BUXTON – Warren Hubert Pressley Jr., 80, of Mary Jane Road, died Nov. 6, 2003. He was born to Warren H. and Effie Pressley in Haynesville, on June 25, 1923. He married the love of his life, the former Marion A. Deering, during his flight cadet training at Elkins, W.Va., in 1943. He was a graduate of Ricker Classical Institute in Houlton, a graduate of the University of Maine, Orono, and earned a master’s of education degree at Columbia University. He was a fine athlete and loved to compete. He was a basketball and baseball player at Ricker, a pitcher for a minor league baseball team in the early 1940’s in Portland, loved to ski, water ski, play golf, fish, hunt and trap. He was a World War II pilot, flight instructor and test pilot in the Lone Eagle Squadron of the Army Air Corps. Warren Pressley was recognized for his innovative and progressive educational spirit. His career as an educator started as a Principal and math teacher on North Haven Island. He served as Principal at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford. He moved to Massachusetts to be Principal of Ipswich High School and later served as Principal of King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Mass. In the mid sixties he returned to his beloved home state as Superintendent of Schools in Greenville. He completed his public education service as superintendent of schools in SAD No. 6. His interest and work with the developmentally disabled led him to serve as director of the South Shores Community Developmental Center in Chester, Nova Scotia from 1977-1988. During this time he and his beloved wife, Marion served as house parents for many of the children placed at Bonny Lee Farm. Bud Pressley loved people. He enjoyed every opportunity to exchange stories and will be remembered for his enthusiastic story telling. He loved Maine and his home in Buxton, and as he would always say “it’s all Buxton.” He was predeceased in death by his wife of 59 years, Marion D. Pressley; and his younger sister, Jean P. North of Brattleboro, Vt. He is survived by his older sister, Verna Lee Pressley Whittmann and her husband, Ret. Admiral Narvin Whittmann, Shelburne, Vt.; brother-in-law, John Alden North of Brattleboro, Vt.; sister-in-law, Alta Deering Somerville of Houlton; brother-in-law, Alston Deering of Orient; his cousin, Tessa Martel MarcAurelle of Peabody, Mass.; his son and two daughters, Warren H. Pressley III and his wife, Kathy, of Buxton; Lee Ann Pressley of Saco, Mary Jane Fay and her husband, Joe Lovelady, of Corpus Christi, Texas; five grandchildren, Benjamin Fay of Pacific Beach, Calif., Molly Fay of Encinitas, Calif., Todd Narvin Pressley and his wife, Jill, and their daughters, Aidee Jane and Emma Rose Marion of Bayview, Calif., Seth Warren Pressley and his wife, Yuka, of Pacifica, Calif., and Jacob Thompson Pressley and his wife, Meagan, of Hillsboro, N.C.; four step-grandchildren, Melissa Matthews of South Portland, and her sons, Travis, Cameron and Noah; Dr. Mark Matthews of Atlanta, Ga.; Kevin Matthews of Worcester, Mass.; Michael Lovelady and his wife, Mindy, of Tel Aviv, Israel. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by Dennett-Craig and Pate Funeral Home, Buxton.
WARREN ‘BUD’ HUBERT PRESSLEY JR.
