Roger M. Ball
Roger M.
Ball, 78, of Pickering Street, Essex, husband of M. Jean (Boutchie)
Ball, died Saturday, May 18, 2013 in the Genesis Nursing Center,
Wakefield, following his long illness.
Born in Ipswich August 22,
1934 son of the late George S. and Mary (McAtamney) Ball, he grew up in
Essex. He attended the Rufus Choate School and Gloucester High School.
Married to Jean in 1953, they made their home in Essex and shared
fifty-nine years of marriage. He held
numerous jobs throughout his career, working as an auto mechanic in
Gloucester and Beverly, a machinist at the United Shoe Machinery Corp.,
better known as “The Shoe” in Beverly, a union carpenter, and a
maintenance man at the Salem Power Plant, retiring in 1998. Throughout
the years he could also be found on the Essex River, either enjoying the
beach or working the clam flats. He was an avid camper, taking his young
family on extended trips throughout New York, New England, and the
Canadian Maritime Provinces, along with the weekend trips to New
Hampshire and Cape Cod. In later years, he built a home on the shores of
Round Pond (which later became Lake Ivanhoe) in East Wakefield, NH, and
spent many weekends there year round until his illness prevented him
from doing so. For more than fifty years, he was a devoted member of the
Essex Fire Department where he attained the rank of Lieutenant and
served as an EMT, retiring in 2011. After his retirement, he and Jean
enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and Europe
In
addition to his wife he is survived by two sons, Brian Ball and his wife
Patricia of Essex and Kevin Ball and his companion Sharon Stoker of
Fryeburg, ME; two daughters, Paula Filias and her husband John of Essex
and Sheila Ball of Essex, five grandchildren, Heather Walsh and Hillary
Ball both of Essex, Lindsay Milne of Boston, Alexandra Filias of Essex
and Samantha Ball of Fryeburg, ME; four great grandchildren; two
brothers, George Ball of Ipswich and James Ball and his wife Mildred of
Gloucester; a sister, Patricia Fitzgerald of Essex, a sister in law,
Barbara Nelson and her husband Stan of West Palm Beach, FL, a brother in
law, Damon Boutchie, and his companion, Sheila Griffin of Essex and
Tubac, AZ as well as many nephews and nieces, and his beloved dog,
Jessie.
His funeral
service will be held 1:00 pm Wednesday, May 22, 2013, graveside in the
Spring Street Cemetery, Essex. Family and friends are respectfully
welcomed. Visiting hours are Tuesday 4 to 8 pm in the Whittier-Porter
Funeral Home, 6 High Street, Ipswich. Memorial contributions in his name
may be made to Essex Fire Company Equipment Fund, 24 Martin Street,
Essex, MA 01929.
