Updated on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. This article by John Gregg first appeared on the Valley News website on June 29.
SHARON — Residents are grieving the death of a 64-year-old Sharon man killed in a logging accident Saturday while cutting up a tree he had felled.
John K. Sears was known not just for his auto repair shop but for his many good deeds around Sharon, from helping with projects and problems at Camp Downer to teaching children at Sharon Elementary School how to cross-country ski.
“John was probably the most honest and generous and caring person you’ll ever meet, and there isn’t, I would say, a part of town he didn’t help in some way at some point,” said Andrew Lane, director of The Sharon Academy’s middle school.
Sears, also an experienced logger, was cutting up a tree at a private residence on O’Donnell Farm Road on Saturday afternoon when the safety system on a winch cable securing a log malfunctioned, releasing the tension on the cable, Vermont State Police said in a news release on Tuesday. The log rolled and struck Sears in the head and torso.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. State police launched an investigation and said the death appears accidental and was not considered suspicious.
Sharon Fire Chief Nathan Potter said Sears was well-liked in Sharon, and crew members were upset by his death.
“He did a lot for the town,” Potter said.
Sears grew up in Hartford, graduating from Hartford High School in 1974, and he and his wife, Janet, moved to Sharon in 1979 when they bought property on Downer Road, where they raised their two sons, Ben and Logan.
Sears had his auto shop there, and it was just down the road from Camp Downer, where he kept watch during the winter but also jumped to help when camp was in session and a problem arose.
“He was our go-to for literally everything, whether it was a tree down that needed to be moved, a vehicle that needed to be worked on, or a tool to borrow, or to talk about what was going on,” said Emily Myers, the camp director.
“He was the kind of person I’d like to be in my community,” added Harold Mitchell, who ran the camp for 40 years and recently retired. “He just had so many skills and knowledge about so many different things.”
Janet Sears said her husband “just liked to help. He was a hard worker and he was always very quick to step up and pitch in and do what needed to be done.”
Lane, the TSA educator, said Sears was also an avid skier and outdoorsman and would teach elementary school children “how to cross-country ski and get out in the woods.”
A memorial service is planned for 1:30 p.m. Saturday at The Sharon Academy High School gymnasium. With a large crowd expected, the building will open about an hour before the service.
