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Waterbury man missing since last year recalled by friends at gathering
By Peter Hirschfeld Times Argus Staff - Published: October 15, 2007
WATERBURY Donald Messier didn't disappear into thin air. And that's about all anybody knows about what happened to the well-loved Waterbury man.
Messier, a 34-year-old Harwood graduate, was last seen one year ago today after leaving a party in Waitsfield.
Statewide police bulletins have come up empty, and hundreds of volunteer search hours by family, friends and hunters have yet to offer even an inkling of his whereabouts. At a potluck dinner held in his honor Saturday, Messier's friends said they're still waiting for closure.
"He had such a good sense of humor and bubbly personality. Real happy-go-lucky guy," said Dennis Lafarr. "That's the mystery part for me. Doesn't seem like him to take off like that."
The party, held at the American Legion in Waterbury, was intended as an upbeat tribute to a man known here as "Donnie." A shrine with dozens of photographs charted Messier's life from infancy. The "gentle giant," friends said, enjoyed good times.
"To me he was golden," said Dick Poupart, whose children attended school with Messier. "He was always happy. Always in a good mood."
Messier, fresh off a painful divorce, wasn't in good emotional shape when he disappeared, according to his sister, Amy Currier. And family members say the former employee at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters had never been one to stray far from home. His Ford pickup truck hasn't been seen since he left, and neither his cell phone nor his bank accounts have been used.
Currier said investigating authorities at the Vermont State Police have no new leads, though they plan an aerial search once trees are bare. Police do not suspect foul play.
"I feel I owe it to him to find him one way or another and bring him home," Currier said. "It's one sibling's job to look out for the other."
Messier said the fruitless searches have been frustrating and that the lack of closure has weighed heavily on the family.
"A piece of me is missing until he's found," Currier said.
Messier was last seen wearing blue jeans with a plaid black-and-blue button-up type shirt. Police are looking for leads in locating either Messier or his vehicle, a red 1997 Ford F-150 pick-up truck with a Vermont license plate BGG890 and a NASCAR number displayed in the rear window.
Anyone with information about Messier's whereabouts is asked to call Vermont State Police at (802) 229-9191.