Kermit R. Houghton Sr.

DIXFIELD -- Kermit R. Houghton Sr., 81, of Dixfield Common Road, Dixfield, died peacefully at his home on March 9, 2013.

He was born on a farm in Carthage, Jan. 28, 1932, a son of Leo and Thelma Houghton. He attended Carthage schools.

He then entered the military and was a member of the National Guard for 12 years and served the town of Carthage as a selectman for 10 years. He was a member of the fire department and was instrumental in the development of the first snowmobile club in Carthage. Mr. Houghton was employed as a welder at Oxford Paper and Bridge Construction Co. and later worked for Tom Dickson and Billy Skidgell as a truck driver and also was self-employed as a logger. He owned and operated T &H Motor Sports, where he serviced chain saws and snowmobiles. This shop went hand in hand with some of Kermit’s favorite hobbies which included racing stock cars at OPS, sponsoring his grandchildren, Tommy, Gunner, Tanya, and Candy racing snowmobiles, and later his son and grandsons followed in his footsteps racing at OPS in cars built and sponsored by E&K Motor Sports.

Kermit enjoyed hunting and fishing, gardening, taking care of his horse “Bucky”, and tending his chickens.

He is survived by his wife, Emily Merril Houghton of Dixfield; son, Kermit, Jr. of Carthage; daughters, Rhonda Storer and her husband, Nate of Weld, and Marlene Bradbury of Carthage; stepsons, Sonny “Kippy” Fletcher and his wife, Cathy of Dixfield, Gilbert Fletcher and his companion, Diane of Rumford, Eddie Merril and his wife, Joyce of Dixfield; a step-daughter, Judith Robinson and her husband, Paul of Las Vegas, NV; son-in-law, Gerald Walker of Carthage; four brothers, Emeral and his wife, Betty, Donald, Lawrence, Charles and his wife, Frances, all of Carthage; sisters, June Turner of Carthage, and Leola Poirier and her husband, Bob of Norwich, CT; 14 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Thelma Luce Houghton; a daughter, JoAnn Walker of Carthage; sisters, Arleta Clark, Corless Kemeraitis; and brothers, Leroy and Conrad.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Wiles Remembrance Center, 42 Weld St., Dixfield. Relatives and friends are invited to call one hour prior to the services. Interment will be in the spring at the New Newman Cemetery in Carthage. Those who desire can consider memorial gift’s in Kermit’s memory to Androscoggin Home Health Care and Hospice, 15 Strawberry Ave., Lewiston, ME 04240 or at ahch.org.