SCARBOROUGH – Dwight Pendexter was a respected financial consultant for Northeast Financial Services, who spent the past 26 years helping his clients toward financial security.

Outside the office, Mr. Pendexter played golf and softball for more than 30 years. He was active in the Greater Portland Senior Men’s Softball League, leading Foreside Tavern to two championship titles, in 2006 and 2011. The team lost in the finals this year.

Mr. Pendexter died Monday after a six-week battle with cancer. He was 67.

Mr. Pendexter joined Northeast Financial in 1999 as a financial consultant. He had worked in the same capacity at Financial Benefit Services LLC for 13 years.

Throughout his career, he earned numerous milestones, including a membership to the Million Dollar Roundtable, Top of the Table; and the President’s Club and Century Club of Commonwealth Financial Network.

He had planned to retire soon.

Leslie Couper, a principal supervisor at Northeast Financial, remembered him Tuesday as a friendly and outgoing guy, who built strong relationships with his clients.

“He was great at making people feel important and great at asking people how they were doing,” Couper said. “It’s very sad. If you met Dwight, you would remember him. He touched a lot of lives.”

Norm Poulin, a close friend and colleague, echoed those sentiments.

“He was always more concerned about other people,” Poulin said. “He was always there to listen and have conversations unconditionally. His office was more like a confessional. There was always someone sitting in his chair.”

Mr. Pendexter grew up in Portland and graduated from Deering High School in 1963.

He was married to Joan Pendexter for 43 years.

His wife reminisced Tuesday about the day they met at a dance at the YWCA in Portland. At the time, she was a student nurse at Mercy Hospital. He was in the National Guard. She said they went on a couple of dates before he was called to active duty.

“I thought he was pretty cute. He was playing hard to get,” his wife said. “A year and a half later, I met him in the same place. I got him this time.”

They were married in 1969 and raised two children. She said they shared a fun life together, taking many trips over the years that usually coincided with sporting events. For example, the Pendexters vacationed in Florida during spring training. They also traveled to Chicago to visit his brother when the Cubs were scheduled to play the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mr. Pendexter also loved music and the theater. He and his wife attended many Broadway shows in New York City.

Mr. Pendexter pitched and managed a team in the Scarborough Softball League for many years. He also served as treasurer of the league.

“Some men don’t grow up, they grow older,” his wife said. “It was a good outlet for him. He had a really nice bunch of guys playing on his team. One player said Dwight was the glue that kept them all together.”

On the league’s website, Mr. Pendexter was remembered as a “class act,” who helped the league grow into a successful organization.

“Guys like Dwight Pendexter make coming to the softball diamond a pleasure,” Jim Donoghue wrote. “He will be missed.”

Steve Locke, president of the league, said it’s planning to create a hall of fame. Mr. Pendexter will be inducted posthumously.

 

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:

mcreamer@pressherald.com