Obituary
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Howard Blatchford Bliss

Date of Death: October 13, 2025

Date of Birth: January 10, 1931

Biography:

 

Our beloved Howard Blatchford Bliss died peacefully on Monday October 13, 2025 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, Maine following a stroke on October 4th. He was predeceased by his wife of 66 years, Nancy Jane Donnelly who died December 23, 2024.

      Howard was born on January 10, 1931 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Reverend Daniel and Winifred Rouse Bliss. He was brought up in Greenwich, Connecticut where his father was the minister of the Second Congregational Church. After attending the local Edgewood School where he fell in love with letterpress printing in the school print shop, he graduated from The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in 1951. During the Korean War, Howard was with the Army Engineers building an airfield for NATO in France in 1953. During his year there, he enjoyed many visits to Paris and Chartres.

      Howard married Nancy Jane Donnelly in 1958 and graduated a year later from Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York with a BS in printing management. After two years working for a large printing firm in New York City, he joined the faculty of the Greenwich Country Day School, a large private day school in Greenwich, CT.  He enjoyed 35 years of teaching letterpress printing to students in grades 5 through 9 and producing most of the printing requirements for the school in the school print shop. He was a beloved Master Teacher at GCDS providing many students with the unique experience to learn the printing craft.

     He was always active in the churches he and Nancy attended and was trained as a Stephen Minister in the early 1990’s. Since 2005, he was an active member of the Days Ferry Congregational Church in Woolwich, Maine where he sang in the choir and was always involved in their many community service projects.

     Because of his love of Maine, and having spent all but two of his summers in Georgetown on Kennebec Point, Howard and Nancy retired to Brunswick in 1996. The following year Howard started volunteering at the Brunswick Food Bank hauling boxes of food from the Hannaford Supermarket to the facility at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick. He also did computer intake with clients and delivered food boxes twice a month to clients who were unable to come to the Food Pantry for medical reasons. In the fall of 2003, the Food Bank, now MCHPP (Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program) moved into a new facility built especially to house the Food Bank, Food Pantry, and Soup Kitchen. During his 23 years volunteering at MCHPP, he served on their Board of Directors as well as on the Board of Directors at the Bath Area Food Bank. In 2018 he was named Volunteer of the Year for the State of Maine for his service with a ceremony at the state capitol in Augusta. He brought his kind, non-judgmental, and compassionate self to his volunteer work with the clients at the food bank, especially doing intake on the computer.

     Howard kept his hand in letterpress printing into retirement by organizing a camp print shop for Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, Maine. He instructed camp counselors in the craft for over 40 years, and they, in turn, have shared this skill with numerous campers. To this day, it is carried on by his daughter, Sarah Seamans, and it remains a very popular activity at the camp. 

    Howard was called Papa by his four beloved grandchildren. Through their early years, he enjoyed playing games, teaching knot tying, doing waterworks at the beach, and building boats in the boathouse. He continued to be connected with his grandchildren as they became young adults as he was always interested and supportive of their current jobs and interests. He also enjoyed time in the last two years with his great-grandson Riley Seamans bringing on laughter and giggles by making silly sounds and goofy faces.

    He always enjoyed eating sweets, especially chocolate cake, singing in church choirs, listening to classical music, dancing to jazz and early rock and roll, reading (even with failing eye sight on his Kindle Fire), and watching MASH each evening after the news. On Kennebec Point, he had a love for sailing,  boating among the islands near the mouth of the Kennebec River, doing projects around the property,  and telling stories about his childhood adventures, especially those from the World War II years. He was a pastel artist and exhibited his work in a number of shows in his retirement. He loved making joke or inspirational cards on his computer that he would then hand out to church friends, neighbors, nurses, doctors and staff and residents of Coastal Landing where he resided the last two years. The joy in sharing inspiration or laughter with others was apparent even before the recipient read the card, as Howard always had a big grin on his face.

   The twinkle in his eye, his silly antics, and love of play, as well as his ever present and unconditional love will be missed by all, but especially by his family; daughter, Sarah Bliss Seamans and her husband John, son, Daniel Bliss and his wife Jody, grandchildren: Daniel Seamans and his wife Katie, Holly Seamans, Courtney Bliss Kinney and her husband Matthew, and Howard William (Will) Bliss and great-grandson Riley Patrick Seamans. Howard also leaves two sister-in-laws Caroline Bliss and Joanne Carr Donnelly, two nieces, two nephews and cousins. In addition to his wife, he was predeceased by his sister Mary H. Bliss and brother John W. Bliss.

    The family wishes to thank Hospice of Southern Maine (Gosnell Memorial Hospice House) for the excellent care and compassion he received in his final days. The family would also like to acknowledge Howard and Nancy’s granddaughter Holly Seamans who was a huge presence in their lives during the last two years. She was instrumental in managing their care, doctor visits, appointments and errands, as well as being an emotional support and loving presence to them both during their final years. 

  A memorial service will be held July 19th at Kennebec Point Cemetery, Georgetown, Maine. All are welcome. 

  Memorial gifts may be made to his beloved Food Bank (MCHPP- Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program)https://www.mchpp.org/donate or Checks made payable to MCHPP may be mailed to 179 Neptune Drive, Brunswick, ME 04011.

  Arrangements by Funeral Alternatives of Brunswick, ME