An inspiring benefactor, Howard Kesseli dies at 74

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Whether he was peddling soda to raise funds for Homecoming or promoting the Boy Scouts, Howard Kesseli embodied community spirit.

Kesseli, 74, who spent a lifetime trying to make his community a better place to live, died Thursday after a lengthy battle with cancer.

As sick as he was last month, Kesseli made it to the annual homecoming celebration, an event he chaired, just to make certain everything went as planned. The event was held the weekend of Aug. 6.

“Howard was extremely dedicated; he took on Homecoming like his life’s work,” Dover-Foxcroft Town Manager Barbara Moore said Monday. “He was extremely organized and detailed and was very appreciative of everything anyone did.”

No matter how small a part someone may have had in any fundraising project or event, Kesseli insisted on sending a personal handwritten note of thanks, Moore said.

“They say that nobody is indispensable but it will be a long time before we find someone who will take on the Homecoming with the dedication that he did,” she said.

Fred Brawn of Dover-Foxcroft, who worked with Kesseli on events over the years, said Monday that Kesseli made sure everyone who volunteered for projects followed through with their duties. “He was an inspiration to his volunteers because they tried to keep up with him, which was hard to do,” he said Monday.

Like the list of kudos Kesseli received over the years, his affiliation with organizations was many. He was involved with the Boy Scouts, the American Legion, the Natural Resources Education Center, Forest Heritage Days, the Grange, and the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department.

“Howard played a major role in the sheriff’s department in the mid-’60s to early ’80s,” Piscataquis County Sheriff John Goggin said Monday. Kesseli helped the county upgrade its communication system. He also was very involved with the Explorer Scouts through the sheriff’s department, many of whom went on to become police officers, he said.

If Kesseli saw a need, he filled it, even in a fatherly nature. Kesseli gave a lot of young men the opportunity to further their education, hoping that they would grow into outstanding civic-minded men.

“He loved his community, he gave it his all without expecting anything in return,” Brawn said.

Funeral services will be conducted 10 a.m. today at Lary Funeral Home in Dover-Foxcroft.