BY MATT SCHOOLEY
Many things have changed in Bow over the past 60 years, but one of the town’s constants was the man who worked on a dairy farm, was chief of the Fire Department and who would do anything for his family.
Longtime Bow resident Roger S. Ordway Sr., died unexpectedly on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Concord Hospital at age 75.
Born Nov. 25, 1931, in Concord, Ordway attended Concord’s school system and graduated from Concord High School in 1949.
During his high school years, Ordway discovered a new love.
“Firefighting was always such a big passion of his,” said his wife of 55 years, Priscilla Ordway. “Ever since he was 16 years old, he just loved it.”
In 1947, he joined the Bow Fire Department and dedicated his service to the town for the next 53 years, climbing to the rank of fire chief, a position he held until his retirement in 1990.
Current Fire Chief Dana Abbott has been a member of the Bow Fire Department since 1967, and worked side by side with Ordway for many years.
“He is really hard to describe,” said Abbott. “He was a good chief who worked hard to make sure he kept up to date with the times. He always did a great job. The memories that most stand out to me are just many of the fires we worked on together.”
Ordway was involved in many activities in Bow, including the Heritage Committee, Bow Mills United Methodist Church and New Hampshire Fire Warden Association, among many others.
Priscilla Ordway described her husband as a man with many outstanding qualities.
“He was very outgoing and caring,” she said. “Roger was so interested in the town and all of the people in it, which is why he was involved in so many things in Bow.”
Ordway was a father of a daughter, Jayne Cantara, and son, Roger Ordway II, both of whom he was extremely close.
“He was a tremendous husband and such a great father to his two children,” said Priscilla Ordway. “He would do different things with each of them, and with each of his (four) grandchildren.”
Working for his grandparents on a small dairy farm on Route 3A, Roger Ordway often milked cows and learned a passion for working with his hands on small farm equipment, something that would come in handy as he opened his own small repair shop after retirement.
He was always changing with technology, though.
“Roger really enjoyed fixing things and learning to use new things. He learned to work on computers and loved to work on building things as well,” said Priscilla Ordway. “He loved to work with the kids, and he was always there for them no matter what.”
Roger Ordway will be missed, said Abbott.
“He was active in so many of the town’s activities,” said Abbott. “It is a very big loss for the town of Bow.”