It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Howard Alden Cederlund, 97, of Wiscasset, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.
Howard was born in Worcester, Mass. on March 30, 1927, to Astrid Tornwall and Fritz Cederlund. He was very proud of his Swedish ancestry and made three trips to Sweden to visit family. He enjoyed his pickled herring and cardamom coffee bread with coffee until the end.
Howard sang as a boy soprano in the Swedish Baptist Church. He also played the harmonica, the piano, and the accordion. Music was an important part of his life.
His first job was at Libby’s Campground in York, ages 12 to 14, where he worked for the summer for wages, room, and board. His love of battered fried clams started there.
He left high school to join the Navy and entered World War II at age 17. He received his diploma from Commerce High School in Worcester, Mass. after his service.
He was a gunner’s mate aboard the USS Menard. He was a participant in the Battle of Okinawa. The Menard was the first ship to occupy Nagasaki after the atomic bomb was dropped. As a result, he lost his thyroid to cancer. As horrible as the war was with the loss of a close shipmate, it was still a good part of his life, and he made lifelong friends.
After the war, Howard married Laura B. Hastings, of Shrewsbury, in 1946. They bought an old farm in Upton, Mass. and raised their two children there.
Howard went to work at Draper Corp. in Hopedale, Mass. During his 25 years there, he moved up in management positions, culminating in the computer department. Here, working with Bradley Rowe, they designed and installed systems to control inventory and large manufacturing operations using one of the first computer monitors in the world. He loved to tell of being a keynote speaker for IBM in Boston introducing the use of computers with video monitors.
Howard was an Upton town selectman for several years. He owned and operated Upton Nursery, a landscape and tree farm business on weekends.
Howard enjoyed an annual deer hunting trip to western Maine with good friends for over 20 years. The one week a year, he didn’t shave.
After the demand for textile looms dwindled, Draper Corp. closed. He and a friend purchased a sawmill in Wiscasset, and he was rarely seen in a white shirt and tie ever again. Retirement came early.
He enjoyed taking a block of wood and turning it into lifelike, detailed bird carvings, recreating over 20 full-scale birds. The loon was the largest.
He loved to travel. He and Laura started a 30-year adventure in various campers, then motor homes across the country into Mexico and Canada. His father was a photographer, and it became an easier hobby for traveling than bird carving. His bird photographs are in public places in Maine and New York. The winter weather in Tucson was nicer than Maine. He and Laura wintered there until Laura got too sick to make the trip. She died in 2011 of multiple myeloma.
He was lucky to meet and marry Anne Dolan, of Edgecomb, later in life. She was a pianist, and he played the harmonica along with her. “Delta Dawn” was a favorite. They enjoyed traveling the country and wintering in Tucson, Ariz. until her death from cancer in 2017.
He was a Master Mason for 72 years, a member of the Montgomery Lodge in Milford, Mass.
He was a member of the American Legion, the Family Motorcoach Assoc., and Maine Wheels.
Predeceased by his parents; his sister, Marjorie; both of his wives; his daughter-in-law, Linda Cederlund; his nephew, David Ward; his grandson, Casey Main; and his best friend, Ralph Engblom; aunts, uncles, cousins, and in-laws.
Survived by his son, Gregg A. Cederlund, of Freeport; a daughter, Judi Main and her husband, Jim, of Wiscasset; grandson, Chris Main; great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn Main and Cameron Main; a brother-in-law, Ralph Hastings; nieces and nephews; special friends, Marilyn, Gary, and Ron Engblom, of Massachusetts, and Gracie Urquhart, of Wiscasset.
He talked to everyone and loved to relate stories of his life. He was given a chance to tell his story during an interview on Lincoln County Television for Veterans Day in 2022 with Larry Sidelinger and later with Don Carrigan of News Center Maine. That interview was used during a telethon for Honor Flight Maine. Howard was pleased that his story may have helped raise money for this cause. He and his daughter went on the flight to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War II monument and others. It was a wonderful experience, and he encouraged others to go.
He truly had a wonderful life. He made friends in many parts of the world and will be missed by many.
Special thanks to CHANS Hospice for helping during his final weeks of his life.
Donations in Howard’s memory can be made to Honor Flight Maine, P.O. Box 699, Brunswick, ME 04011
A graveside service will be at Greenlawn Cemetery on Rummerill Road in Wiscasset on Oct. 5, 2024 at 1 p.m. followed by a gathering at his daughter and son-in-law’s home at 332 Willow Lane in Wiscasset.
Arrangements are under the care of Kincer Funeral Home, 130 Pleasant St., Richmond, ME 04357.
