PORTLAND – Roy Lawrence Sanville, 84, of Portland, passed away on Feb. 24, 2021.

Known as “Bud” and “Buddy”, he was gregarious to the end making a friend of everyone he met. An ardent Democrat, Bud reveled in the 2020 election results but soon after suffered a major stroke and left his longtime home at Deering Pavilion in Portland to enter an assisted living facility.

Bud was born on Oct. 27, 1936, in Gorham, the second of four children to James and Lucy Marcella (Frank) Sanville. When his parents divorced, 5-year-old Bud was placed at St. Louis Home for Boys in Scarborough and later was transferred to Goodwill-Hinkley Home. At 14, Bud reunited with his mother and siblings at their home on Sherman Street in Portland where he attended Sacred Heart School. With assistance from Father Davis of Sacred Heart, Bud enrolled at Cheverus High School and flourished. He joined the drama and debate clubs, became editor-in-chief of the yearbook, and excelled on the football team before graduating in 1956.

After a brief stint at Gorham State Teacher’s College, Bud headed to Fort Sill, Okla., where he graduated from Officer Candidate School and then served nine years as a proud member of the Army National Guard.

Bud married Patricia A. Miller when both were quite young. They had four children and remained together for 12 years. Bud and his wife, Patricia, worked on the campaigns of Governor Kenneth Curtis and Senator Edmund Muskie. As a member of Young Democrats of America, Bud proved integral to bringing Robert Kennedy to Maine during his 1968 presidential campaign.

Bud ultimately pursued a career as a salesman, and his most successful professional venture was the Welcome Baby franchise, which included a store and plaza in Weymouth, Mass., where he lived for several decades. Later, Bud sold his plaza and lived briefly in Sarasota, Fla. He then moved back to Portland to be closer to his family and roots. At this point, Bud and his son, Dan, launched a credit card processing business.

Bud also returned to the Cheverus football team to serve as a spotter for more than 20 years. A politically astute conversationalist, Bud took special delight in charming the ladies. He was also a New England Patriots’ fan, a firm Catholic, a loving father, and an enthusiastic promoter of his businesses and family.

Predeceased by his brother, James F. Sanville and sister-in-law Jacqueline “Jackie” Poulin Sanville.

He is survived by a brother, Clifton E. Sanville and his wife, Judy Sanville, of Windham, a sister, Mrs. Kay Sanville Wildes and her husband, Daniel Wildes, of Sanford; daughter, Dr. Wanda S. Henry and her husband, Frank Henry, of Lakeville, Mass., daughter Lisa J. Esposito of Los Angeles, daughter, Vicki A. Caraccioli of Portland, Ore., a son, Daniel L. Sanville and his wife, Patty T. Sanville, of South Portland; and eight grandchildren, Clare and William Henry, TJ and Natasha Esposito, Jessica Caraccioli, Jonah, Jeremiah, and Lilli Sanville.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

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