Vermont, Maine communities mourn the sudden death of their former town manager, rec director
March 23, 2026 | By Lisa ScagliottiCommunities in Vermont and Maine are sharing the news and mourning the unexpected death of Nicholas Nadeau, former recreation director in Waterbury and most recently town manager in Skowhegan, Maine.
July 2022: Former Waterbury Recreation Director Nick Nadeau at the town pool during rec camp. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
On Sunday, the Skowhegan Select Board shared a statement addressed to its town staff and local residents that it had learned of Nadeau’s death. “This is a difficult moment for many within Town government and throughout the community. We extend our condolences to Mr. Nadeau's family, friends, colleagues, and all those affected by his passing,” the board wrote.
The local news site CentralMaine.com, in a post on Sunday, noted that the town offices in Skowhegan were closed on Friday.
Nadeau joined the town staff in Skowhegan, a town of just over 8,600 residents in Central Maine, last June as an interim manager; the job officially became his in October, the local news outlet reported.
Nadeau worked in Waterbury from 2018 until 2022 as recreation director and left in the summer of 2022 to take a position as town administrator in Blue Hill, Maine, a town of about 2,800 on the Maine coast just west of Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor.
In his time in Waterbury, Nadeau presided over an expansion of recreation programs and managed the department through the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Monday, Waterbury Interim Municipal Manager Bill Woodruff acknowledged the news of Nadeau’s passing in a statement to the community. “Nick’s boundless energy and enthusiasm were trademarks of his time here,” Woodruff said. “Whether playing a game of knockout basketball with campers or attending a budget meeting, he gave his full focus and attention to the task at hand.”
Nadeau’s efforts in Waterbury received several recognitions, including a 2021 Spirit of ADA Award from the Governor’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities. In 2022, he was a recipient of a Governor’s Rays of Kindness Award for acts of service, goodwill and kindness. Nadeau helped secure grant funds to support meals for youth recreation programs and he helped land funding that led to the purchase of two vans to transport youngsters and staff for various rec activities.
The Waterbury Record newspaper reported that Nadeau was hired to lead Waterbury’s recreation department from a field of some 40 applicants in 2018. He had a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s in education from Johnson State College, now Northern Vermont University. He worked in the athletics and recreation department at Northern Vermont University for seven years before landing the Waterbury position. While working in Waterbury, Nadeau also earned a doctorate degree in education from Liberty University.
Woodruff extended condolences to Nadeau’s family and loved ones and also to those in Skowhegan and in Fairfax, Vermont, where he grew up and served as interim town manager in 2025.
Aug. 2021: Former Waterbury Recreation Director Nick Nadeau landed a grant from Shaw’s supermarkets to support the summer recreation camp meal program. Campers decorated an even larger thank-you banner. File photo by Gordon Miller
“Nick will be remembered for the lasting impact he made on our town and in our lives,” Woodruff said. “His commitment to making the Waterbury community a special place will not be forgotten.”
Although Nadeau had a two-year contract in Blue Hill, worked there for just a year, leaving in July 2023. In addition to managing a myriad of municipal projects, hiring and daily duties, in his year at Blue Hill Nadeau also launched an eight-week summer youth recreation camp and an after school program, modeled after the programs in Waterbury. He left that position to join a private sector auditing firm that works with municipal governments in Vermont and Maine, according to the St. Albans Messenger.
Nadeau returned to local government in 2025 when he took on two overlapping interim town manager positions in both his hometown of Fairfax, Vermont, in January, and in Skowhegan in June. His position in Fairfax ended in October when that town hired Mike Bishop, former zoning administrator in Waterbury, as its new town manager. Nadeau’s position in Skowhegan then became a permanent assignment.
On Friday, Bishop shared a statement from town government in Fairfax on Nadeau’s passing, saying Nadeau’s contributions to the commuity in 2025 were greatly appreciated. “He and his family are well known in the community, and this news is deeply felt by many,” Bishop wrote. “On behalf of the Town, we extend our condolences to Nick’s family, friends, and all who had the opportunity to know and work with him.”
As news spread over the weekend and into Monday, local and state officials across the communities where Nadeau worked over the past several years were shared in news reports and on social media.
Oct. 2025: The Skowhegan Free Library shared a photo of Nadeau during his first visit to have a tour and get a library card.
“He had a lot of responsibility in the town and he was doing a great job,” Skowhegan Select Board member Ethan Liberty told the Morning Sentinel newspaper in Waterville, Maine.
“He was on the right track to get a lot of things done,” his colleague and Vice Chair Kevin Nelson commented to the Maine paper. “I was shocked to say the least that he’s gone.”
The Skowhegan local officials said they would be meeting on Tuesday to determine who would handle town manager duties next.
The newspaper, posting on its website CentralMaine.com reported that Nadeau died Thursday evening. It cites the Office of the Maine Chief Medical Examiner, confirming that Nadeau’s age was 32 and sharing a preliminary cause of death.
“Lindsey Chasteen, spokesperson for that office, said via email Monday that ‘it appears (Nadeau) took his own life.’ Chasteen declined to provide any further details, citing an ongoing investigation,” the paper reported.
This post will be updated with obituary information when it becomes available.
Resources
Multiple national and state resources are available 24/7 for those in crisis including the 988 national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 9-8-8 for free, confidential support.
A Vermont resource is the Vermont Crisis Text Line. Text VT to 741741 from anywhere in Vermont to connect anonymously with a trained crisis counselor. More online at vtcrisistextline.org
FacingSuicideVT.com is a Vermont website and initiative featuring state and national resources for getting help, giving help to others who may be at risk for suicide, and getting involved in suicide prevention. It’s managed by the Vermont Department of Health and the Vermont Department of Mental Health with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Program.