RUMFORD - Rumford lost one of its native sons on Thursday with the passing of Judge John Linwood Batherson, 85, of Porter Avenue.

The oldest of six children, Batherson devoted his life to his wife of 57 years, Alma, and their children: Bob of Mandeville, La., John of Washington, D.C., William of Westbrook, and Andrea Lynn of York.

"He was just a one-in-a-million person," Bob Batherson, 52, said on Saturday afternoon inside his parents' gray-and-white ranch-style home.

Seated around the dining room table, Bob and his brother John, 45, and their mom reflected on John L. Batherson's life while examining mementos, photographs, news clippings and the elder Batherson's writings.

One such book was an unfinished autobiography that detailed his life and that of Rumford history to shortly after WWII.

Between the three of them, they painted a portrait of a caring, very humble and deeply religious man who always had a good word to say about anyone.

An ardent Red Sox and New England Patriots fan, Judge Batherson was also very passionate about aviation. He taught Bob and John how to fly airplanes at Twitchell Airport in Turner and other airfields.

"Aviation was a big part of his life, and sports. He was a Red Sox fan and we all hoped that before he died, he'd see the Red Sox win a World Series, and they won it twice! He loves football with a passion. To his last day, he was hopeful that the Patriots would go undefeated," Bob Batherson said.

A lifelong Democrat, Judge Batherson volunteered in 1942 at the age of 20 to serve his country during World War II in the European Theater.

During one of his 21 combat missions with the U.S. Army Air Corps' 15th Air Force, he and the rest of his B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew survived being shot down behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia.

With help from local partisans, it took them a month of evading capture by German troops to return to their airbase in Italy and resume missions, Bob Batherson said.

"The war was something he did like others, but he was most proud of what he did as a lawyer and judge," Bob Batherson said.

Following his discharge in 1945, John L. Batherson earned a law degree, practiced law in Rumford, and served as a Maine judge for 36 years before retiring in 1994 at the age of 72.

Among attorneys who practiced law in his court, he earned a nickname of "Father John," due to his reputation for fairness, looking out for attorneys and the people who came before him. He also allowed them to talk in detail, like in a confessional, his sons said.

"Of his many character traits, the most remarkable was his penchant for honesty and compassion. Even in his personal and professional life, he always fought for the underdog.

"He never looked down on anyone. He helped the poor, the sick, and, especially, people who were not as lucky as others," John Batherson said.

"I think he loved helping people. I think that was the motivating factor," his brother added.

Judge Batherson also had a deep-rooted love for Rumford, the town to which his parents moved to in 1918 from Canada.

"If anyone was a citizen of this community, it was him. He probably could have gone to a bigger and better place," John Batherson said.

"But you couldn't get him away from Rumford," his mother finished.

A lifelong member of St. Athanasius and St. John Church, he will be buried this spring in St. John Cemetery.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com