MADISON – Sumner, 93, lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease on June 25, 2022. He passed peacefully at his home on Blackwell Hill under the care of his loving family and very capable and much appreciated Dr. Lambke and the Maine General Hospice team.

Sumner was the third of five children born to Verne and Myrtle Mosher of Cornville, all of whom predeceased him. He attended school in Cornville and after graduating from the 8th grade began a lifetime of hard work on the farm and in the woods, using a bucksaw and a team of oxen.

Sumner also became a skilled hand-sewer of shoes in Maine and Massachusetts. After hand-sewing was phased out, Sumner worked in the woods again, this time with chainsaws and skidder. He later worked for SAD #59 as a bus driver and maintenance man. He retired as a part-time truck driver for Hebert Transportation.

He passed his work ethic on to his children. He also made time for family recreation playing volleyball, baseball (two teams) and cribbage (which he usually won). If you drove by the homestead recently, you might see him sitting on the front porch whistling to the birds and swatting flies.

In 1948, Sumner married Ethelyn Prey and they became parents of James (deceased), Elaine, Susan, Brenda, Donna, David, and Mark.

After the death of Ethelyn, Sumner married Thelma Bumpus Folsom in 1966, and he adopted her four children, Tammy, Kenneth, Keith and Neil. The family was complete with the addition of Carlene and Douglas. Also surviving are a special nephew, Lewis “Bill” Mosher; and several grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nephews and nieces.

Sumner was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1953 and served as an elder in the Skowhegan congregation. He never let a month go by without talking to someone in the community about his love for his Creator Jehovah and the Bible. He also enjoyed participating in the construction of Kingdom Halls throughout New England and attended the yearly conventions with his large family.

A memorial service with a slide presentation will be held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1252 Lakewood Rd., Madison on July 16 at 3 p.m. The program will be available via Zoom.

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