Maine dad, town manager dies saving 4-year-old son after both fall through frozen pond

Remembered for his deep bond with his son, and a can-do approach to local government, Kevin Howell leaves a large footprint on the town he worked for.

CARMEL, Maine — Residents in Carmel are grieving the loss of Town Manager Kevin Howell, who died last Friday while saving his son after they both fell through the ice during a morning walk on Etna Pond.

To Dan Frye, chairman of the Carmel Board of Selectman, the sacrifice Howell made fits the man he knew and worked with.

“That’s Kevin. He loved his family, he loved his community, and he would always work his hardest and do his best for those people,” Frye said Sunday.

Frye remembers Howell as a man who had a special bond with his son and would share news about him with his co-workers.

“He would always take that minute before the meeting to show us that latest photo,” Frye said.

That love of family and fatherhood translated into a tenacity for getting things done in local government.

Howell spearheaded much-loved events like Carmel Days and helped make public works projects—notably the Damascus Landing near Etna Pond—a reality.

“Everything that he did he just took a great amount of pride in,” Melissa Doane, the town manager of Bradley, said. “He was beyond dedicated.”

Howell’s work received praise across the state, earning him accolades, including the 2020 leadership award from the Maine Town and City Management Association.

In daily interactions with residents, Howell also made his mark. Elizabeth Dubrowski, a local Spanish teacher, remembers Howell as a compassionate leader with patience.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of person you are, he [would] say ‘yes, sit down, take a seat, let’s talk about it,” Dubrowski said.

According to Frye, the Carmel Board of Selectmen will meet Monday morning to discuss a plan for how town leadership will move forward following Howell’s death.

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