RUMFORD – Family is everything. And for James Thibodeau, this means especially his four grandchildren.
The chairman of the Board of Selectmen believes everyone has a purpose in life – to be God-fearing and to be family oriented.
Pictures of his two grandsons and two granddaughters are hung throughout the house. Sometimes he spends evenings baking cookies or cakes with one or more of them. And upstairs, in what was once a bathroom, a “treasure” room is filled with goodies for Matt, 10, Kassie, 7, Emily, 6, and Kenrick, 5.
“If they do something deserving, they can pick something from the room,” he said Monday afternoon as he sat in his comfortable living room. The shelves and walls of this very special “treasure” room are covered with videos, candy and piles of new clothing.
“We have them here three or four times a week. I want them as a part of my life, and I want to be a part of theirs,” he said. “We are a close-knit family, and we celebrate the holidays together.”
He and his wife, Jutta, have two sons– Kenrick and Alexander. The families all live within a half-hour of each other so getting together is pretty easy.
That’s just the way Thibodeau wants it. “We like to have them here,” he said.
Thibodeau is the first generation of his family to be born in Rumford. His father immigrated from the Province of Quebec as a very young man, and his mother came from Prince Edward Island as a child.
Both came from family-oriented backgrounds, and both had good work ethics, something Thibodeau has as well.
When he’s not with his grandchildren, and sometimes when he is, he’s a busy man.
He doesn’t sit still for very long. When he’s not working as a communications contractor for the local paper mill or logging with his horse, Nickie, he’s growing vegetables and canning or freezing the produce, building cabinets or garages for his home or for his sons, maintaining his vehicles, doing all the plumbing and electrical work in his home, boiling down maple sap or raising chickens and cattle.
“Both parents had good work ethics and were very creative. That has helped me achieve what goals I’ve achieved,” he said. “We weren’t a poor family, but we didn’t have a lot. If repairs needed to be done, we did them ourselves.”
Being virtually self-sufficient is important to Thibodeau.
“I just like doing everything myself, and I don’t like depending on anyone if I don’t have to,” he said.
He has taught his sons to be as self-sufficient as possible, too.
“I do think about what they need to survive in cycles, the weather or the economy. Part of my goal is to prepare my two boys in case there’s another depression,” he said.
At age 64, he remembers some of the hardships his family experienced.
“I’m not a chicken little,'” he said, “I just like being prepared.”
Over the years, he has placed community service high on his priority list. Not only has he served as a selectman for 15 years, with 14 of those years as chairman, he has also served on the Board of Assessors, Med-Care’s board, solid waste board and the water district board.
He doesn’t believe in standing back and complaining. He chose to get involved.
“Rumford is unique. This is an area as pretty as any in the state. I took a good look around, and I try to keep it the way it is. I wanted to contribute my part,” he said.
Thibodeau graduated from Stephens High School, then served four years in the U.S. Army before going to work for the phone company, then for the paper mill.
He doesn’t expect to ever retire.
“What would I do? I just feel like I want to accomplish things,” he said.
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