1933 – 2016
AUGUSTA — James Melvin Johnsen Sr., 82, a resident of Livermore Falls, died peacefully on Thursday, March 31, at Maine Veterans’ Home in Augusta.
He was born Dec. 16, 1933, in Minneapolis, Minn., the son of Erling Olaf Johnsen and Edith Winifred Smith. He was a 1951 graduate of Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla. He later returned to school and graduated in 1974 from the Coastal Carolina Community College in Jacksonville, N.C.
He was a retired Marine, serving 20 years before becoming a dispatcher for police, fire and ambulance for the town of Livermore Falls Police Department. In January 1953, he married Lucile Self; she passed away in 1963. On Nov. 2, 1963, in Jacksonville, Fla., he married Donnalee Wheeler of Livermore Falls. He was a member of the Frank L. Mitchell VFW Post 3335 in Jay. He was known for his dry sense of humor and his storytelling.
He is survived by his wife, Donnalee Johnsen of Livermore Falls; his children, Kristina Chamberlain, Bruce Johnsen and his wife, Betty, James Johnsen Jr. and his wife, Norma, Cheryl Drabek and her husband, Donald, and Vicki Kuvent; 11 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; brothers, Leroy, Dennis and David Johnsen; and multiple nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his parents; and his brother, Richard.
The family would like to thank the staff at CMMC-T3 and the Maine Veterans’ Home in Augusta for their attentive care and assistance during this difficult time.
Messages of condolence may be sent to www.finleyfuneralhome.com.
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