Blueberry raker still going strong Bucksport man on barrens for half-century

DEBLOIS – He keeps coming back. It’s not just for the money, but for the love of the job.

Henry Dean, 77, of Bucksport has been raking blueberries off and on since 1949. He has raked berries every year for Jasper Wyman & Son since 1980.

“I’m just here to rake berries,” Dean said recently.

He is officially retired. But even as this season winds down, Dean has every intention of returning to the Wyman blueberry barrens to rake for years to come.

“As long as I’ve got my health, I’ll be right back, probably,” Dean said. “I’ve never thought about not being out on the fields.”

Born in Maine, Dean was a woodworker most of his life, but he has dabbled in just about everything.

“He comes back every year,” crew leader Kenny Perry, 55, of Cherryfield said. A faithful and hard worker, Dean is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet, Perry said.

“He’s always here a week before starting, just wanting to know when we’ll be ready to go,” Perry said.

Dean stays in his truck camper for the duration of the harvest, rarely returning home to Bucksport before the season ends.

“It’s hard work, but it pays pretty good,” Dean said. He has been a member of Kenny Perry’s crew for the last 23 years.

Perry has been a crew leader since 1970 and has worked for Jasper Wyman & Son for 35 years.

“We’ve seen a lot of changes up here,” Perry said as he looked toward where Dean was raking. Rakers used to be paid in cash, then from the crew leaders’ checking accounts. Now Jasper Wyman & Son handles the payroll.

Berries were once collected in wooden bins; today harvesters use plastic ones. And although some mechanical harvesters are used by Wyman’s, the rakers are still an important part of the harvest.

Blueberries have been a part of Dean’s life for more than 50 years, but he’s not sure why he keeps returning to the barrens.

“I guess I just like doing it, that’s all,” he said.