Obituary
William (Bud) F Mahony passed peacefully on Dec 29th after a long battle with vascular dementia. He leaves behind his wife of 60 years, Elaine, who cared for him during his illness for many years. He also leaves his children, Kathleen Klofft (Jeffrey) of Sudbury MA and Sedgwick ME, William (Elizabeth) Mahony of Satellite Beach, FL, and Kristina (William) Schade of Pittsburgh, PA as well as 8 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
He was an only child, a first generation American, predeceased by his parents, William and Elizabeth. Bud grew up in Cambridge and Sommerville MA. But he developed his love of the out of doors and dogs spending his summers in Billerica MA, where his parents rented a cottage to avoid polio in the city. There he enjoyed a neighbors dog that accompanied him while he played in the woods all summer.
Despite winning academic awards, Bud decided to go straight to work after high school and marry his sweetheart, Elaine. Bud served in the Air Force Reserves and settled in Marlborough MA with Elaine to start their family.
Bud worked for State Street Bank where he learned skills to build a career in the early days of data processing. He also spent many years employed at Zayre Corp and worked for over 20 years in the computer industry.
A natural born teacher, Bud was an active Boy Scout assistant leader to Troop 41 Marlborough and he eventually took his computer skills to Assabet Valley and Keefe Technical High Schools where he taught in the computer shop for many years.
He continued his education at Fitchburg State and was always a voracious reader and learner. Anyone who sat with Bud for even a few minutes would often hear about astro physics theories he had read about while listening to his Preservation Hall Jazz music.
With summers free, he and Elaine loved to spend their time in Sedgwick Maine, where Elaine’s family is from. He loved hiking the many preserved lands in the area with Elaine, his children, grandchildren and beloved dogs and sailing the Eggomoggin Reach on his sailboat, Cormorant. He most loved to be out in the wilderness of the woods or sea teaching his children and grandchildren about nature or enjoying the antics of his favorite dogs.
When Bud retired, he and Elaine moved to Fort Myers Beach for the winters, where he enjoyed working part time doing seasonal work for local car rental and hardware shops. He and Elaine loved travel and went many places in their motorhome, including an epic cross country trip. In all they visited 48 states!
Bud married into a family of 4 daughters and was very close with his brother in laws, they could often be found together in Maine puzzling out some engine or construction problem, laughing at each other’s jokes.
Bud will be missed by his children and his surviving sisters in law and brother in law. And he will be missed by his loving wife, Elaine, his devoted caretaker till the end, whom he loved so much that in his last days his only understanding of “home” was being wherever she was.
A Funeral Mass will be held on Jan. 19, 2022 at St. Columbkille Catholic Church, 12171 Iona Rd, Ft Myers, FL 33908 beginning at 10 AM
A memorial service will be held in Maine, (Summer of 2022) with due notice of time place.
Memorial donations in Bud’s name may be made to
Ark Animal Shelter
or
Blue Hill Heritage Trust
Service
12171 Iona Rd, Fort Myers, FL 33908
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