AUBURN – Dennis C. Sweetser, 69, of 29 Alderwood Road, Auburn, passed away Tuesday, June 16, at The Hospice House with his family at his side.

He was born in Portland, Feb. 1, 1940, a son of Harry and Dorothy (Polland) Sweetser. He was educated in Auburn schools, graduated from Edward Little High School in 1957, and remained a lifelong resident of this community. He graduated from Bates College in 1962, and began a long, successful 42-year career as a teacher and educator.

On June 1, 1962, he married Donna Campbell at Court St. Baptist Church in Auburn. His first nine years as a teacher were spent at Bridgton and Hall-Dale High schools. In 1971, he was hired at Edward Little High School, where he spent the next 33 years as a chemistry teacher and later head of the science department until his retirement in 2004.

He was a very loyal, dedicated and active member of the Court St. Baptist Church for more than 30 years, where he served in various capacities including Sunday School teacher, Sunday School superintendent, chairman of the board of trustees and chairman of the board of diaconate.

He was a member of the Maine State Teachers’ Association and was also a member of, and served as treasurer of the Auburn Education Association for several years. Among his favorite enjoyments in his free time were special family times, fishing, golfing and gardening.

He was also an avid reader and American Civil War scholar. He loved the history of the Civil War, read many books on the topic and for the past several years lectured on the war numerous times for a variety of local groups. He enjoyed bowling, most recently in the Industrial League and also served as the league treasurer.

He also spent 16 summers working for International Paper, cleaning and monitoring water quality on the Androscoggin River. Since retiring, he became involved with USM L-A Senior College, where he served on the board and as an Instructor. One of his greatest enjoyments in life was baseball, and he dedicated 42 years to the Auburn Suburban Little League.

He served the league in many capacities over the years including longtime coach and manager, manager of the Senior League All-Stars, and as a league official. He was still actively involved with ASLL and was currently the treasurer of the league, a position he has held for several years. One of his proudest experiences was managing his Senior League All-Star team of 1979, which advanced all the way to the Senior League World Series in Gary, Ind.

He managed that team to a third-place World Series finish. This summer marks the 30th anniversary of that team’s successes. In 2008, he was inducted into the Lewiston-Auburn Sports Hall of Fame. He will be greatly missed by his family, his church community, his colleagues and friends in the education community and by his friends at Auburn Suburban Little League.

He leaves his wife of 47 years, Donna of Auburn; three daughters, Debra Kirk and husband, Geoffrey, of Broomfield, Colo., Karen Lewis of Auburn and Mary Beth Galway and husband, Derek, of Buckfield; five grandchildren, Cristina Lewis, Julia, Emily and Alex Kirk and Owen Harry Galway; a sister, Roberta McKinnell of Duxbury, Mass.; three sisters-in-law, Joan Libby of Auburn, Betty Stone and husband, Roger, of Nashua, N.H., and Joyce Campbell of Auburn; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents; and three brothers-in-law; John Campbell, Richard Libby and Scotty McKinnell. The family would like to thank the medical staff at St. Mary’s and the Hospice House for their wonderful care and support.