Kenneth Charles McInnis Jr.

MILLS RIVER, N.C.~ Kenneth C. (Ken) McInnis, Jr. passed away peacefully on March 9, 2013 at Elizabeth House in Flat Rock, NC after a short illness with his beautiful wife Alice at his side. He was born October 16, 1926 in West Bethel, Maine, the son of Vera (Libby) and Kenneth C. McInnis, Sr. He married Alice Hathaway on October 17th 1948 in Bryant Pond, Maine. Ken and Alice made the Trails End Farm in Bryant Pond their home for over 60 years before moving to North Carolina in 2012. After graduating from Gould Academy in Bethel, Ken attended the University of Vermont on a scholarship for a short period before enlisting in the Army. A World War II veteran, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces General Command and was stationed in Germany. Ken was well known in the area for his many years as a local grocer and butcher. He started his career working for Howard MacKillop at MacKillop's Market in Bryant Pond. After purchasing that business he operated Ken's Market for many years before going to work for his brother-in-law Ellsworth Hathaway as a butcher at the Locke Mills General Store. He retired from the retail grocery business while working as a butcher at the Bethel IGA. His 'retirement' then led him to a part time position at the University of Maine 4-H Camp and Learning Center in Bryant Pond for whom he worked for almost 20 years, finally retiring at the age of 84. Ken was a member of the Jefferson Lodge #100 A.F. & A.M. of Bryant Pond, member of the West Bethel Union Church, member of the Gould Academy Alumni Association, a Past Patron of Jefferson Chapter # 89 O.E.S, member of the American Legion Jackson-Silver Post # 68 and former member of the Woodstock Volunteer Fire Department. He enjoyed many fishing trips with friends to well-known places like Moosehead Lake, Chain of Ponds, Parmachenee, Indian Pond, Flagstaff, Aziscohos and of course Lake Christopher. Some of his fondest memories were of the many RV trips across the United States he and Alice made with Willie and Joyce Hathaway during their retirement years. He is survived by his wife Alice, son Stuart and wife Deborah of Mills River, NC; daughter Gail Buker and husband Robert of West Bethel; daughter Susanne Sanders and husband Scott of Stratton Mountain, VT; son Mark and wife Kim of Dover, FL; sister Lois Howe and husband Charles of Bryant Pond; sister Ruth Chapman of Orange Park, FL; eight grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents and brother Donald. In lieu of flowers the family request donations of remembrance be made to the West Bethel Union Church in West Bethel, Maine.