The death of a Bridgton resident last week shocked the friends who knew him for more than 20 years, but left them celebrating his legacy of kindness and warmth.

Bob Dunning, 55, died from a heart attack Nov. 23 while visiting family in upstate New York. He is survived by his wife Sally, daughter Jessie and son Daniel; who have preferred privacy. Arrangements for a service for Dunning were not known at presstime.

What is known is that Bridgton and its surrounding towns will deeply miss a man who made the most of his hands and his mind as a restorer of historic buildings, woodworker, teacher and political activist.

Friends who knew and worked with Dunning were shocked by the news of his passing but drawn to eloquence when recalling his warmth, generosity and compassion.

“We lost an unconditional friend,” said Paulina Dellosso, who knew Dunning both for his activism and the restoration of her Bridgton home.

Dunning first made his local mark leading the fight against federal plans to store nuclear waste in the Lakes Region two decades ago. He was a fixture at town meetings, a man of firm convictions and beliefs who conveyed them with kindness and gentility.

“There was not an ounce of adversarial DNA in his makeup,” said John Heffernan, a friend for nearly 25 years. The two met when Dunning did some restoration work for Heffernan. “Our friendship went far beyond nails and screwdrivers,” Heffernan added.

Like Dunning, who moved to Bridgton from western Pennsylvania, Eve Abreu came to Bridgton to start a new life surrounded by natural beauty. Dunning gave Abreu her first job with his company Little Mountain Cabinetry after she arrived from Newburyport, Mass.

Dunning trained Abreu in carpentry and the preservation and restoration of historic buildings for more than a decade. She remains amazed at the breadth of his knowledge even after more than a decade.

“He could spot when a barn was built by the joints and hatch markings,” said Abreu. “He knew things you could never learn on your own or in a book.”

Dunning also felt it a duty to pass on what he learned, whether volunteering at Lake Region Middle School or demonstrating preservation techniques with vintage tools and methods each year at the woodworkers exhibition sponsored by the Bridgton Historical Society at Narrimissic, its restored 19th century farm with a blacksmith shop.

“I had the impression that he felt that passing along his knowledge and skills was as important as having acquired them in the first place,” said Ned Allen, president of the Bridgton Historical Society.

Dunning not only passed along his knowledge at the exhibitions, he helped restore the farmhouse with the same methods he displayed to visitors, jacking the barn off its foundation by hand to complete a restored foundation.

Allen also credited Dunning with helping the society plan for its future. “He was somebody who was completely selfless,” Allen said.

The selflessness extended through his personal and professional lives. Whether helping friends in crisis or just caring about people in everyday life, Dunning’s mark was wide and deep.

“There was nothing like a ‘Bobby Hug.’ I can still feel his hand in mine,” Abreu said.

Bridgton resident Bob Dunning demonstrates wood working techniques at Narrimissic, the farm owned by the Bridgton Historical Society. Dunning, who died of a heart attack Nov. 23, helped restore the farm and leaves a legacy of determined, yet gentle, political activism and a wide breadth of compassion, knowledge and skill.