Heath Denton Bumgardner Jr.

Heath Denton Bumgardner Jr. 1948 – 2021 WEST BATH – On Saturday morning, Aug. 7, 2021, Heath Denton Bumgardner Jr. of West Bath, Maine, passed away too young. He was 73 years old; his spirit had more to give than the body permits. He is survived by his children, Heath Bumgardner and Lauren Almarode, and his grandchildren that adored their “Popster”; his siblings, James Bumgardner, Mary Parsons, and Lila Godwin; the matriarch of the family and doting mother, Mary Bumgardner; his loving partner, Cathy Padgett and canine companion Grace; and countless other relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his father, Heath D. Bumgardner Sr. Denton loved his family, fly fishing, painting, hiking, tending to a garden, and the law. He embraced the honesty and simplicity of these pursuits. There was no pretense in his rising early to wade into Maine rivers with the hope that the next cast will lead to a memory. He rejoiced in nature’s rebirth as planted seeds grew green shoots (even as it meant that his seasonal battle with weeds was also imminent.) Hiking wasn’t just to reach the peak of a mountaintop but a journey that was part of being alive. And the law was more than a means to an end professionally, but an exercise in the pursuit of fairness and humanity. The leukemia came quickly. And though there was a brief respite when he could walk the Green Trail with Grace again, or take a last adventure with his love, Cathy, or squeeze a grandchild, it wasn’t enough time for all those that loved him. If heaven embodies the best of us, Denton Bumgardner will be slowly working his way up a quiet river at daybreak, looking for the right pool to make one more cast.