The Boothbay region’s laugh meter dropped to near zero last week with the passing of two men who incidentally were named after their fathers and who kept us all laughing during their time here.

Dave Parkhurst Jr. and Sereno Brown Jr. were two of the most humorous men I knew. Both of their obituaries make mention of their quick wit and their penchant for telling funny stories anywhere and everywhere.

And they weren’t just funny – they were kind, loved their family and helped make this community stronger by their volunteerism and work.

I knew Dave the longest and we kind of ran in the same circles with our love of high school basketball – he being an official for nearly five decades and I being a former coach and covering the local teams for the newspaper for nearly four decades. I was so delighted when he accepted a job here at the Boothbay Register. We had many discussions in the basement (his desk was next to the coffee maker) about life, basketball, families, friends and more – and there was always something coming out of Dave’s mouth that left me laughing. Dave married the sister of one of my best friends, too, and there were always updates about her family – and there were usually funny stories involved.

Sereno – I got to talk with him mostly when he was watching his son, Matt, play football or throwing the shot put for BRHS. He was always telling a story to someone or cracking a joke in the stands or along the sidelines. I also heard Sereno stories from Robin Beck, a former reporter, or Al and Phil Roberts, who were all his close friends from Boothbay Baptist Church, where Sereno would put on his serious side for the youth of the church.

I think it is safe to say that we will all miss their humor and their kindness, but memories of them will stay with us. May they rest in peace.