Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, Elbert (Bert) D. Hayford Jr., of Whitefield, passed away peacefully Dec. 29th, 2016 at Glenridge Long Term Care in Augusta. He was born April 21, 1921, in Farmingdale, to Elbert and Gertrude (Boothby) Hayford.
Bert graduated from Gardiner High School in 1938. Following graduation he learned to fly at the Augusta Airport, continued his flight training in Boston and then went on to join the Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant for 27 years of honorable service. He was a highly decorated pilot. His military duties took him all over the world and included, among other things, flight instruction to new pilots, flying 357 missions in the Berlin Airlift – a humanitarian mission, the Candy Drop, and photo mapping Alaska, Iceland and Greenland. Bert also landed a B-17 at Augusta Airport upon learning of his father’s death. At the time it was the second time that a plane of a four-motored type had landed there. Bert was a three-war veteran serving in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
Upon retirement, he and his wife purchased the family farm in Whitefield where they went “back to their roots,” haying the field, growing three gardens, owning a milk cow, chickens, and various other farm animals. During this time, he also owned and operated a Shell station in Augusta. He was a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Deputy, where he volunteered for the Blue Light program visiting community elders to check on their needs. Later, Bert returned to flying for Maine Instrument Flight in Augusta. He would often fly Governor McKernan, and Harold Alfond whom he would occasionally attend Red Sox games with. Bert was Harold’s first pilot choice and they enjoyed a faithful and friendly relationship. Bert also flew Betty Ford, the Woolworth family, Billy Joel to his Bar Harbor home, numerous other celebrities and local business professionals.
Bert also greatly enjoyed joining the Happy Hearts Program at the Augusta YMCA where he exercised three times a week for many years. At age 95 he remained faithful to his exercise routine and especially enjoyed “pool day” on Fridays.
He was very proud to have been a founding father of Whitefield Senior Men’s Group and always looked forward to his Thursday morning discussions with them.
Bert also enjoyed photography, traveling to and watching Formula 1 car racing.
He was predeceased by his parents; beloved wife, Dorothy Alice (Meigs) Hayford; sisters, Eleanor Cunningham, Olive Washburn, Margaret Dodge, and Nancy Harrington; brother, Donald Hayford Sr.; and sons-in-law, William Glazier and Henry F. Bremer.
Elbert is survived by son, Elbert Hayford III of Augusta; daughters, Bonnie Glazier of Palermo, Betsy Bremer of Windsor, Barbara and Daniel Bonenfant of Whitefield, and Connie Libby and husband Jim of Newcastle; sister, Janice Perkins of Edgecomb; nine grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, family and friends.
A memorial service will take place at 2 p.m., Sat., Jan. 7 at Staples Funeral Home, 53 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner. A reception will follow at United Methodist Church, 35 Highland Ave., Gardiner.