Arthur E. Dentremont Sr.

TOPSHAM – Arthur’s long, eventful life came to a peaceful and loving close on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, a beautiful day in his favorite season. He was born almost a century ago in the living room of his family home in East Millinocket, Maine, the sixth of eleven children born to Medway native Charlotte M. (York) and Alcide Hilaire Dentremont of Nova Scotia.

As the world around Arthur changed from the cold-only water taps and largely subsistence lifestyle of his youth to the digital world of his elder days, he engaged in all its variety with curiosity and a positive outlook. His youthful pastimes of sports, puzzles, and making model airplanes morphed in adulthood to fishing, hunting, following the Red Sox, and playing cards before turning back to puzzles, birdwatching, and playing solitaire on his computer well into his 98th year. He believed wholeheartedly that exercising both the body (he ran until age 85) and the mind were the keys to vitality.

Upon Arthur’s graduation from high school in 1943, he spent a year working in the local mill before enlisting with the U.S. Army Air Corps. Arthur trained to be a P-51 pilot but, by the time his training was done, the war in Europe had ended and the one in the Pacific was waning. Arthur’s ability to type was deemed more valuable than his flight training at that point, and he became a clerk at Williams Field in Chandler, Arizona, assisting with the repatriation of some of the thousands of service persons returning from various fronts. He was honorably discharged in November 1945, and returned home to East Millinocket, where he resumed work in the mill while also playing on a regional basketball team.

Arthur enrolled at the University of Maine in the fall of 1948, the first year of which was completed at ‘The Annex,’ demilitarized Brunswick Naval Air Station, before going to Orono for the remaining time. Arthur continued the engineering studies he had started during flight school, majoring in Chemical Engineering and engaging in many aspects of college life from athletics to student government to serving as treasurer of his fraternity; notably, he was the starting small forward for the UMaine basketball team.

Following graduation, Arthur returned to work for Great Northern Paper Company (GNP), which would remain his employer for the next four decades. He started in the chemistry wing of their Bureau of Tests but moved on to roles in pulp research, and as Night Superintendent, Control Lead, Production Superintendent, and ultimately Mill Manager, first in Millinocket and then in East Millinocket, retiring in 1989.

On a blind date on his birthday in 1951, Arthur met his future wife, Jeanne F. Cummings, in Houlton, Maine, where Jeanne was in nurses training at the Madigan Hospital. The couple married in August 1954, living first in East Millinocket where they welcomed their first four children, then moving to Millinocket in 1964, where two more children were added to their family. The couple were very busy throughout Art’s years at GNP—raising a family of six, attending work-related events, and socializing with friends and family, frequently over a card game. Arthur always set aside a couple of vacation weeks each year for his outdoor passions: fishing in the spring and hunting in the fall.

At age 91, Arthur moved away from the Katahdin region for the first time in his life, living first in Portland while Jeanne was nearby at The Cedars. Following her death, he moved to Elm Street Assisted Living (ESAL) in Topsham. “The Elms,” as he called it, remained his home until earlier this year, when his diminished condition necessitated a move to Horizons Living and Rehab Center in Brunswick.

Having lived 99 years, Arthur was predeceased by many of his family members and friends, but he will be forever loved and celebrated by those who remain. These include his children: Anne Manzo of Brunswick, Ga.; Marylou and Carl Franck of Levant, Maine, Gary and Wendy Dentremont of Melbourne, Fla., Thomas Dentremont of Westbrook, Maine, Patricia (Patti) and William (Bill) Michaud of Brunswick, Maine, and Arthur (Skip) Dentremont, Jr. of Portland, Maine; ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; his dear sisters Gloria McElroy of Waterville, Maine, and Elizabeth (Betty) Heal of East Millinocket, Maine, as well as his faithful sister- and brother-in-law, Christine and Wendall McNally, of Brewer, Maine; many wonderful nieces and nephews; his “youngster” hunting/fishing buddies; and, his “final families”: the staffs of ESAL and Horizons, whose great care and camaraderie made the final part of his journey so smooth and peaceful. Arthur’s family extends heartfelt gratitude to the nurses and staff of both facilities.

Friends may visit the Dentremont family at the Brackett Funeral Home, 29 Federal St. in Brunswick, Maine, on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Arthur on Monday, Oct. 27, at St. Charles Borromeo Church (All Saints Parish), Brunswick, ME, at 11:00 a.m. His interment and a life celebration will follow next spring or summer in the Katahdin region.

Please visit http://www.brackettfh.com to view Arthur’s online memorial.

Donations in Arthur’s memory may be made to one of his three favorite causes:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or:

the American Legion or:

the University of Maine Foundation