John Batherson, WWII veteran and Maine judge
RUMFORD, Maine - John L. Batherson, a decorated World War II veteran and a Maine judge for 36 years, died Thursday at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He was 85.
Judge Batherson was a native of Rumford, where he and his wife of 57 years, Alma, raised four children.
During World War II, Judge Batherson flew 21 combat missions in Europe as a radio operator and gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. He and the rest of his crew were shot down behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia and evaded German troops for a month before making their way to safety.
After the war, Judge Batherson earned a law degree and practiced law in Rumford. He was appointed as a municipal judge by Governor Edmund Muskie in 1958, and later served as a district judge until his retirement at age 72 in 1994.
Judge Batherson had a reputation for fairness and compassion, said his son, John G.
"He never looked down on anyone," he said. "He helped the poor, the sick, and, especially, people who were not as lucky as others."
Judge Batherson leaves his wife, three sons, and a daughter.
A lifelong member of St. Athanasius and St. John Church, he will be buried this spring in St. John Cemetery.
