PORTLAND, Maine — For tens of thousands of people living in the greater Portland area, Valentine's Day means seeing red hearts dotting buildings, windows, and structures around the city.
For those that didn't know the true identity of the Valentine's Day bandit, as he was commonly nicknamed, his art brought a treat to onlookers every year. But for friends and family, Kevin Fahrman was a hard worker, a giving friend, and a caring father.
"I think that's Kevin's personality, he doesn't need appreciation, he just needs that good feeling of having done it," Rachel Guthrie said, a professor of communications and new media at Southern Maine Community College.
Guthrie said she's known Fahrman for 40 years and has always known he was the Valentine's Day bandit.
"We had dinner with him the day before he died," Guthrie said. "It'll be hard to replace him."
Guthrie said Fahrman never wanted people to know it was him who posted hearts along the city. But he certainly didn't cast the holiday spirit by himself.
Guthrie said Fahrman always had a team with him to act fast in the dark of night.
"I remember he told a story about a bunch of reporters hanging around waiting for him... the bandits that year threw snowballs at them until they left," Guthrie said.
For the city, his death signifies a loss of a yearly tradition that was celebrated by everyone.
"He did it because it made everyone happy, we can all use more love any day not just on Valentine's Day," Jessica Grondin, a spokesperson for the City of Portland, said. "People clearly loved it and want to see it continue, and it's hard to imagine it wouldn't."
But for those that knew him and his family personally, it's a loss that extends beyond his art.
"He's a pretty incredible man and the ripple effects are still being had," Arlin Smith said, co-owner of Big Tree Hospitality which owns Eventide Oyster Company and Honey Paw in Portland.
Smith said Fahrman's wife and daughter work at the two restaurants, and Fahrman recently started working at one of his local markets in the fall.
"His wife and daughter just think the world of him... he really was the perfect dad and he held a lot together," Smith said. "He was a very loving, helpful, and kind person."
Guthrie said a memorial poetry reading will take place for Fahrman at the Southern Maine Community College Chapel Tuesday at noon.