Boothbay Region Cemetery District recently announced plans to install a plague in Evergreen Cemetery to honor late trustees John “Jolly” Arsenault and Stanley “Swing” Lewis. The idea was first proposed by former president Kim Pinkham and was funded by a partial donation on behalf of Arsenault, and district funds.  

Arsenault, 92, died in 2022 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was a community staple. In addition to his long career with the cemetery district, he helped found Boothbay Harbor Sewer District and served on its board of trustees for 51 years, as previously reported in the Register. In 2023, the center was named after him. Arsenault was also a member of Boothbay Harbor Fire Department, Boothbay Region Lions Club and the masonic brotherhood, among other pursuits.  

Lewis was similarly accomplished in public service. He spent 30 years as a trustee for the cemetery district, only retiring recently. Prior years saw him as a school bus driver for the Boothbay school system, Boothbay fire chief, Lincoln County deputy sheriff and member of the masonic lodge. In 2006, he received a Lifetime Service Award from Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club for community service. Lewis died earlier this year at the age of 96.

Arsenault retired from the board of trustees before the cemetery district’s current president Sara Fahnley’s tenure. She spoke positively about the time she spent working alongside Lewis. “He had a mind like a steel trap,” she said. “Anyone who had a question about the cemetery district, he was like a walking encyclopedia, and so we lost industrial knowledge (when he left)." 

The district plans to hold a plaque dedication next spring.