Herbert Leroy Crafts II, 82, of Wiscasset, passed away June 8 at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick after a period of declining health.
He was born in Dover Foxcroft on Sept. 29, 1927, the eldest child of Clair Reed Crafts and Lelia (McPhetres) Crafts. He was the grandson of Herbert L. Crafts I of Guilford.
After graduation from Sangerville High School in 1945, he served in the U.S. Army. Herb attended the Field Artillery School, and later served as a medical technician until his discharge in 1949.
He pursued a degree in forestry from the University of Maine at Orono, graduating in 1952. While at UMO, he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho and Xi Sigma Pi (honorary) fraternities. Herb was instrumental in establishing the Maine Foresters Club at the Orono campus. He served as an intern for the U.S. Forest Service in Idaho and the New England Forestry Foundation in Maine. He went on the establish himself in a variety of forestry oriented businesses that included consulting, saw milling, retail and wholesale furniture. He and his wife, Miffy, started the Red Barn Furniture Company in Newcastle in 1958 and continued to operate that business (since 1978 in Wiscasset) for many years.
Herb also served on the Newcastle School Committee and the Wiscasset Planning Board. He was a past master of the Alna Lodge of Masons in Damariscotta. Upon his retirement from business he managed his tree farm properties. He was proud of being a licensed professional forester.
Herb is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mildred (Miffy) Crafts; daughter, Joy Crafts McNaughton and son-in-law John McNaughton of Portland; son, Jeffrey Crafts of Wiscasset; grandson, Nicholas (Nick) Cantrell of Portland; brother, Barry S. Crafts and wife Helen of Chelmsford, Mass.; and several nieces and nephews, as well as cousins in his native Piscataquis County to which he frequently returned for rest and recreation.
Visiting hours 5-8 p.m., Thurs., June 10 at Daigle Funeral Home, 40 Federal St., Wiscasset. Funeral service 11 a.m., Fri., June 11 at the Wiscasset Church of the Nazarene on the Gardiner Road with Pastor Wally Staples officiating. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery in Guilford.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Coastal Humane Society, 30 Range Rd., Brunswick, ME 04011.
Condolences may be made online at www.daiglefuneralhome.com.
