SALISBURY COVE – Bud (William George) Abbott died suddenly at home Saturday morning Oct. 15, 2005. He was 73 years old. A native of Bar Harbor, he was born to Rosa Butler and George C. Abbott in 1932. He graduated from Bar Harbor High School in 1950. He enlisted in the Navy and served military service during the Korean War. While in the Navy, he was trained as a cook, a vocation which he utilized to the enjoyment of many in various capacities throughout his adult life. Returning to Bar Harbor after military service, he met and fell in love with Mary Barbey (born in Ellsworth), who had come to Bar Harbor from her home in Seattle to work as a nurse at MDI Hospital that summer. The two were married in 1956. Under the GI Bill, Bud attended and graduated from the University of Maine-Orono, with a bachelors in Education, after which the pair moved to the Seattle area to settle down and raise their family. They had two children, Michael and Carolyn. Bud taught economics, government, U.S. History, and social studies for 30 years in the Renton School District. During his career as a teacher, he devoted a tremendous amount of time and energy to his student’s learning as well as to his school’s sports activities. He was an enthusiastic and visible teacher. He was also an active member in the National Education Association, the Washington Education Association and the Renton Education Association serving as his building representative and a contract negotiator. In 1965, he earned his masters degree in Education from Seattle University. He was a lifelong University of Washington Huskies fan, especially following the football team, attending games in person when in Washington, and following the team from afar once he’d moved back to Maine. From 1964, Mary and Bud began to spend their summers back on MDI. Between 1964 and 1994, they worked for the Jackson Lab youth internship program at the High Seas, with Bud serving as cook. In 1991, they retired to Salisbury Cove full time. In retirement, Bud, a past master, was active in the Bar Harbor Masonic Lodge No. 185. He served the Town of Bar Harbor as chair of the Warrant Committee from 1992-1994. He was interested and active in politics, government, and current affairs his whole adult life. He was also a dog-lover and master to a long line of beloved canines, most recently cocker spaniel, Mason. He is predeceased by his parents and one sister, Ruth. He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary; their son, Michael and his wife, Melissa, of Renton, Wash.; their daughter, Carolyn and her partner, Kelly Ross, of Seattle, Wash.; and his sister, Dottie and her partner, Barbara Purtell of Punta Gorda, Fla. He is mourned by cousins and friends too numerous to mention. A service of remembrance will be held 2 p.m. Friday at Jordan-Fernald Funeral Home, 48 Eden St., Bar Harbor. Friends may visit at the funeral home beginning at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Shrine Children’s Hospital in Boston care of Anah Temple, P.O. Box 735, Bangor, ME 04402, or the Bar Harbor Masonic Lodge.
BUD ABBOTT
