Robert E. Bushway

Robert E. (Bob) Bushway, 85, passed away on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016 at the Springfield Health and Rehabilitation Center in Springfield, Vermont, surrounded by his family. He was born on Nov. 12, 1931 in Springfield, Vermont to Charles V. Bushway and Clara E. Stanford Bushway.

Bob grew up in Westminster West, Vermont and graduated from Bellows Falls High School in Bellows Falls, Vermont in 1947. He married Ruth M. Bashaw in 1951 in Charlestown, New Hampshire. They were happily married for 65 years.

In 1952, Bob went into the US Army and served in Korea as an army surveyor. He was discharged from active duty in 1954 and from the reserves in 1962, at the rank of corporal.

Bob worked for The MacMillin Company in Keene, New Hampshire for over 40 years. He was progressively promoted from carpenter to construction superintendent and then project engineer, and was assigned some of the company’s most challenging and prestigious projects. He directed the construction of hospitals, schools, factories, office buildings and housing complexes in New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. His work included the Deerfield Academy Natatorium in Deerfield, Massachusetts and Twin Farms Resort in Barnard, Vermont. Bob retired in 1997, but remained active with projects at home, for his children, and for the Charlestown Senior Center.

Bob loved country music and was an accomplished steel guitar player. He played in the country band “Country Sunshine” for many years with his wife Ruth. The band entertained at local clubs, restaurants, and private parties. Bob also enjoyed woodworking, mechanical work, and welding. He had a fully equipped woodworking shop and a mechanic’s bay where he built his own furniture, trailers, snow plows, and countless unique inventions. Creating a custom made solution to a specific need was one of Bob’s special talents.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Clara Bushway, his brother Charles H. Bushway, and his son, Bruce Bushway. Bob is survived by his wife Ruth of Charlestown, New Hampshire; his daughter Heidi Bushway and husband Greg Lorsbach of West Chesterfield, New Hampshire; his daughter-in-law Sherrie Bushway of Charlestown, New Hampshire; his brother William Bushway and wife Pat of Charlestown, New Hampshire; his sister Irene Brown of Gardner, Massachusetts; his half brothers Gordon Bushway of Pittstown, New York and Everett Bushway and wife Amy of Waterford, New York; his step mother Ida Bushway of Valley Falls, New York; his grandchildren Angelique Bushway, Martin Bushway and wife Annessa, Jennifer Bushway, and Justin Lorsbach and wife Beth; his great-grandchildren Ivy Warren, Brandon Bushway, Hannah and Miranda Lorsbach and Amir Muhammad; his sister-in-law Leona Bennett; his brother-in-law Gordon Bashaw; and many nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Visiting hours will be held at the Charlestown Memorial Chapel on 34 Main St. in Charlestown, New Hampshire on Wednesday, Dec. 14 from 1 to 2 p.m. prior to the service. A memorial service will be held at the Charlestown Memorial Chapel at 2 p.m. Burial will follow at Pine Crest Cemetery in Charlestown with military honors. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Charlestown Senior Center, 223 Old Springfield Road, Charlestown, New Hampshire 03603 or to the National Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st St., Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131 (http://www.parkinson.org/). To view an online memorial or send a private message of condolence, visit www.stringerfh.com.

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