Delbert Ketcham

Delbert "Del" Ketcham died Wednesday, April 29th in Hendersonville, NC after a five month battle with lung cancer. Del and his wife, Sheila deBettencourt, moved from Wiscasset, Maine to North Carolina in December 2014 to live near their children and granddaughter.

Del was a man who saw a problem and did something about it. He lived in many different places and worked many different jobs, but he continually worked for social justice for people on the margins of society. He was passionate about injustices and could make a speech without notes or notice to shed light on a problem and offer a solution. He took personal risks to work for improvements in education, housing, hunger relief, food security, environmental justice and for a politically informed public.

Del worked as a regular substitute teacher at Wiscasset High School from 2007 until his move south. He loved the students and they loved him. He served on the board of the Morris Farm Trust where he managed the Margaret Ellis Community Garden and was an originator of the Morris Farm Store. He served on the board of the Wiscasset Public Library. He was involved at St. Philips Episcopal Church in support of substance abuse recovery and the Backpack Program for the children of Wiscasset. He attended East Boothbay United Methodist and Bath United Methodist churches.

Del and Sheila lived in Nashville, TN, from 2001 to 2007 where Del worked for the Society of St. Andrew as their national Hunger Relief Advocate in the office of the United Methodist Men. Del, along with Thomas Henderson of The ACTS Project organized people from all segments of the city of Nashville to work toward food security for all Nashvillians which resulted in the creation of Food Security Partners of Middle Tennessee in 2007. That organization continues its work today. Del was a member of the Edgehill United Methodist Church and managed the Edgehill Community Garden in Nashville.

Del was born in Biddeford, ME in 1939 and moved to Weymouth, MA in 1947. His famous "green thumb" began in his family's commercial greenhouses there, where he learned to propagate plants and help in all aspects of the family business, Ketcham Flowers. He was a member of the Future Farmers of America through the 1950s and won many prizes in local and state fairs and 4H groups.

Del graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1963 with degrees in biology and education and a minor in political science. He taught Jr. High School in Grafton and Brockton, MA for more than 10 years. In the 1970s, he managed restaurants in Boston and New Orleans. Del owned G&P Expeditors in Quincy, MA in the 1980s and 1990s. During these decades, he was an early advocate for community access television in Weymouth MA, producing programs and hosting two weekly interview shows that examined local and national issues for the community.

Del is survived by his beloved wife, Sheila deBettencourt; son, Jason Ketcham; step-children, Angie Buxton, Christina Souza, Dan deBettencourt and their spouses; as well as his precious grand-daughter, Aquinnah deBettencourt. He was predeceased by his son Delbert Blois Ketcham. A memorial service is planned for later in the year in Wiscasset, Maine. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Morris Farm Trust, P.O. Box 136, Wiscasset, ME 04578; Heifer International, 1 World Ave., Little Rock, AR, 72202; or United Methodist Committee on Relief, 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1520, New York, NY 10115.
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Moore Funeral Home & Cremation Services is serving the family.