GREENE – On Jan. 19, 2019, Albert “Bert” Murch past away in his home with his family at his side. Bert was born March 8, 1922, at the family home in South Casco, Maine, to Clyde and Edna (Ames) Murch. The oldest of four children, growing up Bert worked hard on his family’s chicken farm and in the summer the family gardens. He used to guide fishermen on Sebago Lake by rowing them while they fished, worked in the local lumber mill, and raked rocks on town roads. Bert attended South Casco Grammar School, a one-room schoolhouse where he maintained an “A” average. After graduating from grammar school he attended Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, Maine. He maintained his “A” average, in addition to excelling in baseball, basketball and football. At graduation he received both the top academic and athletic awards.

After graduating from Fryeburg Academy he attended the University of Maine in Orono. However, because of the war, he left to join the Army Infantry later, switching to the Army Air Corp. In the Air Corp he flew B 17s and B 29s and while stationed at Maxwell Field in Alabama he met the love of his life Lela (Betty) Buck and they were married April 7, 1945. At the end of the war Bert was given the choice of going to Japan or going home. Needless to say he chose to go home and returned to the University of Maine graduating with degrees in both agricultural engineering and civil engineering.

In 1947, he and Betty moved to Presque Isle, built a home, and he went to work for Maine Potato Growers.

Bert was then hired by W.D. Mathews and subsequently hired as the manager of Auburn Tractor Company. While working for Auburn Tractor Company, Bert became interested in selling life insurance and became affiliated with Fidelity Mutual Insurance Company where he achieved the Leaders Club. Because of his success, he attracted the attention of Jim Longley and joined Jim at Longley Associates in 1961. Once again Bert rose to the top, attaining the designation of LUTC, CLU, Lifetime Member of the New England Life Leaders Club, a member of the Union Mutual Leaders Club, a member of the Aetna Leaders Club, a Lifetime Member of the Million Round Table and annual winner of the Client Service Award along with many other industry awards. Bert was president of the Androscoggin Life Underwriters Association as well as President of the State Of Maine Life Underwriters Association.

Bert was active in the community he was a member of the Lewiston Auburn Rotary Club and served as president. Rotary International had always been a “men’s only” club and Bert holds the distinction of being the first Rotary President world-wide to include women in its membership. Bert served on the Greene School Board for several terms as well as director and treasurer of the Sawyer Memorial Foundation for 17 years. Bert coached numerous little league teams and founded a Babe Ruth team.

Additionally, he served several terms as president of the Greene Senior Citizens and donated land to the Town of Greene for athletic fields and is now known as “Murch Field”. Bert was an election clerk for the Town of Greene after his retirement.

Bert was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting, fishing, camping, snowmobiling, ice fishing and gardening. He was an accomplished fly fisherman and tied his own flies, there are few bodies of water in Maine that he had not tried fishing. There are many with firsthand experience that could attest that Bert could catch fish where there weren’t any. He had fished Alaska to Maine to above the Arctic Circle with great success. An avid hunter, Bert got a moose at age 80, and a deer the year before last, as well as went out hunting four times this past season.

Bert loved his home where he enjoyed gardening, his fruit trees and flowers and watching the deer. When asked to travel he would always answer, “everything I need or want is here.

Most of all Bert was known as an absolutely devoted family man; devoted husband, he and Betty were married 73 years, still held hands and were recently overheard saying that they loved each other more now than when they met; devoted father; grandfather; great-grandfather and devoted friend.

Bert is survived by his wife, Lela “Betty” Murch; his son, Robert and his wife, Debra Murch; his daughter, Betsy and her husband, Craig Walker; his sister, Mary Sawyer; grandson, Daniel and his wife, Christina Murch; grandson, Robert Murch and his husband, Gary; grandson, Spencer Murch; grandson, Benjamin Smith; grandstepson, Kelly and his wife, Bekka Madore; grandstepdaughter, Jennifer Madore; stepgrandson, Cory Madore and his partner, Nicole Smith; great-grandchildren, Nathan Murch, Sienna Murch, Jacob Murch, Jenna Murch, Zora Smith and Simon Smith; as well as great-stepgrandchildren, Jeremy Madore and Aiden Torres and Temperance Madore; along with many nieces and nephews.

Bert was predeceased by his father, Clyde S. Murch; mother, Edna A. Murch; brother, Robert L. Murch and his sister, Beverly M. Hall.

Visiting hours will be held at the West Auburn Congregational Church, Feb. 1, 2019 from 7-9 p.m.

Online condolences may be left for the family at hallfuneralhome.net.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Feb. 2, 2019, at the West Auburn Congregational Church, 811 West Auburn Road, Auburn, Maine.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to:

The Julia Adams Morse Memorial Library

105 Main Street

Greene, ME 04236