OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Seems like everyone in town knew Bud Hertz.

He was a well-respected antiques dealer and owned K & B Antiques on Route 1 in Saco for 29 years. He also worked for the Old Orchard Beach Fire Department.

In his spare time, he refereed boys’ basketball games across southern Maine for nearly 35 years. He also was an active member of St. Margaret’s Church and the Knights of Columbus.

“I don’t know anyone that didn’t know him,” said his friend, Sandra Lord, of Saco. “He kept busy. That was his life. It’s what made him happy.”

Irving “Bud” Hertz Jr. died Tuesday at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough. He was 68.

He was remembered by friends Thursday as a kind and compassionate man, who was a little rough around the edges, yet was loved by so many people.

Mr. Hertz had no surviving family. His father died when he was 7 years old, and his mother died when he was 14. In 1958, he moved from Bangor to Old Orchard Beach, where he was raised by his foster parents, Omer “Chippy” Bill and his wife, Alberta.

He went on to graduate from Old Orchard Beach High School in 1962, and also served six years in the Navy.

He was never married and had no children. He did have a dog, Snoopy No. 5. Friends said he considered many of them his family.

Mr. Hertz had a passion for buying and selling antiques. He attended auctions throughout the state. “He loved meeting people and swapping stories,” Lord said. “He was a very easy person to talk with.”

Mr. Hertz was a firefighter in Old Orchard Beach for 16 years. He also taught fire prevention and safety in local schools.

Capt. Normand Gendron said Mr. Hertz was active in the department and in the community. Gendron said he was a mentor to many young firefighters.

“He was one of those guys that took you under his wing and helped you along,” Gendron said.

Mr. Hertz was a role model for many young athletes. He refereed middle school and high school boys’ basketball games, and volunteered as a basketball coach. Last year, he was honored by the Old Orchard Beach Alumni Association and inducted into its Hall of Fame.

Lord said Mr. Hertz refereed the annual Old Orchard Beach Alumni Basketball Classic for many years. Last year, a student pushed him in his wheelchair so he could make the calls on the court.

“We wanted him to be involved,” Lord said. “He always enjoyed the youth in the community. He was big into that.”

At Saturday’s service, members of the Fire Department will escort his ashes from Cote Funeral Home to St. Margaret’s Church.

Mr. Hertz was an active member of his church for many years. He was an usher, altar server, Eucharistic minister and a past member of the church council.

His friend Margaret Quinn, of Old Orchard Beach, said he extended his hand to help those who needed it.

“Anytime anything needed to be done at the church, he helped,” Quinn said. “He felt so comfortable there. Church was so important to Bud. He was so proud that St. Margaret’s has been his home for a long time. We all accepted him for who he was. No one ever judged him.”

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:

mcreamer@pressherald.com