Maxine E. Pangburn
Maxine E. Pangburn, of Sun City Center, FL, passed away peacefully the morning of Oct. 31, 2023, at the age of 85 years old. She is survived by her husband of 67 years, Jerry; daughter, Lisa Gritzinger (Warren); son, Terry; three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her grandson, Nicholas Pangburn.
She was an active member of the community, volunteering for the Sun City Center Security Patrol and the Nearly New Shop for 13 years each. Maxine had a love for cooking, baking and sewing, and she enjoyed sharing her creations with friends and family.
She will be taken home to Hulbert, MI, to be laid to rest with her family.
Kenneth Paul Ducharme
Kenneth Paul Ducharme passed away peacefully at the James A. Haley Veteran’s Hospital on Dec. 1, 2023. He was born Dec. 19, 1948, at Winthrop Hospital near Boston, MA. He is the son of Leo Ducharme and Rose DeFeo Ducharme. Ken grew up in Randoph, MA. He has four siblings, Erik Ducharme, Michael Ducharme, Misty Ducharme Callinn (brother-in-law Ed Callinan), and Joseph Ducharme (sister-in-law Nancy King Ducharme).
Kenneth graduated from Quincy (Massachusetts) Vo-Tech High School. Following graduation, he worked as an apprentice machinist and in 1968 enlisted to fight in the Vietnam War. He arrived on the first day of the Tet Offensive in Saigon.
After the war, he worked as an accomplished master machinist for the Boston Navy Yard and, eventually, started his own electronics business, Sundown Electronics. He married his sweetheart, Carole Fennel, and together they had three children, Timothy, Eric and Wendy (whose married name is Wendy Warren). Kenneth also worked for the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) for many years until his retirement in 2006. He specialized in the engineering of the Bus Fareboxes and other aspects of transit. While working for the MBTA, his beloved Carole passed away, and, later, he married Nancy J. Kramer. Nancy had two children of her own, so he bought a large house in Abington, MA, to accommodate his growing family. Kenneth retired from the MBTA in 2006, and the entire family moved to Lake City, FL, to manage Suwannee Valley Campground until 2010.
At this point the family moved to the Tampa area. Kenneth enjoyed being with his family, camping and vacationing, particularly at Walt Disney World. He worked on daily projects, including turning bowls on his busy lathe, mixing wood with colorful resin; these bowls were displayed at local art galleries. He also enjoyed carving wooden objects such as gnomes and trolls as well as wood spirits.
Kenneth is survived by his wife, Nancy J. Ducharme; his three children; two stepchildren, Allison and Eric; and eight grandchildren, as well as his 93 year old mother-in-law, Barbara Kramer.
Those who would like to remember and celebrate the life of Kenneth Ducharme, please donate to the Apollo Beach Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund ( Apollo Beach, Florida) or to the charity of your choice.