RUMFORD – John L. Batherson, a decorated World War II veteran and a Maine judge for 36 years, died Thursday, Dec. 27 at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. He was 85.

Batherson was a native of Rumford, where he and his wife of 57 years, Alma, raised four children.

During World War II, Batherson flew 21 combat missions in Europe as a radio operator and gunner on a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. He and the rest of his crew were shot down behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia and evaded German troops for a month before making their way to safety.

After the war, Batherson earned a law degree and practiced law in Rumford. He was appointed as a municipal judge by Gov. Edmund Muskie in 1958, and later served as a district judge until his retirement at age 72 in 1994.

Batherson earned the name “Father John” for his reputation for fairness and compassion, said his son John G. Batherson.

“He never looked down on anyone,” he said. “He helped the poor, the sick, and especially people who were not as lucky as others.”

Batherson is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter.

A lifelong member of St. Athanasius and St. John Church, he will be buried this spring in St. John Cemetery.