It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you all that Tony Viehmann passed away on Friday afternoon, May 22, at his home in Cape Porpoise. His passing was peaceful and Nancy and his family were by his side.

Tony has been a cornerstone of KBIA and our local community for decades. Many generations of students have benefitted from his kindness, humor, knowledge, patience, and passion for the seaside. Tony’s impact is deeply felt – for some, he was the reason they stayed in school while for others, he was an inspiration to become a teacher in their own right.

Nancy shared with me that at a KBIA staff orientation Tony remarked that he had been involved with KBIA for so long that when he started, some of the new staff had not yet been born! Growing up in Kennebunk, my earliest memory of Tony is from one of his leathercraft classes that I took when I was in fourth grade. Years later, as a teacher myself, he welcomed me to the KBIA faculty as a colleague without a second thought. He was the type of person who could lift your day with a simple smile; his generosity of spirit was one-of-a-kind.

Tony’s impact in life will be felt for many years to come, particularly for those within the KBIA community. It is often said that as long as we hold the memory of a loved one in our heart that they are never truly gone; in this way, I know Tony will always be with us.

A live virtual service will be held at www.churchonthecape.org at 10:00 AM on Friday, June 5, 2020. A celebration of Tony’s life will be celebrated in Cape Porpoise by the water in the summer of 2021.

Simply put, KBIA is a better place because of Tony. The entire KBIA family offers our love, support, and deepest sympathies to Nancy and their entire family.

 
Mimi Fox

Executive Director
Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association