When folks enter the Oxford Public Library, many of them probably don’t realize the critical role Duane Salswedel played during the building’s construction in the 1990s.

“I don’t think the library would have gotten built without him,” said Connie Miller, a former longtime member of the Oxford Public Library Friends (OPLF) and past president. “Duane met with the construction people and walked the site almost every day until it was done, which was very impressive and showed a great deal of dedication on his part.”

“He was a big part of seeing that project get finished and (he) took a big load off of my shoulders,” said Judy Doublestein, who served as library director from 1984 to 2007.

The library is a brick-and-mortar testament to the good works and community spirit that characterized Salswedel’s life, which came to an end on Dec. 6, 2018. He was 87.

“He was a good man. He was certainly good for the community,” Miller said.

“It’s a sad day for not only his family, but this community and the library. We’re going to really miss him. I already miss him,” said Library Director Bryan Cloutier.

“He’ll certainly be missed by the community as a whole,” Doublestein said. “He was kind of an irreplaceable person.”

For almost four decades, Salswedel, a 1949 Oxford High School graduate, was a fixture on the library board of trustees.

“He (served) with such grace and (a) willingness to help in whatever way he could,” Doublestein said.

Salswedel spent the majority of his nearly 40 years chairing meetings as board president. He presided over his last one on Nov. 16, 2016.

Cloutier called Salswedel “a compassionate leader who was dedicated to public service and dedicated to the library community,”

“He was amazing to work for and most importantly, he was an amazing human being,” he said. “He genuinely cared about the people around him, and he cared about what they were doing and how well they did it. He cared about making sure they had all the resources available to them to be successful.”

Cloutier, who’s been director since 2007, described Salswedel as a generally “quiet” man. “He listened. He didn’t speak a whole lot, but when he did speak, you listened to him because he had valuable input,” he said.

Doublestein recalled Salswedel wasn’t the type of person who viewed his board position as a once-a-month gig.

“He took the time to come into the library and he knew many of the employees by name,” she said. “He went to conferences . . . He had a real interest in the job and devoted time to it.”

In 1998, the OPLF presented Salswedel with its Friend of the Year award.

Outside of the library’s walls, Salswedel was quite active in his community.

He served on the Oxford Village Zoning Board of Appeals for 32 years and spent 28 of those years as chairman.

Salswedel was involved in local organizations such as the Northeast Oakland Historical Society/Museum and Love in the Name of Christ of North Oakland County, a nonprofit organization that links churches, volunteers and service agencies in their efforts to help the poor and disadvantaged.

He previously served on the advisory board for the Oxford campus of Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital and was chairman of the Public Library Trustee Association of Oakland County.

Professionally, Salswedel enjoyed a 40-year career in administration and management with American Aggregates in Oxford.

Service to country was also important to Salswedel. During the Korean War, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served four years before exiting as a staff sergeant.

A religious man, Salswedel worshipped at the Community of Christ Church in Lake Orion for more than 62 years. He was a member of the priesthood and served as the congregation’s presiding officer.

Salswedel spent many years working at the funeral home on W. Burdick St., first for the Bossardet family when they owned it, then for the Lynch family, the current owners. He greeted many grieving visitors and ministered to countless families.

He is survived by his wife Dawn, to whom he was happily married for 67 years; brother Dale (Jan) Salswedel; sister Judy Cochran; children DuAnne Cook, Debra Dearing and Darrin (Lily) Salswedel; grandchildren Christy (Nick) Roberts, Katelyn (Jon) Perry, Zoe Salswedel and Trey Salswedel; and great-grandson Aiden Perry.

A funeral service was held Dec. 12 at Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors. Interment was at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Oxford.