Howard K. Dearborn

FRYEBURG — Howard K. Dearborn, 95, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 21, 2013, at Memorial Hospital in North Conway, New Hampshire, following a very brief illness.

Howard was born on May 11, 1918, in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Joseph H. and Rose E. (Cash) Dearborn. He attended Cleveland schools, where he graduated in 1937. In 1939, he married Verna Daso and had a son, Kenneth, in 1941. He worked in his father’s machine shop until opening his own business in 1941, called the Howard Manufacturing Company. Although his first shop was in an old warehouse by the railroad tracks, with no bathroom or heat, his business was able to contribute to the efforts of WW II. By 1979, the business grew to become Dearborn, Inc., in Berea, Ohio, currently owned and managed by his son, Kenneth. In 1965, Howard purchased the old airport property in Fryeburg, Maine, where he resided on Lovewell Pond for 48 years and built his company, the former Dearborn Precision Tubular Products, Inc. The company specialized in precision machining for the nuclear, oil drilling, and medical industries.

Howard was known as an entrepreneur and businessman, but he was also an innovator and inventor. He not only designed and built much of the machinery used in his businesses, but built his first boat at the age of 16 and designed several boats later on, including the Nomad. He designed and built a camera stabilizer in the 1950s with which he made some high quality videos still enjoyed today. In 1945, he bought the old Eastman House at the foot of Hurricane Mountain and opened a Bed and Breakfast called The Dearborn Inn. During the Brownfield fire in 1947, he joined the fire patrol and carried men and water in his jeep up Burnt Meadow Mountain. He loved adventure and learned to be a pilot, purchasing his first airplane in 1967. In the 1990s, he opened a charter service called Dearborn Aviation. In 1983, he helped to create River Run in Brownfield, still owned and operated by his niece and her husband. In 1992, he started the Real World Foundation, now known as The Dearborn Foundation, awarding college scholarships to top engineering students. His latest business venture, started at the age of 92, is Dearborn Bortec, Inc. of Fryeburg, a small precision manufacturing company.

For those who knew Howard, there was never a dull moment! He had a great love for German Shepherds and he always enjoyed crafting Christmas gifts in his woodworking shop. We will certainly miss you, Howard!

Howard is survived by his son, Kenneth Dearborn and wife, Joanna, of Medina, Ohio; his niece, Joyce Parker and husband, Bob, of Brownfield; his nephew, Richard Brown and wife, Patricia, of North Royalton, Ohio; and his nephew, Howard Brown and wife, Janet, of Macedonia, Ohio. Howard was predeceased by his wife, Verna (Daso) Dearborn, and his sister, Pearl Brown, of Fort Myers, Florida.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Harvest Hills Animal Shelter, Fryeburg, ME 04037, or to the Fryeburg Rescue Unit, PO Box 177, Fryeburg, ME 04037. A private celebration of Howard’s life will be held at a later date.