Title	Mr.
Last Name	Hartford II
First Name	Ronald
Middle Name	Augustus
Maiden Name
Nick Name	Ron, Ronnie
Place of Birth	North Dexter, ME
Date of Birth	1949-12-09
Place of Death	Cambridge, ME
Date of Death	2020-05-15
Publication	BDN 2020-05-19
Obituary	CAMBRIDGE - Ronald (Ronnie, Ron) Augustus Hartford II, born December 9, 1949 to Ronald and Doris Hartford of North Dexter, Maine. He was the eldest of his siblings followed by the late Michael Hartford of North Dexter, Steve Hartford of Parkman, Carol Goulette of Bath, and Cheryl Ruksznis of Sangerville. His love of farming began on their family farm helping his father milk a few dairy cows. He had a job driving the bus for Guilford's PCHS while attending high school there. His last stop was at the late Bob Bridge's dairy cow farm in Parkman, Maine where he worked doing chores. Often Bob would have to go find Ronnie on the tractor working fields and tell him it was time to quit for the day. After receiving an associate Civil Engineering degree from the University of Maine Orono he was drafted to the Army, stationed in Germany. He married the farmer's daughter, Kathleen (Kathy) Folsom and they had two sons, Ronald (Gus) Hartford III and Matthew Hartford. She would point to the tractor in the field saying, "Dada" so often that the boys thought "Dada" was a tractor! Ronnie's love of children was not lost on his sons or his two grandchildren Hailee and Avah Hartford, doting on them whenever he could. In 1972 he began working on the Folsom Farm in Cambridge, Maine a dairy farm then owned by father, Elmer Folsom, and son, James (Jim) Folsom. He proved his value with his tireless work ethic and problem solving wit and in 1978 became partners of the farm with Jim. Together they expanded the acreage farmed and cows milked making Cambridge Farms what it is today. Their 15 hour work days, 365 days a year, were longer in the summer. But to Ronnie it wasn't all work, you could tell by the smile on his face at the end of the long days - he was living his dream of farming. Ronnie remarried in 2011 to Linda Kensell, a wonderful woman who Ronnie joked with saying, "She's got faults but cookin' ain't one of them!" And good thing - food was another of his loves, often planning the next meal while enjoying the current one. Together they canned and preserved much of the large garden Linda tended. Over the years they enjoyed vacations during spring mud season with friends and family. He enjoyed motorcycling, ATVing, and snowmobiling whenever possible. With the Cambridge ATV club he coordinated "The Cambridge Cornfield Ride," a benefit for Make-A-Wish where he guided ~700 ATV's through the farm's fields with a firework finale. In the fall he helped with the club's Toys for Tots ride. Ron is survived by mother Doris Hartford, sister-in-law Marilyn Burnham Hartford, brother Steve and sister-in-law Brenda Hartford, sister Carol and brother-in-law Dave Goulette, sister Cheryl and brother-in-law Frank Ruksznis, son Gus and daughter-in-law Holly Hartford, granddaughters Hailee and Avah, son Matthew and daughter-in-law Julie Parenteau, step-daughter Amy Carr and step-son-in-law Aaron Carr. Ron is predeceased by father Ronald Hartford, brother Michael Hartford, sister-in-law and best friend Susan Skillin. Ron passed peacefully at home with family, this generous man will be missed by many family, friends, and his dog Jake. In lieu of flowers, donations to Make-A-Wish on behalf of Ronnie Hartford can be sent to: Make-A-Wish Maine, 66 Mussey Road, Scarborough, ME 04074. A celebration of life will be held later in 2020. Those who wish may leave written condolences at CrosbyNeal.com Published on May 19, 2020