Howard A. Kaler, 85, of Bremen, passed away peacefully on Nov. 20, 2024, at VA Togus Hospital in Augusta. Howard was born on July 29, 1939, to parents Andrew C. and Jessie M. (Genthner) Kaler.
Howard grew up in Bremen and attended local schools, graduating from Waldoboro High School in 1957. He then went on to serve in the U.S. Navy for a period of time.
Howard was a jack of all trades. He worked for Sylvania, the Button Factory, Maine Department of Transportation (Edgecomb camp), and the Maine Forestry Services. While in forestry service, he filled the role of Smokey Bear, visiting local schools and participating on a float during the Rockland Lobster Festival.
Howard was a man of both the sea and the earth. He was a proud lobster fisherman. He honored his family by naming his boat “The Four Sisters” as he plied Penobscot Bay from Bremen to Monhegan. He loved to watch the sunrise at dawn and the lights along the shore at dusk. Sunrise and sunset were always special daily treasures.
When his hands weren’t busy pulling traps, he was busy building an addition to his home or creating Adirondack chairs. This left little time for working the lobster boat, this he did to the admiration of all Bremen residents.
Howard was also an advocate for the people around him as he was fire chief in Bremen as well as a selectman. He was a member of the Grand Lodge of Maine and the American Legion.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Sarah; daughter, Beth Smith; grandson, Zakhary Kaler; and siblings, Robert Kaler, Carolyn Miller, Nancy Soule, and Marjorie Poland.
Howard is survived by his second wife, Linda Sylvester Kaler, of Friendship, who was also a classmate of Waldoboro High School class of 1957; daughters, Tracy Lynne Kaler, of Bremen, Cynthia Amy Kaler, of Rock Springs, Wyo., and Maryanne Griffin, of Waldoboro; granddaughter, Emmaleigh Marjorie Kaler, of Rock Springs, Wyo.; grandsons, Corey Justin Pottle, of Nobleboro, and Nicholas Samuel-Bennett Griffin, of Waldoboro; brother, Walter Kaler, of Bremen; and sister, Jessie Wile, of South Waldoboro.
A time of visitation will be held on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, from 10-11 a.m., with a memorial service to begin at 11 a.m. at Hall Funeral Home, 949 Main St. in Waldoboro. A committal will be held directly following the service at the German Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Howard’s name to the North Nobleboro Baptist Church, c/o Andrea Newbert, 935 East Pond Road, Nobleboro, ME 04555.
Hall Funeral Home of Waldoboro has care of the arrangements. To share a condolence or story with the Kaler family, visit Howard’s book of memories at hallfuneralhomes.com.
