Ernest 'Bud' Fletcher, Jr.

Ernest ‘Bud’ Fletcher Jr., 85, of Winchendon, MA, died peacefully at Henry Heywood Hospital in Gardner, MA on Sunday, May 4, 2025, after a short illness.

Bud was born on February 19, 1940, in Keene, NH, son of the late Ernest P. and Hazel E. (Bemis) Fletcher, Sr. He married his wife, Carla J. (Eastman) Fletcher, on December 18, 1965, and together they had shared over 49 years of marriage.

Bud was a 1958 graduate of Murdock High School and was a very active member of his school community. He was an avid football and baseball player, a member of the high school band, and an accomplished Eagle Scout, having also earned the God and Country Award. These would eventually lead him to becoming the Scoutmaster of Troop 35. Bud had graduated from Boston University before attending the New England Institute of Applied Funeral Arts and Sciences. His high grades and aptitude enabled him to be recognized as a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, an honors program in Funeral Service Education.

Bud was deeply devoted to his faith, attending local churches throughout his life. He was a member and deacon of the North Congregational Church and United Parish of Winchendon where he had also served on many different church committees.

Bud was a member of the Winchendon Fire Department for 35 years, retiring in 1996. He had served as Deputy Chief for 15 years before retiring. He then continued to help with the Winchendon Firefighter Relief Association.

He always enjoyed being active in his community and helping others. Bud had been a director and trustee of the Wendell P. Clark Memorial YMCA for almost 40 years. He had also been a director with the Robinson-Broadhurst Foundation and served as its treasurer for 27 years. He was a charter member of the Winchendon Lions Club, and had belonged to the Winchendon Jaycees, where in 1966, he was selected as the ‘outstanding young man’ of Worcester County by the Jaycees. His competitive spirit was satisfied through the years while he belonged to the former Watatic Ice Racing Association.

Bud’s devotion to selfless service to others could be best seen while he owned and operated the Fletcher Funeral Home in Winchendon, and later with the acquisition of the Lamoureux Funeral Home of Gardner, MA. He had also served his fellow funeral directors as a former President of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors Association. After retiring from Funeral Service, he continued to enjoy working with his family and co-owned Toy Town Recreation and Nik-Rylee’s Restaurant. He had more time to serve as a trustee for Henry Heywood Hospital and with the Shawmut Bank. Bud also enjoyed serving as a Freemason and was a longtime member of the Artisan Lodge, A.F. & A.M. in Winchendon, as well as serving on the Fire Brigade with the Aleppo Shriners in Wilmington, MA. Bud always tried to volunteer at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Boston as much as possible.

In addition to his parents, Bud was preceded in death by his beloved wife Carla on October 17, 2015, and by his sister, Marilyn and her husband Dr. William T. Pike.

Bud will be missed by his daughter, Jayne C. (Fletcher) Stacy of Winchendon; his son, Ernest P. Fletcher, III "Chip" and his husband J. Shane Campbell of Nashville, TN; three grandchildren, Rylee and her wife, Hayley Mullen, Nikolas R. Stacy, and Hazel Fletcher-Campbell; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, including his close friend, Rachel Atkins,

Family and friends are invited to his Funeral Service on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 2:00 PM in the United Parish Church of Winchendon, 39 Front Street, Winchendon, MA 01475.

Following the Funeral, all are invited to a celebration of Bud’s life which will take place in the hall at the Eugene M. Connor American Legion Post 193, 295 School Street (Route 12), Winchendon, MA 01475, where he had been a member of the Sons of the American Legion.

Bud will be buried beside his wife in Riverside Cemetery at a later date.

Those who wish to make memorial contributions in Bud’s memory are kindly asked to consider the Wendell P. Clark Memorial YMCA, 155 Central Street, Winchendon, MA 01475, or the United Parish, 39 Front Street, Winchendon, MA 01475.