SABATTUS — There were times when Laura Clifford would seek out JP Normand LaPlante just to get his thoughts on a matter.

LaPlante knew how the town worked, Clifford said, and he was always keen to share his insights if it would help the community in one way or another.

“He was always out doing something for somebody,” said Clifford, who currently sits on the Board of Selectmen. “He’d be off doing something for the seniors or the veterans or for the community and I think I got some of that from him.”

Nearly a month after LaPlante passed away at the age of 89, the people of Sabattus were remembering the former selectman as one who worked nearly nonstop for the good of his neighbors.

Sabattus resident Jon Mennealy recalled how LaPlante often stood out on the Board of Selectmen as one with a sharp mind and a measured way about him.

“He was a steadying voice, able to see both sides of opinions on how best to decide a certain matter,” Mennealy said. “He didn’t get overly excited on an issue, no matter which way he felt. As a selectman, he was quiet and listened to a lot of discussion until he was ready to speak, and then kept a mild demeanor while delivering his thoughts on the matter.”

LaPlante died Sept. 27, leaving behind a wife, two daughters and four grandchildren.

This was a man so multifaceted that how a person addressed him depended on their specific relationship with LaPlante.

“To civilian friends and family he was Norm,” according to his obituary, “but to his brothers and sisters in service he was JP.”

LaPlante’s service record itself is impressive: He spent two years in the Marine Corps Reserve, four years in the U.S. Air Force, two years in the Army Reserve, and 17 years in the Maine Army National Guard.

In civilian life, LaPlante’s involvement in community affairs was no less astounding. He served with the Sabattus Police Department, chaired the Sabattus and Union 44 school committees, and represented his community in the state Legislature for six years, four of them as chairman of that body’s Local and County Government Committee.

Later, he was elected to the Sabattus Charter Commission, the Board of Selectmen, and the Sanitary District, among other positions. He also served as emergency management director for the town and chaired numerous committees, from building the town gazebo to running the Fun Festival.

According to his obituary, he served on the boards of the Lewiston-Auburn Sexual Assault Center and Anti-Drug Coalition, he was treasurer and vice president of Network L/A, and for 20 years he was president of “JUST US” Entertainers, a nonprofit musical troupe.

And with all that going on, LaPlante remained completely devoted to his family, upon whom he doted.

“As a grandfather, he was never shy about letting us know how proud he was,” granddaughter Madeleine LaPlante-Dube said. “His achievements are clear, but here’s some stuff a resume won’t tell you: He was an excellent singer. He knew a ton about plants. He was a talented woodworker and we all have a number of items he made: cutting boards, ice cream scoops, paper towel and napkin holders.

“He made the highchairs all four of his grandkids grew up sitting in,” she said. “He was always in charge of the Thanksgiving turkey. He was in his late 80s but no one ever believed it because he had a whip-sharp mind. He was an incredible storyteller — and embellisher; a family trait. And he was a great dad to his kids. A GREAT dad. My mom says, ‘He never let the grass grow under his feet; he was always doing something.’

“I couldn’t have asked for a better grandfather,” LaPlante-Dube said. “He was the best, and I’m going to miss him.”

And with so much on his plate, both professionally and personally, those who knew him say LaPlante never took lightly his duty to the people he was elected to serve.

“Mr. LaPlante was a kind, genuine soul who wanted to do the best he could for the town of Sabattus,” Sabattus firefighter Robert Gayton said. “We worked well together over the years and I considered him a friend. His presence will be missed by those who knew him and had the pleasure of working with him.”

“JP was a kind man,” Sabattus resident Jeff Baril said. “A great example what it meant to do community service. A real class act. He will be truly missed.”

Laura Clifford, meanwhile, has a pen and a birdhouse — both made by LaPlante — that she cherishes. They remind her of the times when LaPlante shared his wisdom with her on matters, such as her run for the Board of Selectmen and her desire to set up a farmers market in Sabattus.

For the latter, it was LaPlante who instructed Clifford on how to set up its nonprofit status, how to approach selectmen and how to get the market rolling.

“He was just such an amazing person,” Clifford said, “and a great mentor, too.”

A celebration of life for LaPlante will be held Nov. 13, from 4-8 p.m. at the Fortin and Pinette Group, 305 Alfred A. Plourde Parkway in Lewiston. A graveside service and military honors will be conducted Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. at Maine Veterans Cemetery in Augusta.