1920 – 2016

AUGUSTA — Kenneth Haycroft Ramage, 96, of Hallowell passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 19, at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta.

He was born March 30, 1920, in Lincoln, N.H., to Oswald Patterson Ramage and Anna Haycroft Ramage. He attended schools in Lincoln and upon graduation in 1938 went to work as a papermaker for Marcal Paper Co.

With the outbreak of war, he enlisted in the U.S. Army on Dec. 30, 1941. He did his basic training at Camp Croft in South Carolina, after which he became a weapons instructor. In 1943, he was sent overseas where he was assigned to the Second Division, 38th Infantry Company A. He was a staff seargent and landed on Omaha Beach June 8, two days after D-Day. There he spent 370 days in battle, 217 of them consecutively, including the Battle of the Bulge and three other major campaigns. During his service, he was awarded a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Presidential Citation, Good Conduct Medal and a special diploma for his aid in the fight to liberate France.

Ken met his wife, Sarah Elizabeth Buzzell, in Lincoln, N.H., where she was working as a waitress. They married July 18, 1942, and were married for 72 years. Ken worked at the paper mill and became union president. He later was recruited by the AFL-CIO to become a union organizer and was asked to relocate to Maine.

In 1956, he moved his family to Bethel so his two children could attend Gould Academy. Some of Ken’s greatest memories are related to the home he built on Paradise Hill in Bethel, where he lived for more than  50 years. Ken was a papermaker for 10 years and a union organizer for 33 years, negotiating union contracts and organizing paper companies in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

In 1967, Ken was appointed to the University of Maine board of trustees by Gov. Kenneth Curtis and served for eight years. Ken was also an avid hunter and enjoyed fishing the lakes and streams of Maine and New Hampshire. He enjoyed camping with his family and developed a love of sailing during his retirement. He was a Boy Scout leader for years and a member of the West Parish Congregational Church in Bethel for more than 50 years. He was recently recognized by the Hallowell American Legion for his membership of 70 years and by the Maine Health Care Association Remember Me Program.

Ken was predeceased by his wife, Sarah, and is survived by his two sons, Richard H. Ramage and his wife, Gail, of La Quinta, Calif., and Timothy J. Ramage and his wife, Jill, of Chelsea; six grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

The family would like to express their appreciation to the staff and employees of the Maine Veterans’ Home in Augusta for the wonderful care they gave Ken over the last few years.

Condolences, photos and stories may be shared at www.plummerfh.com.

Copy the Story Link