Alton C. Ireland Sr., 78, passed away in the comfort of his home and family on Saturday, August 22, 2015, following several years of declining health. Born in Clinton, Maine, on April 21, 1937, he was the son of the late Carl W. and Margaret (Pevey) Ireland. On June 16, 1962, he married the former Audrey Sherman in Waterbury.
Alton attended schools in Clinton, Maine, and as a young man was employed at a women’s reformatory by the state of Maine, was a truck driver for several companies and was proud to have served as a member of the Maine National Guard.
Moving to Vermont in 1961, Alton went to work as a truck driver and heavy equipment operator for Roger Brothers Construction Co. building Interstate 89. He later was employed as a truck driver for the Vermont State Highway Department in Middlesex, worked at the State Farm in Duxbury, drove a truck for Anderson Concrete Co. in Waterbury and was a self-employed logger. Most recently he worked for McCullough Crushing Inc. of Middlesex from which he retired in 1991 due to health reasons.
Alton is lovingly remembered for his abilities as a woodworker, his skill in making latch hook rugs and crocheting mittens, the joy of working in his vegetable garden and that his door was always open to anyone in the neighborhood.
Alton is loved and mourned by his wife of 53 years, Audrey Ireland of Duxbury; their children, Lisa Ireland of Duxbury and Alton “Buddy” C. Ireland Jr. and his wife Courtney of Duxbury; his grandchildren, Katelyn Ireland, Trevor Audet and Meagan Audet and her fiancé Corey White; great-grandson Brayden White; a sister, Doris Howes Durgin of Skowhegan, Maine; as well as nieces, nephews and extended family. Alton was predeceased by a sister, Evelyn Soule.
The family of Alton Ireland Sr. invites family and friends to a time of visitation at their home located at 4232 Vermont Route 100 in Duxbury on Thursday, August 27, 2015, from 4 to 7 p.m. For those who wish, memorial gifts would be appreciated to the Waterbury Ambulance Service, P.O. Box 95, Waterbury Center, VT 05677 or to Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641 (www.cvhhh.org). Assisting the family is Perkins-Parker Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Waterbury. To send online condolences please visit www.perkinsparker.com and the funeral home Facebook page.
