Pastor Danny O. Chamberland, Sr. Obituary (1947 - 2018)

CLINTON, ME--Pastor Danny O. Chamberland, Sr., 70, was “carried home”* by his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on February 18, 2018, from his home in Clinton, Maine. Dan was born in Topsham, Maine, on March 17, 1947, to Robert and Ruth (Shellenbarger) Chamberland Sr., from Bowdoin. He graduated from Brunswick High School in 1965. He accepted Jesus as his Saviour with his mother when he was six years old. He married his high school sweetheart, Ruth M Blackstone, of Brunswick, ME on June 29, 1968. Dan worked and was licensed as a land surveyor until the Lord called him to be a preacher of the Gospel in 1973. He graduated from Thomas Road Bible Institute, Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1975 and moved his family back to Maine to establish Tabernacle Baptist Church in Topsham, ME. Dan served as the pastor at Tabernacle for 27 years during which time he earned his Doctorate of Theology in October, 1992. In 1997, the Lord took his wife, Ruth, home to Heaven. The Lord gave Dan another “good thing”* when he married Diane Poch of Hawks, Michigan, on June 3, 1999. They moved to Woodsville, New Hampshire, in 2004 where Dan served as the pastor at the Calvary Baptist Church for ten years. In 2014, Dan retired and moved to Clinton, Maine. Dan was predeceased by his wife, Ruth, his parents Robert and Ruth Chamberland Sr., his brothers, Robert L. Chamberland, Jr. and Bird E. Chamberland. He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Diane Chamberland; his children, Rebecca & Larry Hodgkins, Clinton, ME, Danny & Rita Chamberland, Clinton, ME, Naomi & Todd Holloman, Purcellville, Virginia, Peter & Crystal Chamberland, Sr., Concord, New Hampshire, Sarah & James Bussard, Signal Mountain, Tennessee, Michael & Jessica Poch, DeMotte, Indiana. His grandchildren, Emily, Beka, Jeremiah, Josiah, Angela, Samuel, Raymond, Peter Jr., Ruth, Phoebe, Jimmy, Andrea, Derek, remember Grandpa as a humorous, kind, faithful and wise man. There will be visiting hours with the family on Thursday, February 22, 2018, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main Street, Fairfield, Maine. The Celebration of Life will be Friday, February 23, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at the Clinton Baptist Church, 10 Spring Street, Clinton, Maine. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Emergency Fund for Missionaries at All Points Baptist Mission, PO Box 977, New Philadelphia, OH 44663 *See poem “Footprints in the Sand”, Dan’s favorite poem *Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” A verse he often quoted to young men. Footprints In the Sand One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. “LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.” The LORD replied, ”My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”