Born June 30, 1932Manchester, VermontDied Sept. 17, 2024Colchester, VermontDetails of serviceA celebration of life is planned on Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 2 p.m. at The Old Lantern, 3260 Greenbush Road, Charlotte, Vermont.If you wish to make a donation in Warren’s memory, please consider the Northeast FM Repeater Association (nfmra.org), the Vermont Woodlands Association (vermontwoodlands.org), or the McClure Miller Respite House (https://www.uvmhomehealth.org/donate/make-an-online-donation/). You may also wish to plant a tree, preferably an American chestnut (tacf.org).Warren Nelson Severance died on September 17, 2024 following a courageous battle with old age. The only child of Cutler F. Severance and Ebba E. Severance (nee Nilsson), Warren was born in Manchester, Vermont on June 30, 1932 at Wilburton Hall where his parents were employed at the time.As a boy, Warren enjoyed playing and working with animals and machinery on the farms and estates where his father worked. He had a fascination for railroad locomotives and electronics, especially radios. He attended schools in Manchester and graduated high school at Burr and Burton Seminary in 1950. He worked as an auto mechanic at A.W. Bourne Garage until he was drafted into the US Army in 1953, during the Korean war.After being stationed at Dugway Proving Grounds near Salt Lake City, Utah, he returned to Manchester in 1955 and went to work at the local Ford dealership. Delving deeper into his radio hobby, Warren earned his amateur radio license that year and the Federal Communication Commission assigned his now-legendary call sign, K1BKK.Warren met Nancy Skea in 1957 and the two were wed on July 2, 1960 at the First Baptist Church in Manchester. Although his boss at the Ford garage boasted that Warren was the best automatic transmission man in Vermont, it was clear to Nancy and others that his true passion was electronics. In 1961 Nancy convinced him to move to New Jersey so that he could attend the R.C.A. Institute in New York City. Completing the technical training program ahead of schedule, Warren earned an FCC license that allowed him to work on commercial two-way radio systems. Their first son, Eric was born in 1962.After a brief return to Manchester, Warren took a position as Radio Repairman for the Vermont Department of Public Safety in 1963 and the family moved to Barre City. Their son Lars was born that same year and the family purchased a home on East Hill in Barre Town in 1964. The location was chosen, in part, because it was well-suited for radio communications.In 1964, Warren helped to co-found the Northeast FM Repeater Association, an amateur radio club devoted to building and maintaining a robust network of unattended remote transmitters (or repeaters) atop hills and mountains around the region. He was a true pioneer in this endeavor, designing, building, and maintaining systems to extend the range of radio signals to operators far and wide. Warren’s intimate knowledge of Vermont’s roadways and topography was not only critical to his work with State police and fire departments, but his endeavors as a hobbyist as well.Warren’s daughter, Gretchen was born in 1965 and son, Carl followed in 1967. During the 1970s, Warren remained committed to supporting Nancy’s desire to return to work as well as her pursuit of both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Warren was also supportive to his own parents, still living in Manchester. He enjoyed helping his father cut firewood and make maple syrup. The next decade included annual vacations to Hampton Beach that created fond memories for his entire family.During the 1980s, Warren achieved two major amateur radio milestones and was recognized by the American Radio Relay League. The first was for contacting all 50 states on the 6-meter radio band. The next was for working all 50 states on 2-meters, for which he built his own transmitter and massive multi-axis antenna virtually from scratch. This band required “bouncing” radio signals off the surface of the moon. Warren was the 68th radio operator in the country and the first in Vermont to attain this goal. This feat served to further ratify K1BKK’s legendary status within the amateur radio community.He was promoted to Communications Officer in 1983, and continued working with The State of Vermont and private companies to incorporate new technologies to improve and expand electronic communications for the good of all state agencies and the general safety of the public at large.Warren retired from the Department of Public Safety in 1987 but enjoyed staying in touch with his work friends over the following decades. He and Nancy moved to East Charlotte, Vermont in 1989 where he erected new antennas for his radio experiments. Warren worked part time for a security systems company and a wireless TV company. He also worked for many years locating underground utility lines for Engineers Construction in Williston. All of these jobs required not only technical acumen, but also an ability to meet and talk to complete strangers. He was an expert at this and truly enjoyed these encounters.For the majority of Warren’s long life, he delighted in helping other people. He would show up for any project big or small, eager to lend a hand. He loved helping his children, whether it was repairing an old car or building an addition on a house. And as Nancy often said, “He could fix anything. All he had to do was look at it and maybe turn it over once or twice. Then he knew exactly how it worked.”Warren was a longtime member of the Masonic Adoniram Lodge 42 in Manchester and remained active in the Burr and Burton alumni organization, often rallying his own small class of 1950 to reunite. He also loved genealogy and spent time visiting cemeteries, researching ancestors, and documenting his family tree.For a decade or so, Nancy’s niece, Nancy Smith (nee Systo), her husband Tom, with their six children lived just down the road in East Charlotte. Warren, whom they affectionately called “Uncle Cackleberry” formed a special bond with the Smith family, providing comfort, compassion, and humor as they endured a succession of serious health challenges.The onset of the covid-19 pandemic severely hindered Warren’s propensity for social interaction and halted his ability to get out and do things. His daughter, Gretchen became his primary caregiver for the next four years. During the last few months of his life, gravity got the best of him and he suffered a series of falls. Warren and Nancy moved to an assisted living apartment in Shelburne in July 2024. Sadly, Warren’s health worsened. His body finally gave out once and for all after a brief stay at the McClure Miller Respite House, where he was receiving excellent end-of-life care.Warren is survived by his wife of 64 years, Nancy Skea Severance, his four children and their spouses, Eric C. Severance (and Jane (Ackerman) Severance) of Manchester, VT; Lars S. Severance of Shaftsbury, VT; Gretchen A. Beloin (and Peter Beloin) of New Haven, VT; and Carl W. Severance (and Liz Dallas) of Winooski, VT. Warren leaves eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, as well as his beloved sister-in-law Joanna Skea, and nieces and nephews from Nancy’s side of the family. He is also survived by many cousins in Sweden and his dear friend Ted Hopkins of Manchester.Read the story on VTDigger here: Warren N. Severance.