SEARSPORT — Daniel M. Krajack, 68, of Searsport, died Dec. 8, 2015, following an eight-year struggle with the progressive neurological disease called cortico-basal degeneration. His friend, Magdalena Legocki, was by his side and the staff at Bayview Manor in Searsport, where he spent the last five-and-a-half years, provided inspiring support.

Dan, who was one of the seven founding employees of The Waldo Independent newspaper in 1985. He was born in 1947 to Donna (Turkall) and George Krajack in McKeesport, Pa. He was the youngest of three children and was an active athlete during his high school years. He matriculated to Penn State University but left before graduating to serve in the Vietnam War. He spent a year in the infantry during the most active period of the conflict.

On his return to the U.S., he hitchhiked across the country from San Francisco and discovered the beauty and camaraderie of Maine. He bought a parcel of land near Swan Lake in Frankfort and began building a stone house, mostly by himself. He fashioned the windows and doors and created an idyllic retreat where he could live just as he wanted. For several years he worked in Belfast during the non-winter months while building the house, then returned to the Pittsburgh area to make money to continue the project in the spring. He was a waiter at the Belfast Cafe and then became the copy editor at the Republican Journal.

In the fall of 1985, seven Journal employees left Maine's oldest weekly and started its newest, The Waldo Independent. The competition was intense, though the community took to the idea of two papers covering the rapidly changing world of Waldo County. Krajack also took part in the social and athletic activities of the staff. He was the best pool player of all and shot the lowest round of golf, a one-under par 35 at Northport.

In the 1990s Dan married Susan Weinz and moved to Jackson Avenue on the Belfast shore. His fondness for alcohol grew stronger, and he spent more time in bars than at work. He left the Independent and became a clerk at the Belfast Co-op. And he began a new career as a writer of fiction. His first novel, Visiting Hope, was published in 2014 and he appeared at a well-attended book-signing at Left Bank Books last winter.

The first signs of cortico-basal degeneration appeared in 2007, at about the same time as his divorce from Susan. He soldiered on, unaware that his stumbling gait and frequent falls had a sinister cause unrelated to alcohol. He signed up with the Veterans Administration and received a disability stipend that restored his financial independence. He began walking with a cane, then got around in a wheelchair. His speech deteriorated, as did his ability to read. But he made friends among the staff and residents at Bayview Manor, where he moved in 2010. He never once complained about his fate, and he retained his love of life until his final breath.

He is survived by his brother, Ron and family of Carlisle, Pa.; his sister, Pamela Havaran and her husband, Frank, of McKeesport; and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Dan's life will be held in Belfast later this week.