Penobscot’s longtime teacher, coach and business owner Jim Henry passes away at 80

Memorial service for man who taught a generation of students to be held in school gym

Jim Henry in the Northern Bay Market, which he ran for more than three decades, on Labor Day, 1988. Photo Courtesy of Lisa Heskett

Sept. 9, 2026

By John Boit

PENOBSCOT – A man whose name was synonymous with the town of Penobscot has passed away.

Jim Henry, a Penobscot resident for decades and who held numerous positions in the town, died peacefully August 27, 2026, at his home in Penobscot after a long illness. His wife, Patricia, and daughter, Angie, were by his side.

Henry was a decades-long fixture in town. As a seventh and eighth grade teacher, he taught a generation of Penobscot students, and also pioneered the sex education class at the school because he was concerned about the high rates of teen pregnancy in the area.

In addition, Henry believed that every person should know how to dance. As a result, hundreds of students who went through his classroom learned basic dances such as the Twist, the waltz and the Hustle.

He was also an avid sports fan, coaching Penobscot’s school baseball team and Little League team, as well as playing on the men’s summer softball team. The town’s ball field is named after him.

Along the way, he also owned the town’s general store, was elected to the town’s select board, and served as the school’s principal.

Portrait of Jim Henry. Photo Courtesy of Lisa Heskett.

“He was just always doing something,” his daughter, Lisa Heskett, told The Rising Tide. “I think he just liked to be busy. He was proud of his town. He just really loved this town and all the people in it.”

Heskett said she will miss Henry’s “silly, goofy side.”

“He was crazy for Christmas. He was relaxed and funny and very playful. He just loved giving gifts and opening his gifts, and that’s the thing I’ll remember most about him. That’s going to be hard for us this year, Christmas without him. He was like a kid,” Heskett said.

Henry suffered a stroke in 2023. Despite having to use a wheelchair for mobility, he showed up at every election to cast his vote. He continued living at home.

“He did not want to be in a nursing home,” Heskett said. “He was very set against that…He did not want to be anywhere but Penobscot.”

A service will be held this Saturday, Sept. 12 at 12 p.m. at the Penobscot Community School.

Henry’s full obituary, provided by Heskett, is below.

James S. Henry He was born February 24,1946, in Luton, Newbedfordshire England to James. S. and Ethel (Hill) Henry.

Jim grew up in Houlton, graduating from Houlton High School in1964 before going on to earn a BA at Nasson College and later a Masters Degree in Education at the University of Maine Orono. In the early 1970’s he moved with his first wife, Susan (Carroll) Pastorello, to Penobscot and became a beloved teacher of the 7th and 8th grades and, for a few years, principal, at Penobscot Elementary School.

Jim was a teacher and coach of the school’s sports teams for 29 years and former students have recalled a stern, yet playful, entertaining and always caring teacher who made every lesson, from history to dance classes and everything in between memorable. He truly cared about the well being and success of each student that entered his classroom. In 1984, Jim married Patricia (Lymburner) Henry and in 1985 they purchased Blodgett’s Market in Penobscot, renaming it Northern Bay Market, and owned the store for 32 years. Jim realized his vision of expanding the general store into a place where the community could buy fresh meats, lobster, groceries and fresh dough pizzas while stopping for gas and the news of the town with a warm greeting from Jim himself. At this point you may be thinking that Jim really loved Penobscot and you would be correct, as he also served as town selectman for 16 years. For 9 years, he served as Trustee of George Stevens Academy, which was attended by all four of his wonderful children and three of his grandchildren. He also served Penobscot by maintaining the town’s ball field, which in the past few years was renamed in his honor.

When Jim wasn’t working, he enjoyed many outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, playing golf, ice fishing and snowmobiling with the family. He loved coaching the Penobscot school teams and for many years, played men’s softball for the Penobscot Spoilers. One of his greatest joys was watching the sporting and school events of his sons and grandchildren.

Jim is survived by his wife, Patricia Henry;  two daughters from his first marriage, Lisa Heskett and her husband, Tom, of Topsham, and Angela Harrison and her husband, Nick of Blue Hill; two sons with Patricia, Nicholas Henry and his wife, Margaret-Grace of Glenburn, and Collin Henry and his wife, Kathryn, of Saco; Six grandchildren, Maeghan Tobey of Ellsworth, Grace Tobey of Penobscot, Devin Heskett of Topsham, Emily Tobey of Blue Hill, Isabelle Henry of Glenburn, and Sawyer Henry of Glenburn; one great-grandson, Finnley Cole of Ellsworth. He was predeceased by his parents, James Sr and Ethel Henry, brother George Henry and sister Nicole Henry, all of Ellsworth.

A service of remembrance will be held at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, September 12, 2026 at Jim’s beloved Penobscot Elementary School in Penobscot.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Town of Penobscot (P.O. Box 4, Penobscot, ME 04476) to be used for upgrades to Jim Henry Field and improvements to meet National Little League regulations.

Jim Henry, bottom right, with a Penobscot men’s softball team the “Spoilers.” Photo Courtesy of Lisa Heskett.