There aren’t many who had a bigger impact on the Northfield-Bernardston community than Bill Messer. 

Messer, born in Bernardston in 1923, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before attending Springfield College, later getting a job at Wallingford High School in Vermont, where he got his start in coaching and teaching. 

He returned to Bernardston in 1957 and spent the next 29 years of his career working the Pioneer School District, serving as a history teacher, coach, guidance director, assistant principal and athletic director during that frame. 

Messer died on Nov. 20 at the age of 101, leaving behind a legacy where he served, taught and helped many throughout the Pioneer community during his century-plus life.

“I hope we can all have a run to 101,” Messer’s son, Perry Messer, said. “That’s pretty dang good. He was a pretty amazing guy.” 

A Celebration of Life will take place Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. inside Messer Gymnasium at Pioneer Valley Regional – a gymnasium named after him.

To Perry Messer, there was no better place to celebrate his father’s life. 

“I can’t think of anything more fitting than having the funeral there at Messer Gymnasium,” Perry Messer said. “He loved his community and the people around here.”

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Being involved in the Pioneer school system for as long as Bill Messer was, and doing so in so many different capacities, Bill Messer was able to have a massive impact on the community. 

Perry Messer told a story of how upon opening up his gym in Northampton, a truck driver stopped. The man asked if he was Perry Messer, then proceeded to tell him how Bill Messer was the reason he made it through school and have the life he did. Aafter the man’s father had passed away, Bill Messer took him in, found him a foster home and helped him graduate high school. 

“That’s just the kind of guy he was,” Perry Messer said. 

Bill Messer coached football, basketball and baseball during his time with Pioneer, in addition to being the Panthers’ athletic director. 

He was also a leader in advancing women’s sports in Massachusetts, as he played a big role in establishing girls’ postseason tournaments in the state. 

“I remember driving to school with him early, helping him line the fields and do all those things,” Perry Messer said. “I also remember his booming voice when he was coaching. He was smart enough to not coach any of us kids when we got to high school but you could still hear that booming voice even when he was in the stands. The worst quality he passed down to me was getting on the officials. He got a kick out of that.” 

While Bill Messer suffered from dementia later in life, he was still active in the lives of his children, grandchildern and great-grandchildren.

“Every time I walked in the house he was asking how my basketball teams were doing, how the game went,” Perry Messer said. “He was an amazing dad and an amazing grandfather. I was blessed to have my first grandchild 16 months ago and just two weeks ago he held her. He was playing the harmonica with her, was playing catch with her. My kids were lucky to have 34, 32 and 30 years of having a great granddad.” 

Not only active in the school, Messer also served as a Northfield Town Moderator and was an active member of the West Northfield VFW. 

“He’s on the Mount Rushmore of the Pioneer community as far as people who have been ambassadors of the school,” Pioneer boys basketball coach Scott Thayer, a lifelong Northfield resident, said. “He was the standard bearer for a long time. He was 1-of-1, a salt of the earth type of person. There’s nobody else like him. His ability to mentor people like me and all the lives he’s touched in such a positive way, words really can’t explain the gifts he gave people. He was the ultimate educator and he led Pioneer to great heights. It’s a sad day but a very emotional day. I’m very glad I got to have him touch my life because he made it 100 percent better.”

Saturday’s ceremony will offer a chance for those in the community to celebrate all of Messer’s accomplishments in life. 

“It’ll be a true celebration of life,” Perry Messer said. “I had 63 great years with him. If I can do that for my kids, I’ll be blessed too.”