Ernest W. “Bud” Marston, a lifelong Needham resident and renowned vibrant character, passed away peacefully in his sleep early morning on Sunday, March 8 in Amherst. He celebrated his 86th birthday two weeks earlier. He was a Needham resident all his life until January 2005 when he moved with his beloved wife Anna to Amherst to be closer to their eldest daughter. Mr. Marston attended Needham Public Schools and graduated from Newton Trade School in 1940. He served in World War II from 1942-1946 as an airplane electrical mechanic with the Army Air Corps, Air Transport Command, in the Middle East, North Africa and India. While stationed in Iran, he invented a spark plug heater for a G.I. competition and won an eight-day trip. After the war, he joined the Needham Fire Department, receiving Badge #7, and served the town for nearly thirty-five years, most of them as driver of the Rescue Truck.
Bud met the love of his life Anna on a blind date, and they were married in Christ Episcopal Church in January 1949. After Anna placed the wedding ring on his finger, he never removed it. They built their home on Kimball Street next door to his parents’ home, and lived there for 55 years. Bud was one of the first EMTs in Massachusetts. As a firefighter and EMT over the years, he was proud of personally saving several residents’ lives from serious fires and car crashes. Additionally, he was a licensed Master Television Technician, who made house calls and extended repairs in his basement workshop throughout the 1950s and 60s, and other electronics repairs. Bud loved children and few things made him happier than to get a laugh and hug from a child. He always had a few tricks to show any child who passed by, especially his famous “removable thumb.” When his children were young, he climbed the huge oak tree in his parents’ yard next door to install a sturdy swing from the overhanging limb 25 feet above. For decades afterwards, when his own children were grown, neighborhood children would ring his doorbell to get a push from him on that amazing swing.
He was a 32nd degree Mason and lifetime member of Norfolk Lodge A.F. & A.M., the Aleppo Temple, the Scottish Rite Bodies of Boston, and the Firefighters Square & Compass Club. In the early 1960s, he was an active member of the Easy Riders Citizens Band Radio Club. Bud was a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Needham and was a Town Meeting Member for over 20 years. He was recognized by the American Red Cross for having donated over 100 pints of blood, donating on behalf of the Masonic Lodge. Bud was a longtime fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, first as a member of Needham International Association of Fire Fighters Local #1706, and in retirement by maintaining collection canisters at several Needham businesses. He will be remembered by many Needham residents as the man who used to buzz around town on his moped, and he always had a supply of bright fuchsia “Hugging Cards” to hand out with a poem he wrote. He retired early from the Fire Department when his wife became disabled from a stroke, and they enjoyed many years of travel together afterwards.
The beloved husband of the late Anna (McElroy) Marston, he was the father of Linda Marston and her husband Dennis Bromery of Amherst, Cynthia Figueiredo and her husband Bill Figueiredo of Riverside, CA, and Glenn Marston and his late wife Joanne (Pacheco) Marston of Roslindale. He was the brother of the late Patricia M. Thrasher. Bud is also survived by 5 grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. A Funeral service will be held at the Christ Episcopal Church Chapel 1132 Highland Ave Needham on Friday March 13 at 10:00 AM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held in the Eaton Funeral Home 1351 Highland Ave Needham on Thursday from 4-7 PM. Interment with Military Honors will take place in Needham Cemetery. Donations in Bud’s name may be made to the Needham Firemen's Relief Fund, 88 Chestnut St, Needham MA 02492, or the Muscular Dystrophy Association.