Arthur Wessels
A TRIBUTE TO ARTHUR WESSELS, JR. - by Selectman Jim Trudell
Our road agent, Art Wessels, lost his courageous battle with cancer on June 18, 2007. I always thought that the nice things said after you're gone should be said to you before that time arrives. In Art's case, that was so. We, as Selectmen, had only praise of all his work and told him every time we saw him, which was frequently, what a great job he did. Aside from that, many of you personally complimented him on the great job he was doing. I told him in the beginning he had a chance to be a hero in our town. Mission accomplished, Art!
How do I choose to remember Art Wessels? I remember a kind, caring and considerate man. I remember what a great job he did for our town in the short time he was allowed to be with us. Art was a leader and he led us from having less to having a lot more.
I remember one night I had just gotten to bed and the warm winds of spring were blowing and knocked the power out. The phone rang and it was Art, but it didn't sound like him, it sounded like a very old, sick man. The voice told me the alarm in the highway garage had gone off and could I go down and check it out. I said certainly and put my clothes back on and got in my truck and headed down. I got there and sat by the locked gate, thinking what if someone had broken in and might have a gun. All of a sudden I heard someone coming, the police perhaps, I thought. No, it was Art, a very sick Art. He was out of that truck in a second and headed for the garage at a dead run. How did anyone dare break into his garage? He opened the door, snapped on the lights and searched the entire garage before another word was spoken. At this time, Art had been back and forth to the hospital for treatment and he looked tired and frail, but he was going to do his job no matter what. After we (he) had determined that no one was breaking into his town garage, we leaned on the tailgate of my truck and discussed the gravel we were going to crush, sand to be screened, roads to be graded and roadside mowing to be done. It was just as if things were going to go along as usual. After about an hour, I told him he needed to go home and get his rest. This was the last time I saw Art, but it was a great memory for me because, really, that's all we have left when someone leaves us, memories.
Another great memory that I have of Art is the day that Brett, Steve and I interviewed him at the town garage. We had talked to him for over an hour and asked if he would mind getting in the grader and showing us that he could operate it. "No problem," he said. He checked the fluids (Steve liked this) and whatever else you need to check, started it up and brought it out of the garage in a flash. He asked where we wanted him to grade and we said just do a little in the yard. "Yard?" he said. "Let's grade the road. That's what needs it." Off he went, on Dodge Pond Road down to Round Pond. He graded for 45 minutes and we were wondering if he was coming back with the grader. All three of us stood there in total agreement that this was our man and offered him the job, which he accepted. After all this, I drove down toward Round Pond to see how far he'd gone. I got to where he turned the grader around. It was right where the old boat launch on Round Pond was and on the other side of the narrow road was a 6 ft drop off and swamp. This was where he turned the grader around! I couldn't have turned my truck around there, never mind the town grader.
I fished most of my life and we have this saying - "He's a keeper". That was Art. He was a keeper, but for some reason we had to put him back. We that were lucky enough to know him and work with him will miss him a lot. He was, quite simply, a great guy!!!
