Howard Nannen, 85, died peacefully at home in Brunswick, Maine, on July 24, after ten years of progressing Alzheimer’s dementia. Although the illness took away many of his abilities, he maintained his positive and kind personality.
During the last few weeks of his life, he was cared for not only by his family, but also by CHANS hospice caregivers. Born in White Plains, NY, he received his early education there and spent his high school years in Longmeadow, MA. Howard graduated from Dartmouth College in 1963. He met his wife, Janet Tallman Nannen, in May 1964, through a mutual friend. They fell in love almost immediately and married in August. Having begun his studies toward an MA in City Planning and Landscape Architecture at UMass Amherst, he continued in that program, graduating in 1966. Howard and Janet then moved to Hartford, CT, where he worked as a City Planner for 5 years. Walking to and from his job at City Hall each day, he was troubled by the demolition of Victorian Era homes to make way for anticipated "urban renewal." Wanting to prevent further destruction he raised money through five Connecticut banks and investors to buy and renovate the James Colt house on Wethersfield Avenue, creating new apartments in the building. He did so in partnership with Thomas Giardini Construction Company with design from Tyler Smith of the Hartford Architecture Conservancy. After this successful project, in the 1970s, Howard stepped in as the general partner with builder Smith and Giardini to save this severely deteriorating 1875 High Victorian building. This project was significant in starting a wave of historic renovations in that neighborhood of downtown Hartford. Subsequently, Howard opened the Hartford Development Group with Dartmouth friends Richard Chase and Geoff Pitchford. HDG grew to include 25 employees as a full-service real estate development company. Fifteen years of real estate development ensued with investor partners committed to preserving Hartford. Some of the restorations included homes on Charter Oak Place, the Trolley Barn on Wethersfield Avenue, buildings on Buckingham Street and Jefferson Street, 55 Elm Street, among others. During this time the family moved to a home in Wethersfield, CT, to a Queen Anne Victorian house which they lovingly renovated. Intermittently during his CT years, Howard was an adjunct professor at University of Hartford and Trinity College. HDG worked to help revitalize Hartford's downtown core until recession impacted the city, causing the demise of HDG and other similar companies. Howard and Janet decided to start over in Maine, where they had loved vacationing. Remembering the workers and craftsmen who had participated in the Hartford projects, Howard decided he'd like to learn and use those skills actively. He took an intensive short course in timber frame building at the Shelter Institute, then in Bath, ME, after which he built,primarily himself, five traditional and timber frame homes in Harpswell, ME, and two in a nearby town. In 2013, Howard and Janet decided that in their old age they wanted to live near services they might need. They purchased a small WWII era cape in Brunswick, ME, which they renovated and expanded. In Harpswell and Brunswick, Howard resumed building furniture, an activity he had loved in his 30s. He served as chair of the Harpswell 2005 Comprehensive Plan Committee and other Harpswell volunteer positions, as well as the Brunswick Housing Committee. He served as a fundraiser for several non-profit organizations. He loved music though was never a musician himself. He created bountiful vegetable gardens. He loved cooking, reading, and hiking. He had an extraordinary capacity for building sincere connections with people. Dementia rekindled his sense of wonder: blue sky and sunsets, colors of flowers, massive trees, songs of birds and sounds of the wind were new and wonderful to him each day. He will be remembered for his kindness and thoughtfulness, his ready willingness to help others, his joy in working at something he loved. Howard was predeceased by beloved son Jason in 1989 and also by his parents, Howard Nannen Sr. and Alice Johnson Nannen. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Janet Tallman Nannen, son Joshua and wife Junko (Hashimoto,) son Kyle and wife Sarah (Fraser,) grandsons Akira and Daichi, brother James and wife Donna (DuBois,) Gerald and wife Toni (Spinelli,) and sister Lisa Nannen and her husband Paul Marchant. No memorial service is planned at this time. In his memory please be kind to all you encounter and help them when you can. Be grateful for the miraculous gift of life. If you wish to make a contribution in his memory please consider CHANS Hospice, Brunswick, or your own favorite charity or organization.