SURRY – Osmond Clark Bonsey, 88, died Oct. 30, 2016, at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Bangor. He was born July 26, 1928, in Eastbrook, the son of Claude L. and Rena (Wilbur) Bonsey. Raised in Surry, where he met his beloved wife, Ann, Oz was educated in Surry and Ellsworth, graduating from Ellsworth High School in 1946.
Oz enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1946, serving for two years. Upon earning his BA in public management in 1952 from the University of Maine, he embarked on a distinguished career as a town manager in several Maine municipalities, starting in Corinth, where, at 23, he was, according to a news clipping, lauded as the youngest town manager in the world. In 1953, he moved to Mars Hill, and two years later he moved on to Freeport, serving a seven-year tenure as that town’s manager. In 1962, Osmond became Falmouth’s first town manager, staying there until 1974, when he became the executive director of the Greater Portland Council of Governments. Later, he secured his last public administration position, managing the town of Yarmouth for 12 years until his retirement in 1991.
Oz was a longtime member of Lygonia Lodge of Masons in Ellsworth.
In 1965, Osmond was named president of the Maine Town and City Management Association, and in 1983, he was given that organization’s Linc Stackpole Manager of the Year Award. A member of the Maine Municipal Association starting in 1952, Osmond served as its president in 1972. He also served as a Maine Municipal Employees Health Trust trustee from 1992 to 2009.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Oz had stints as a Maine Medical Center trustee, a United Way of Portland board member, and as a Portland Rotary Club member. He was a member of the Cumberland County Extension Association for several years, serving as president in 1970, and he was a member and vice-chairman of the Cumberland County Charter Commission. From 1984 to 1986, he was president of the Area Development Council of Greater Portland.
In the summer between his junior and senior years of college, while he was interning at the Ellsworth City Hall, Osmond joined the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) eventually becoming a Northeast vice president, where he chaired the Ethics Committee. Later he became the organization’s vice president, and in 1987, Osmond earned the distinction of becoming president of the ICMA, that organization’s first president from a city of fewer than 20,000. Oz loved it when, on the occasion of his nomination, Governor John R. McKernan proclaimed Oct. 28, 1987, “Osmond Bonsey Day,” and Oz was very proud of the fact that — at their own expense — all seven of his council members attended his inauguration in Montreal.
That same year, Osmond received both the Greater Portland Council of Governments Regional Citizen of the Year Award, and the Chamber of Commerce of the Greater Portland Region Neal W. Allen Award.
First appointed to Maine’s Board of Environmental Protection by Governor McKernon in 1991, and later reappointed by Governor Angus King, Osmond served on the board for nine years, the last three years as chairman.
In 1991, when Osmond retired to his hometown of Surry, he continued to donate his time and talents to his community and colleagues. An active member and president of both the Surry Community Improvement Association, and the Surry Historical Society, not only did Osmond spearhead a very successful reunion of the Surry Village School, but on the occasion of Surry’s bicentennial in 2003, he researched and wrote the history of that town. He also served as a member of the Executive Advisory Board at Friendship Cottage in Blue Hill, plus for a decade he continued to share his municipal expertise by volunteering as an ICMA/Maine Town and City Management Association Range Rider.
Oz was creative, and he sure liked to have fun, especially if he could combine it with a spin in the spotlight. In the 1990s, he appeared in print ads for L.L. Bean, in a national State Farm commercial, and as an extra, along with Ann, in Stephen King’s movie “Thinner.” When Oz wrote and self-published his memoir “Life is Luck,” he delighted in distributing it to friends and family. He was a bit of a prankster, and the life of many parties where he often recounted “stories” about the people in the room. Some of his very best times were spent with his dearest friends Frank and Connie Harrison, Ted and Dolores Vail, and Harold and Charlotte Mason.
Osmond loved his Red Sox and he idolized Ted Williams. The year Ted Williams served as the Clam Festival’s grand marshal, Oz was Yarmouth’s town manager, and the photograph of the two of them was one of the most precious of his memorabilia, which is saying something, because Osmond documented his considerable accomplishments and his family’s entire life in dozens of scrapbooks and diaries.
Osmond is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ann (McGraw) Bonsey; his daughter Lynn Bonsey and her husband, Gil Lacroix, of Bucksport; his daughter Lorna Healey and her husband, John Healey, of Litchfield; his son Cameron Bonsey of Kennebunk; seven grandchildren of whom he was very proud: Brandon Bonsey of Arlington, Va.; Michael Healey and his wife, Kayla McCaffrey, of Westbrook; Ryan Campbell of Boston; Kourtney Bonsey of Brighton, Mass.; Christopher Healey of Portland, Maine; Hilary Campbell of Portland, Maine; Sam Bonsey of Kennebunk. He is also survived by a great-grandson, William Healey of Westbrook. He was predeceased by his sister Natalie (Bonsey) Hess.
Special thanks to Carolyn Brennan-Alley, Rachel Ambrose, and Sharon Sleeper for their care and compassion during Oz’s final years.
Visiting hours will be held at Jordan-Fernald, 113 Franklin St., Ellsworth, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5. A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Surry Elementary School, 754 North Bend Road, Surry.
Gifts in Osmond’s memory may be given to The Old Surry Village Schoolhouse Rehabilitation Project, Town of Surry, P.O. Box 147, Surry, ME 04684.
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.
ORLAND – John T. Glass Sr., born Oct. 11, 1941, age 75, is now home with his Lord. He passed Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016, at home with his loved ones at his side.
ELLSWORTH – Robert Michael Young, 69, of Ellsworth, died on Oct. 19, 2016, at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth. Born in Lewiston on Jan. 27, 1947, he was the son of John Leslie and Rita Maxine (Roberts) Young. He had lived previously in Warren, Camden and Rockland before moving to Ellsworth.
BASS HARBOR – Vaughn Lewis Hopkins, 67, passed on Oct. 28, 2016, on Mount Desert Island. Vaughn was born in Toledo, Ohio, on Sept. 24, 1949, to Bonnie and Lewis Hopkins. He graduated from Mount Desert Island High School. He worked at Swans Island Mail and Freight for many years.
PENOBSCOT – Barbara Anne Ferden, 47, passed away peacefully on Nov. 3, 2016, at a Bangor hospital after a courageous battle with cancer. She is now in the hands of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She was born in Millinocket, Dec. 4, 1968, the daughter of Charles and Carly (Torrey) Ferden.
ORONO – Barbara (Steenstra) Alley, 84, died peacefully in her sleep Oct. 29, 2016, at Dirigo Pines Retirement Community. She was born Jan. 13, 1932, in Middletown, Conn., the daughter of Edward F. Steenstra and Mildred (Hodgkins) Steenstra.
MOUNT DESERT – Compton K. Hallock, 61, died peacefully on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, surrounded by family and friends. He was born on July 18, 1955, in Pontiac, Mich., the son of Compton K. and Marilyn (Streling) Hallock. Compton grew up in Traverse City, Mich., and after high school attended a local college until leaving to pursue professional skiing.
STUART, FLA. – On Oct. 11, 2016, Richard Joseph Hanson passed away after a brief and fast-moving illness at Martin Memorial Hospital.
CASTINE – Jon Christopher Metcalf, 40, of Castine, died on Nov. 1, 2016, after suffering a stroke. He was a beloved father, son, brother, partner and friend.
WALPOLE, N.H./SOUTH ROYALTON, VT. – Anne Vesper Bragdon Jamieson, 79, died Nov. 7, 2016, at her home in Walpole, N.H. Born Jan. 8, 1937, in Swampscott, Mass., she was the daughter of Edward E. and Alice (Barrows) Vesper. After graduating from South Royalton High School, Anne cared for her aunt, Grace Barrows, until her death in 1965. For the next 16 years she worked for Dr. Albert Barcelow as an optician. In 1981, Anne married Joseph L. Bragdon and together they operated funeral homes in Ellsworth and Stonington until his untimely death in 1994. In 1999, she married Lee F. Jamieson and in 2002, they moved from Maine to New Hampshire to be closer to both of their families. Anne was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She enjoyed her family, her friends, helping others, the out-of-doors and her garden.
ELLSWORTH – Avis K. Harmon, 87, died Nov. 11, 2016, at Avita of Stroudwater, Westbrook, joining her husband, Milton Harmon, and son Stephen Harmon in heaven, after she had fought a long, hard battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
CASTINE – Paul Earle Brouillard, 64, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. Paul was an unforgettable character who was larger than life. He left an indelible mark on everyone he met and was able to bring laughter to almost any situation. He was known for his incredible vision, his humble yet immense love and generosity for others, and his unapologetic honesty. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He took great pride in his three daughters and cherished the time he spent with his grandson teaching him how to play cribbage and gamble, among many other things. To many, he was like a second father.