PORTLAND, Maine — October will mark one year since 18 people were shot and killed and 13 others were injured in Maine's deadliest mass shooting. As the one-year mark nears closer, families, friends, and communities are remembering who we lost that day.
East End Community School in Portland and the Maine Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MECDHH) in Falmouth dedicated a memorial bench to Joshua Seal. He was 36 when he died while playing cornhole with friends at Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston on Oct. 25.
The commemorative bench overlooks Portland's Back Cove, next to an evergreen tree planted by students in Seal's memory, according to a press release from Portland Public Schools.
From 2013-2020, Seal worked for MECDHH as an educational technician at East End Community School, the press release said.
Seal is remembered for his dedication to advocacy for the deaf community. He was the director of interpreting services for Pine Tree Society and founded Camp Dirigo Experience for deaf children and teens, according to Portland Public Schools. "His advocacy for the deaf community knew no limits."
Portland Public Schools says people can keep Seal's memory alive and carry on his work by donating to Pine Tree Camp's Dirigo Experience here. It brings Maine's deaf and hard of hearing youth together for a unique six-night camp adventure.