Stonington — Former Democratic Selectman and longtime Water Pollution Control Authority Chairman Jim Sisk died Monday night at his home.

Sisk, who also taught and coached for many years here had planned to run for selectman again last November but had to leave the race after being diagnosed with cancer.

On Tuesday, one of Sisk’s closest friends, former First Selectman George Crouse and current First Selectman Rob Simmons praised Sisk for his many years of service to the town.

“This was a guy who took public service very seriously. He didn’t talk about it, he did it,” said Simmons, a Republican who was defeated by Sisk in the race for selectman back in 1985. “Stonington is lucky to have public servants like Jim Sisk. He held down a full-time job and in his spare time and at night he gave back to the town.”  

Last week the Board of Selectmen approved a lifetime achievement award for Sisk and planned to present it to him on Wednesday.

When word came Tuesday morning that he had passed away, Simmons said he went to Sisk’s home to deliver the award to his family.

Crouse grew up with Sisk, taught and coached with him, was his college roommate and was his running mate in last November’s election until Sisk had to leave the race.

He said he and another friend Sandy Grimes visited Sisk on Monday.

“He invested his whole life in this town and the return for the town and for him was great,” Crouse said. “He was a great guy. And he got things done.”

Crouse described his friend as a very positive person who listened to others and “was not afraid to say something when he saw something.”

“Whatever he did, he did well,” he added.

Simmons said that when Sisk had to leave the selectman’s race this fall “it was a very sad thing to hear and I told him that.”

Simmons said that when he and unaffiliated Selectman Mike Spellman were campaigning last fall they knocked on Sisk’s door.

“He said ‘I don’t think I’m going to vote for you but come in.’ We sat there and told stories for an hour. It was delightful. That’s the way he was,” Simmons said.

Sisk taught social studies for 38 years at Pawcatuck Middle School and eight years with Stonington Adult Education.

He also chaired the Stonington Housing Authority and oversaw the development of the Edythe K. Richmond Homes project. The road to the project is named Sisk Drive in his honor.

He served 20 years on the WPCA before stepping down last summer. During his tenure he presided over the privatizing of the operation of the wastewater treatment system, saving the taxpayers thousands of dollars each year; never losing service despite blizzards and hurricanes and completing a $2 million odor control project and a 20-year facilities plan that resulted in an $18.3 million system upgrade, both of which were completed on time and under budget.

Sisk, though, was always quick to praise his fellow authority members as well former Director Hal Storrs and current Director Tom Gilligan for making the accomplishments possible.

When he stepped down last summer, Sisk wrote in his letter to the town that he was retiring rather than resigning.

“No one ever resigns from public service. The obligation and responsibilities of citizenship are always present and one should not resign from them but embrace the opportunities,” he wrote.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas