He was born Sept. 15, 1931 in Rochester, N.Y., the son of Philip V. Sturges and Jean Ide of Troy, N.Y. He attended schools in New York and Delaware and Westminster Academy in Simbury, Conn. Later he attended Jones College in Jacksonville, Fla.

His early military career ran from September 1951 to September 1961 in the U.S. Air Force as a rotary wing technician with service in France, Germany, Japan and Korea. Later he was employed as a full time aviation maintenance technician for the Florida Army National Guard from March 1965 to October 1986, retiring as Army aviation maintenance shop allied shops foreman and attaining the rank of Command Sergeant Major with 31 years of service.

He was awarded the Army’s Draper Award as First Sergeant of Co.D. 26th Avn. Bn., FLARNG, recognized as the top Army armor unit in the regular, reserve or guard. He was also awarded the Sikorsky Helicopter Company “Flying S” with multiple citations for participating in life-saving rescues in Sikorsky helicopters.

While in the Air Force, he met and married Joyce Gayle Kidd of Dallas, Texas in 1952. They had three sons, Philip V. Sturges III of Jacksonville, David Randolph Sturges of Lake City, Fla., and John Anthony Sturges of Asheville, N.C.

He has a grandson, Elliott Cameron Sturges and a granddaughter, Katherine Allison Sturges, He was preceded by his wife in 2000 and his son David in 2002. In 2002 he married Martha D. Snow of Kennebunkport who has two daughters, Shila Soltys and Sarah Derham with grandson Tyrone Harris from previous marriages.

Command Sgt. and Mrs. Sturges resided in Florida and North Carolina prior to moving to Maine full time.

Command Sgt. Sturges had many interests outside of his work. He was an avid sailor, constructed and owned several small wooden boats and collected books on sailing and sailing vessels. He was also interested in various antique and classic cars and owned several over the years. Listening to and playing music, as well as sailing, were his true passions. And though not school trained, he played many instruments with various bluegrass bands in Florida and North Carolina and later on with classic rock and original bands in Maine.

A gathering of friends and family will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, 11 Hunnewell Road, Scarborough. On-line condolences may be offered to the family at www.directcremationofmaine.com.