Ernest W. "Ernie" Nugent

1942 - 2016

WORTHINGTON - Ernest "Ernie" W. Nugent, 73, of Worthington, passed away Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, with his family at his side in St. Petersburg, Florida, his winter home he loved so much. He endured and struggled for many years with complications from diabetes and kidney failure with a spirit of never giving up.

He was born Sept. 5, 1942, in Northampton, to the late Albert Nugent, Sr. and Alice Williams Nugent of Chesterfield. He and his wife, Deen (Brooks) Nugent of Worthington, were married in 1965 and they started their married life in Ft. Benning, Georgia. Ernie served in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1965, 11 of those months spent in Vietnam as a crew chief on helicopters, earning marksman and air medals.

Ernie graduated from Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton, and after being discharged from the U.S. Army he was employed by Bryant Machine in Westfield, O'Connell Construction in Holyoke, local contractors and then worked for the Worthington Highway Department for over 30 years, the last 11 of those as the highway superintendent, retiring in 2002. He was coming home from a Caribbean cruise during the blizzard in March of 1993, got stranded in airports along the way but all he could think about was "I've got to get home and plow the roads, that's my job". Work was his life and he took his work seriously.

He has been a very devoted member of the Worthington Rod and Gun Club since his late teenage years. He spent endless hours of volunteering with other members working on improvements to the grounds and the building. He truly loved the Rod and Gun Club. He was a member of the Worthington Volunteer Fire Department for more than 30 years and the zoning board for many years. He loved his community and would lend a helping hand when and wherever it was needed.

One of his proudest accomplishments in life were his 38 years of sobriety and the many friends that he made through the Alcoholics Anonymous organization and how it changed his life. His family was also very proud of him for that! It was just another example of his spirit of never giving up. His hobby in life was physical work, that's what he was happiest doing although he did enjoy hunting and fishing in his younger and healthier years.

He was predeceased by two sisters, Alice Wright (Otis) of Florida, and Clara Shea (David) Chicopee, one brother, William (Heidi) of Washington, and his very special aunt Winifred Nugent who lived to be 100 years old.

In addition to his wife Deen of 50 years, he leaves his two daughters who he was so proud of, a testament to that was his logo, E. Nugent & Daughters: Patti Slysz (David) of Hatfield, and Kelly Wolf (Devon) of Worthington. His grandchildren were a huge source of pride to him and they will miss his quiet ways and generous heart, Stephanie and Allison Slysz of Hatfield, and Chelsea and Travis Wolf of Worthington. Work hard and don't give up was what he wanted them to strive for. He also leaves his brothers Bert (Pat) of Worthington, and Charles (Sherry) of Chesterfield, and his sisters Jane Witter (Clarence) of Worthington, Dorothy Long of Milton, Florida, and Susan Jalbert of Dalton, and many many cousins. He loved to boast of how many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews and great-great-nieces and nephews he had, totaling 76 currently.

The family would like to express our very heartfelt thanks and gratefulness to the Worthington First Responders and the Hilltown Ambulance crews who humored Ernie on their many calls to our home. A special thanks goes out to the Fresenius Dialysis Center in Northampton, for the six and a half years of compassion, care and concern they gave to Ernie and his family during his years of treatment there. This same heartfelt note goes to the Seminole Dialysis Center in Florida, where Ernie enjoyed the staff just as much. They made those hours of treatments quite entertaining for him, given the nature of the situation. He was told many times by his nurses and doctors during his multiple hospitalizations over the years that he was a pleasure to have as a patient. Whenever Ernie would end a conversation on the phone with his daughters and grandchildren, he could be heard saying "love ya kid." He was a man of few words but they meant a lot.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Worthington Rod & Gun Club, P.O. Box 71, Worthington, MA 01098, Attn: Treasurer.

O'Brien Hilltown Funeral Home of Huntington is handling the arrangements. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held in the spring.

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