CAMDEN — "Today we lost a lion," wrote Rockport Select Board member Owen Casas on his Facebook page Feb. 5. "Leonard Lookner's soul left this earthly plane today but his spirit will always be with those who knew him. Back in 2003 our current Secretary of Defense, Gen. James Mattis, said in a letter to his troops, 'Demonstrate to the world that there is No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy than a U.S. Marine.' When I heard about the passing of Leonard I thought of that quote."

There are many people mourning the loss of Camden resident Leonard Owen Lookner, 76, who most recently was serving on the Camden Select Board as its vice chairman. Lookner died Feb. 5 from natural causes, according to his daughter, Jenna Lookner, 34, of Camden.

"From everything I am aware of, he passed away in his sleep, or early in the morning, completely at peace," said Lookner.

Her father was born April 17, 1940. He would have been 77 this year.

In addition to his daughter, Lookner's immediate survivors are his partner of 20 years, Lucy Hallowell, and his three sons, Gray Light-Lookner, 32, of Portland, Carlo Light-Lookner, 30, of Boston and Gus Lookner, 44, of Owls Head.

In reflecting on her father, Lookner said he loved a lot of people, took care of a lot of people and had a soft spot for those in a tough spot.

"Even when he was being cantankerous, he had a soft spot. He had his 'collection' of people that just exercised an open door policy with him and he loved conversation and was passionate about the environment and land conservation," said Lookner.

Lookner said she remembers that when her dad moved to Maine, it was in 1969 and he moved to Montville, where he had a dairy farm.

She said he became the milk inspector for the town, and learned about being a dairy farmer from the farmers he respected. He ultimately amassed a herd of his own - 30 dairy cows.

"His favorite cow was Wanda, a Guernsey that he sold to the O'Briens of Lincolnville. It was their first dairy cow," said Lookner. "He was at the foundation of the back-to-the-land and Bohemian movement then. He has many, many friends from that era, including Tom Opper from Liberty Graphics, the late David McLaughlin and his second family in Waldo County. He also served on the Select Board in Montville with Jay Fisher."

Prior to that, Lookner said her dad ran restaurants in Colorado, worked at a motorcycle shop in Boston and mentioned several times working at a ski shop in Boston for a time.

He graduated high school in 1958 and attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in geology.

Sam Appleton, of Camden, was Leonard's business partner for more than 50 years. Appleton said they first met, by chance, in 1962 at a motorcycle shop in Pasadena, Calif.

"We were both students at University of Colorado, though I had never met him. We were both in Pasadena on spring vacation, separately. He came up to me in the motorcycle shop and started talking to me while I was looking at a bike and we realized we were at school together. We hit it off and eventually became roommates," said Appleton.

Appleton said that between 1967 and 1969, the two of them had a rock and roll club in Aspen, the beginning of their working together.

After college, Appleton said that Lookner moved to Maine, to Montville. And soon, Appleton and his wife followed, first coming to visit Lookner and eventually buying their own farm in Montville.

In 1976, Lookner and Appleton opened City Boat Landing restaurant in Belfast. Two years later, the two men opened The Waterfront Restaurant in Camden, in June of 1978. They stayed together as partners, through thick and thin, until 2012, when Lookner sold his half of the business to Appleton and retired.

"How many people do you know that have business partners that long, especially in the restaurant business. It's a tough business as it is," said Appleton. "Leonard is from a Jewish family in Newton, Mass., and his father had two vegetable stores there. And Leonard got his business acumen there. His father knew where every dime was, and over the years, Leonard was really the business person and that made all the difference. That was the side he was really good at and that's how the two of us meshed so well. You get a little yin and yang going."

Appleton said there were several sides to his longtime friend and business partner, and that through all the years, they shared some great times and some not-so great times. Appleton said that he could always count on Lookner to believe in what he said.

Appleton also recalled talking to Lookner the day before he died, at a place that both men could often be found - the Camden Snow Bowl.

"He was in good spirits, he was planning to go for a walk, and it's hard to believe he won't be sitting up there with the Select Board anymore," said Appleton. "It certainly was enjoyable having him as a friend. We had great times together, in business, as ski bums together, racing motorcycles together. He was a character and true friend."

John French and Jim Heard have also known Lookner for a long time. Both have been serving with Lookner on the Select Board, most recently with French as chairman.

French said he's been working with Lookner on various town boards and committees for 20 years. He said that they've had some ups and downs, but always seemed to get beyond that and to what was right for the community.

"We would get in some discussions, and have almost like a knock down drag out fight between two brothers, but in the end, we could work it out, we could always come to a compromise and I always respected him for that," said French. "I think he did me too."

French said that everything Lookner thought about was for the Camden community, "in his heart, 100 percent."

He also said there was no greater champion encouraging young people to get involved with town government than Lookner.

"Every time he had a chance, he would raise that at a meeting," said French.

And French said there were no other young people who Lookner loved and adored more than his own children. He said that Lookner told him many times how proud he was of all of them, even though sometimes they drove him crazy.

"He loved his children so much. They were his world," said French.

French said that Lookner served on the Select Board with him beginning in 1997, and after serving a three-year term, was voted in again in 2012 and again in 2015. He had another year and a half on his term. He also served for many years on the Zoning Board of Appeals, and a variety of committees.

Most recently he was passionate about getting a farmers market set up at the old tannery property on outer Washington Street, working on recycling and trash services at Mid-Coast Solid Waste and getting the Camden Snow Bowl on solid footing.

When asked about filling Lookner's vacant seat on the Select Board, French said, "I have been asked what our plan is to fill his seat, and right now, that's the least of my concerns. Out of respect for the family, they need the time to go through this and be a family. We have canceled our Select Board meeting for tomorrow, out of respect for Leonard, and we will pile everything up for the Feb. 21 meeting. By then we will have a better idea what to do. It's a process, and we will do what the charter says."

For Heard, the loss of Lookner is crushing.

"He was a dear friend. My heart is aching," said Heard. "We spent a lot of time together and he is the first friend I have lost."

He said that serving on the Select Board together was just one part of his relationship with Lookner, but an important one, as he would ask a lot of questions.

"We spent a lot of time together. And he was the one person our board, maybe besides John, who would really question stuff and that's a valuable person to have on the board and we will all miss that."

Rockport Select Board member Casas had more than serving as a select board member in common with Lookner. Both men served in the U.S. Marines, which Casas said not many people knew about because Lookner didn't talk about it openly. But it was something that drew them together, and Lookner was always talking with Casas about it, helping him cope as he likely helped himself cope.

Casas said that he spent a lot of time at Lookner's home, sitting around the table holding "private meetings."

"It was always enjoyable, always fun, and I got to know him better as a person. And when he brought it up to me that he was also a former Marine, he was always sharing books with me," said Casas. "Last time he saw my wife, he was advocating for me to read Sebastion Junger's book about post traumatic stressors, called Tribe."

But Casas said that as their talks wound down, Lookner wasn't just thinking about the young former Marine across the table.

And this is where many who knew Lookner know how generous he was. He was generous with his time, with his opinion and with the fruits of his labor, which Casas experienced as well.

"When we were done, he would be thinking about my entire family. And so he would walk me out of the house, and depending on what time of year it was, he would share something from his garden with me, with anyone. There was, 'take this apple,' and then, 'take another one for your wife,' and 'how many kids do you have? Take these apples for your kids,' and I would leave with this bushel of apples to take home. I can't think of a time when I left his house and he wasn't trying to give me something. He would give me a book, he would give me apples or he would give me thoughts," said Casas.

"I'm going to miss him cruising around town on his Triumph with no helmet, and to see him with just this big smile on his face," said Casas.

Everybody will miss that big smile, there is no question about that.

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6655