LUDLOW, Vt. – Howard Roy Barton Sr., 85, of Ludlow, passed away Jan. 29, 2024, at Springfield Hospital, following a brief illness.
He was born at Rutland Hospital, Rutland, Vt., on Aug. 4, 1938, son of Alice (Tapper) and Allen Barton. He was educated in the Ludlow School System. In school, he met the love of his life Mary Tuomisto, in 1955. They were married Sept. 12, 1959. Together they celebrated 64 years of a close, loving marriage. His greatest joy of his life was spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandson. He loved being with his family. His hobby was beekeeping. He enjoyed sharing his knowledge of beekeeping with others, as well as generously gifting his honey.
He started his electrical career as a lineman in 1958 with Seaward Construction Company of Kittery, Maine, building substations and constructing transmission lines. In 1960, he was transferred to the distribution division as a lineman doing construction and maintenance work.
In 1961, he and his family returned to their hometown of Ludlow, where he worked as a first class lineman for the Village of Ludlow Electric Department. There he worked in construction and maintenance of Ludlow’s distribution system.
In 1968, he left Ludlow Electric to start his own electrical contracting business, Barton Electric Inc. Through his business, he wired several large sewage treatment plants in Vermont, wired and maintained the electrical systems for different ski areas, as well as did residential and commercial wiring.
In 1975, he went back to Ludlow Electric as the superintendent, and held that position until retirement in 2022. While at Ludlow Electric, he had the opportunity to work with his son Howard Jr. as his assistant. He was an advocate of safety and keeping the power on. He served on call 24/7 for the many years that he worked there. He loved working with the communities that Ludlow Electric supplied power for. Howard also served his community for a one-year term as selectman.
He is survived by his loving wife Mary; their children Sheila Barton of Ludlow, Marcia (Barton) and Peter Dockum, son-in-law, of Ludlow; Susan Wallace Barton, daughter-in-law, of Chicago, Ill.; grandchildren Matthew and Daniel Dockum of Denver, Colo., Alisha Durgin of Salt Lake City, Utah, Johnny Durgin and Gabrielle Gundry of Charlestown, N.H., Alexandra Barton of Kernersville, N.C., and Morgan Barton of Chicago, Ill.; great-grandson Jack Durgin of Charlestown, N.H.; in-laws Jiyl Munson of Lakeside, Conn., William Tuomisto of Ludlow, Cindy and Michael Tuomisto of Ludlow, and Vera and Charles Conroy of Belmont; and several nieces and nephews. Howard and Mary’s only son Howard Jr. passed away unexpectedly on June 2, 2018.
Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made in Howard’s name to Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, P.O. Box 702, Brownsville, VT 05037. There will be a graveside service for Howard on June 1, at 11 a.m., at the Pleasant View Cemetery in Ludlow.
The arrangements are under the direction of the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield, Vt.