Bernard “Bud” H. Ames sailed away from this world on 4/15/22 at the age of 95. He was much beloved. Born in Toledo Ohio on 6/20/26 to Homer C. and Louise (Hagedorn) Ames, Bud was the youngest of four children. Bud grew up on the banks of the Ottawa River and built his first sailboat by himself using only hand tools, when he was 14. He sailed right up to his 95th birthday. Bud was also a gifted pianist and was playing, by memory, pieces from composers like Rachmaninoff and Christian Sinding in his early teens.
Six days after his 18th birthday, Bud enlisted in the Navy and served in WWII in both European and Pacific theaters. He was in NYC kissing all the girls on the day the war ended in Europe. After the war, Bud attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a BSE degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. He designed ore carriers on the Great Lakes. In Connecticut his work included the engineering of deep-diving submarines, the Trieste II, and the smallest and only nuclear research submarine the NR-1. Later, Bud would become the Chief of Ship Arrangements for the Ohio class submarine, the largest submarine ever built for the US Navy.
In 1952 Bud married Myra Malin and they had three children together. Cherie, Bob and Randy grew up in Groton CT along a river, where they too learned to sail. After 32 years with General Dynamics, Electric Boat, Bud retired to spend more time sailing, traveling with Myra and puttering around their big house. Bud was a project man and always found ways to keep busy building, arranging, or fixing things.
A few years after Myra’s death, Bud found love again. He married Rosalee A. (Jacobson) Sprout in 2003 and welcomed her children into the family. Bud and Rosalee had many adventures together, including travel to the Amazon, Scotland, France, Norway, Belgium, Panama and the Galapagos. They lived in Key West and Gainesville FL and spent summers in S. Burlington, VT.
Bud is predeceased by his parents, his first wife Myra, and his sisters, Hildred Alexander (Richard); Mary Ruth Daggett (Keith); and Virginia Blakesley (William, Sr). He’s survived by his wife Rosalee Sprout of Gainesville FL, daughter Cherie A. Wenzel (Michael); Robert M. Ames (Sharon Setzer); and Randall C. Ames. He is survived by three grandchildren, Katharine A. Lucas (Zachary), Lucas A. Wenzel (Elizabeth), and Gaelle L. Ames. Bud had many nieces and nephews and he always remembered their birthdays. Bud is survived by three stepchildren Alison Sprout; Leslie Sprout; and Kevin Sprout (Lisa Morris) and their children Peregrine Beckett, Audrey Schneider and Lena Schneider. Also dear to his heart are Gordon Caras, Florence Courbis and Chaffrey Leclere. Special thanks go to the staff at Oak Hammock Skilled Nursing Unit who cared for Bud during the last months of his life with great kindness and to his friend and companion, Charles Speta.
Bud was an avid storyteller. He sang tenor in many chorales. He was a man of faith. Bud would tell you not to worry, to have fun, and most of all to love one another. He had a heart as big as the world.
In accordance with his wishes, Bud’s ashes will be scattered this summer in Lake Champlain and in Long Island Sound. Donations may be made to the Oak Hammock Scholarship Fund or to The Ocean Conservancy.
