Benjamin Leonard Sawyer of South Portland, Maine, passed away on October 2, 2026, surrounded by his family.

Born in Portland on July 17, 1934, Ben was the son of Benjamin H. Sawyer and Danietta Miller Sawyer. He grew up in Portland and attended Portland schools.

Ben enjoyed history and genealogy and was proud of his deep connections to Chebeague Island, where he spent summers throughout most of his life. It was there that he met Norma when she was just eight years old, long before they would marry. He took pride in being named after his grandfather, who served as a Portland fireman for 40 years. In 1898, sculptor Edward S. Griffin used his grandfather to create the statue that still stands in front of the Central Fire Station on Congress Street in Portland.

Ben held several occupations over the years. As a salesman for both Fuller’s and Schultz auto parts, serving dealerships throughout Maine. In the early 1970s, he turned his talents toward work he truly loved: remodeling and restoring old buildings. His projects included the Old Port Tavern building and others in the area. Anyone who knew Benny knew he loved to collect things. Much to Norma’s chagrin, their garage was filled with parts and boat engines.

In retirement, he opened Benny’s Clam Shack on Commercial Street in Portland, serving what his family considered the city’s best lobster roll, fried clams, and chowder. Benny’s became a place where all of his grandchildren, their friends, and many of his own worked alongside him.

Ben’s greatest passion was restoring wooden boats and bringing them back to their natural beauty. In the early 1960s, he co-founded the Mariner’s Yacht Club at what is now DiMillo’s in Portland, where he kept his boat, the Brenda Lee, and served as commodore. In retirement, when the tides allowed, he enjoyed boating from their waterfront home in South Portland to their cottage on Chebeague Island. A lover of warm weather, they spent winters in Palmetto, Florida, where he formed many lasting friendships.

Benny always rooted for the underdog. He helped people experiencing tough times get back on their feet, often offering them work and a chance to start again. So handsome with beautiful blue eyes, he was unmistakably himself, he could command a room with his charm. He was always in a good mood, loved to sing, and he loved a good party. He faithfully read the newspaper from front to back each day. His love of the water, entrepreneurial spirit, and can-do attitude live on.

Ben is survived by his wife, Norma Morahan (Sanderson); his daughters, Brenda Sawyer and husband, Jim Mandel, Tammy Bellino and husband, Ross Bellino, and Rachel Groff and husband, Andy Groff; his six grandchildren, Kim Labrecque and husband, Mike Labrecque, Keith Morrison, Joann Groff, Ben Groff, Josh Fogg, and Nicole Fogg; and his three great-grandchildren, Blair and Blake Labrecque, and Zayne Fogg; along with his nephews Danny Sawyer and wife Lynn, Shawn Sawyer, Walter Sawyer, and other special family members. He is also survived by his stepchildren, Kathy Dever and husband, John, Kim Goodwin and husband, Billy, James Morahan and his wife, Nancy, and John Morahan and his wife, Brenda, along with many step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his parents; his three brothers, Lewis, Robert, and William; and his first wife and friend, Sandra Guay.

Family and friends are invited to gather at Hobbs Funeral Home on Cottage Road in South Portland on Wednesday, October 7, at 11:30 a.m. Burial to follow at Brooklawn Memorial Cemetery in Portland, with a reception afterward at a family home in Scarborough.