PITTSFIELD -- Ival "Bud" Cianchette, one of the four founding fathers of Cianbro Corp., died Thursday night at the age of 83.

Cianchette, president of the huge construction firm during its largest growth period of the 1970s, had been battling cancer.

Peter Vigue, the company's president, chairman and chief executive officer, expressed sympathy for the family.

"It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of one of our founders, a friend and colleague," Vigue said.

Cianchette's death leaves one surviving member -- Kenneth Cianchette -- of the company's founders. The eldest of the four brothers, Carl E. Cianchette, died in 1977, while Alton "Chuck" Cianchette perished when the small Cessna plane he was piloting crashed in Kentucky, in 2000.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also expressed her condolences to the Cianchette family.

"Maine has lost a wonderful man with the passing of Bud Cianchette," Collins said. "He was an extraordinary leader in Maine's business community and a devoted family man, who made countless contributions to his community and our state.

"All of us who were lucky enough to call him a friend will miss him dearly, but his legacy will live on for many years to come. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Priscilla, and the entire Cianchette family during this difficult time."

Though Cianbro maintains operations throughout the Northeast, the brothers resisted moving its corporate offices out of their hometown of Pittsfield.

The seven children of Raphael and Edna Cianchette also contributed greatly to their beloved alma mater, Maine Central Institute. Two buildings on the stately campus bear the Cianchette name.

Bud Cianchette, a 1944 MCI alumnus, was a charter member of the MCI Hall of Fame in 1983.

A memorial service for Cianchette will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church, adjacent to the campus, with public seating at Wright Gymnasium.

Paul Bertrand, MCI trustee and retired Cianbro employee, worked with Cianchette for decades.

"I worked for Bud Cianchette for 45 years," Bertrand said. "Bud's feelings about MCI were the same as those which he had for his business.

"He cared deeply about MCI, as does the whole family, and he was proud of the campus and the outstanding education the school provides."

Cianbro employees can freshly recall Bud Cianchette's compelling statements last month, during the company's 60th anniversary celebration in Pittsfield.

In failing health, he told more than 400 employees he had led a "charmed life."

"In my obituary, if anyone writes one, it should say, 'the luckiest man in the world just left us,'" Cianchette said. "If all of you are as lucky as I've been, you're just going to have a great life, because I certainly have."

Larry Grard -- 861-9239

lgrard@centralmaine.com