's dad had once guided “sports” in the hey-day of the world-class salmon fishing of Lower Dobsis. On late summer afternoons, after his retirement, Ken could be found in old clearcuts, competing with black bear for raspberries to make winter jam. He was a cautious competitor with the bears, yet he rarely backed away from good pickin'… and he came home with overflowing berry buckets. Ken was predeceased by his father and mother, his brother Dalt and sister Marilyn, his loving wife Tina and their best friend, Norm Ham. He is survived by his daughter, Kendra Ritchie and husband Kevin, grandson Aaron Knowles and family – wife Theresa and sons Matthew, Aidan, Elijah and Finnegan, and granddaughter Aarika and fiancé Ben Guido. He is also survived by his brother, Ron Budge, sister, Hope White and sister-in-law Hildred Scott, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition are the 4-leggeds -- Sophie, Teddy, and Bailey the cats, and Roscoe-the-Arkansas-rescue-dog -- who all became Ken's fond friends in the last months of his life when he lived with Kendra and Kevin. Never one to seek attention or be willing to be a burden on others, Ken lived frugally in order to help others, leave modest gifts to his family, and pay his own way in both life and death – and he did not want a memorial service, a request that, he laughed, his family would likely ignore. And we will. A memorial service, with military honors, will be held on Sunday, May 21st at the Cole Cemetery in Springfield, Maine. A reception will follow at the Springfield Fairgrounds Pavilion. We offer a note of thanks to Jay and Hubie at Lee Fire Rescue, and the medical professionals at Penobscot Valley Hospital, EMMC Life Flight, Maine Medical in Portland, and to Ken's caretakers Shane, Pam and Jerry, and the many kind folks at CHCS – especially Rob, Scott, Cherrie, Stacey, Ashley and Carol-Ann, as well as Dr. John Shannon of HAN -- all of whom worked with Ken over his last year to maximize his quality of life. We extend an additional thank you to his former neighbors, the Arthers family, and to all those who expressed condolences on Facebook after his passing. Your words have been a joy and a comfort to his family. Donations in Ken’s memory to support the Lee Academy girl’s volleyball team are much appreciated and can be made to: Bethany Beverly, c/o Lee Academy, 26 Winn Road, Lee Maine 04455.