Longtime readers of The Windham Eagle newspaper were saddened this past week by the unexpected death of former advertising representative David E. DeBree.
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| David DeBree has died at the age of 72, He was one of the original staff members of The Windham Eagle newspaper in 2013. COURTESY PHOTO |
He graduated from Greely High School in 1971 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in English from the University of Southern Maine in 1976.
Beginning his newspaper career at Shopping Notes, DeBree worked in advertising sales and authored a sports column called “Sporting News.” As a four-sport athlete in high school, DeBree was a devoted sports fan and never missed a New England Patriots football game or Boston Celtics basketball game on television.
He also fell in love with music at an early age and learned to play the tenor saxophone at age 10. His mother Virginia, who died last May at the age of 100, taught weekly piano lessons, and he joined her singing in the choir as she played the organ at Woodfords Congregational Church. He also said he was inspired by listening to his Uncle Dan play the saxophone.
According to DeBree’s family, he was the happiest playing music with his family, whether in the living room or up on the stage.
His first band was Jazmin, the local house band at the Ramada Inn in Lewiston, and he went on to play with the Bellamy Jazz Band for more than four decades. Dave organized and was invited to sit in with too many bands to count, including the Dock Squares. He had range, both in his voice and his interest in musical genres.
For DeBree, he was as comfortable backing a jazz trio as he was with being the front man on a classic rock cover. His version of “Roadhouse Blues” was legendary and could take down any venue he played it for. According to his family de Bree had a natural way of finding other talented friends, and he cherished the musical family he built over decades.
Advancing in his professional career, DeBree joined the Portland Press Herald newspaper in 1980. He began in general advertising sales, covering the Congress Street district, including the historic Porteous Building, and later advanced into auto-classified advertising sales. He was active in the Newspaper Guild and played a significant role in union advocacy efforts until he left the newspaper in 2007.
When The Windham Eagle newspaper was launched in March 2013, de Bree was part of the group of original staff members and sold advertising until his retirement.
Kelly Mank, the owner of The Windham Eagle, said that DeBree is among the reasons why the newspaper remains successful to this very day.
“Dave believed in this newspaper before it even existed and was one of the very first people to see what it could become,” she said. “From being our first salesperson to most recently sharing his talents at our Eagle’s Choice Awards, he wore many hats over the years, but what never changed was his heart, his kindness, and his unwavering belief in what we were building. Dave always had the best interests of the newspaper at heart, and there’s no question that without him, we may not be here today. I personally will miss Dave very much.”
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Lee Anne DeBree of Windham; sons David G. DeBree and wife Kerry of Portland; Chris M. DeBree and wife Kristi of Waterboro; and Geoffrey S. DeBree of Portland; his grandchildren Colin, Lily, and Finnegan; and his brother Steve and wife Priscilla of Portland.
Memorial services for DeBree were conducted Monday with burial at Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland. A Celebration of Life and gathering in his honor followed at one of his favorite places to perform, Lenny's Pub in Westbrook. <
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