Michael R. Bouffard of South Burlington, Vermont passed away unexpectedly on April 30, 2015. Mike was born in 1958 and raised in St. Johnsbury Vermont. He graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1976, where he was an accomplished three sport athlete, excelling especially in track and field--as a high jumper, triple jumper and high hurdler. He once held the Academy record in the high jump. Like other student-athletes of his generation, he graduated with deep and enduring respect for his coaches Raymond Frey and James Burlingame. Mike was a devoted father and son who loved his family more than anything else. He was predeceased by his parents, Louis R. Bouffard and Reinette A. Bouffard of St. Johnsbury. He is survived by his two children, Riley Bouffard of South Burlington, Vt., and Michele Conley and her husband Patrick Conley of Boston, Ma., and his five siblings Ron Bouffard of South Burlington, Vt., Diane Morey and her husband Allen Morey of Sheffield, Vt., Andre Bouffard and his wife Margaret Bouffard of South Burlington, Vt., Maurice Bouffard of St. Johnsbury, Vt., and Joanne Bouffard of Greenville, South Carolina. He was unconditionally supportive of both his parents in the later years of their life. After high school, Mike moved to Colorado to begin a long career in construction. After working in highway construction in the Rocky Mountains, he co-founded a successful landscaping business in the Vail, Colorado valley with St. Johnsbury native and classmate Nick Bohlen. Several friends and family from St. Johnsbury enjoyed stints working on the landscaping crew, including his brothers Andre and Maurice and St. Johnsbury native Steve Thurston. He returned to the St. Johnsbury area in the 1980s to raise his family. He was the builder of many homes mostly in the St. Johnsbury and Waterford areas, and was an especially talented finish carpenter. During this period in his life his family had a camp on Harvey's Lake where they spent as much time as possible during the summer boating and barbequing with their many friends and family. He moved to South Burlington in 2009, continuing to work in the construction business until his death. Mike loved the outdoors and was an avid hunter and fisherman. He particularly enjoyed fishing in Northeast Kingdom trout ponds in the early morning, or hunting whitetail deer along a high Sheffield ridge line. He made many ice fishing trips onto Vermont lakes, and is somewhat infamous for one fateful late winter pick-up truck drive onto the ice of Lake Seymour that was followed by a slow walk back to shore, and a difficult call to his insurance agent (luckily his father). Mike was a voracious reader and a student of history, with a special interest in World War II history and in the stories of the great battles of that era and the men who fought them. He had a keen interest in national politics and loved to debate the issues of the day. He would no doubt have had great interest in the 2016 presidential race. Memorial contributions can be sent to the Howard Center in Burlington, Vt., a non-profit institution dedicated to treatment of mental and physical disabilities and substance abuse, in memory of Michael Bouffard. The website address for contributions is https://54461.thankyou4caring.org. A celebration of Mike's life and a luncheon will be held at the Elks Club on Western Avenue in St. Johnsbury, Vt., on June 27th at 11:00AM.