BRISTOL, N.H. — Roy Ford, 87, of Bristol, N.H. and formerly of North Reading, Mass., died unexpectedly on August 9, 2021. He was the loving husband of the late Patricia A. (Whitney) Ford.
Born in Newton, Mass. on July 19, 1934, he was the son of the late Robert Alexander Ford and Violet E. (Coombs) Ford. He was a graduate of Needham High School, Class of 1952 and Mass Maritime Academy, Class of 1955. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1955 to 1958.
Roy was Maritime Electrical Engineer. He worked for Varian Associates Bomac Industries from 1958 to 1965 and Honeywell Bull from 1965 to 1992. Roy was a builder, not in the traditional sense of building commercially but rather for himself and his family. He was always active in some construction project from the boat he built as a teenager, to the Camp, to major house renovations from the ground up in Massachusetts, and then the Inn, along with any of his kid’s homes wherever they were located.
He was committed to family, his wife of many years along with his children and his many grandchildren, supporting each on their unique paths in life. There were always plans scheduled to be somewhere for something to participate, congratulate and support, be that a christening, birthday, graduation from pre-school to college, sporting events, music concerts or marching band competition.
Roy enjoyed playing the piano since a young age and sharing that activity with his grandchildren. He enjoyed camping with his family, the Boy Scouts and travels to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. He was always up for an adventure traveling cross country several times, boating and fishing in Alaska and white water rafting in Maine. He enjoyed being on the Ocean, not the beach, with his time on several boats that took him from Maine to Florida. Woodworking was an activity he enjoyed on both a large and small scale, whether framing a house, building a staircase, refinishing furniture, or building a shelf. He enjoyed playing a good prank on those he knew well and was known to be the lead instigator in many summer picnic water fights. He has been a resident Bristol, N.H. for the past 20 years and was member of Our Lady of Grace Church.
Family members include his sons, Robert Ford and his wife Catherine of Stratford, Conn., Thomas Ford and his wife Lisa of Bristol, N.H., Daniel Ford and his wife Susan of Reading, Mass., and John Ford and his wife Sandy of Anchorage, Alaska; his son-in-law Lawrence Hohl of Webster, N.Y.; his late daughters, Mary Jo Hohl of Webster, N.Y. and Lisa Marie Ford of North Reading, Mass.; his sisters, Jackie Bleakney of Monroe, Conn., and Beverly Lowrey of Belfast, Maine; 16 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.
His funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, August 19, from 9:15 a.m. at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading followed by a 10:30 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Theresa’s Church, 63 Winter Street, North Reading. Calling hours were held on Wednesday, August 18. Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading.
Memorial donations may be made in his memory to the Amyloidosis Foundation, 7151 N. Main St., Ste. 2, Clarkston, MI 48346 or to the American Heart Association.
To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.croswellfuneralhome.com.
