HARPSWELL — Henry V. Gosselin, 83, died May 2 at Parkview Medical Adventist Hosptial.

Gosselin was born in Brunswick on March 23, 1929, to Raoul and Rose Gosselin. He attended St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick, St. Francis Academy in Biddeford and St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. He received his masters degree in journalism from Boston College.

He served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War from 1951 to 1952, retiring with the rank of sergeant major.

In the 1950s and 60s he was the editor and co-owner of the Somerset Reporter in Skowhegan, where he gained a reputation as a crusading journalist. He was the first New England resident ever to be nominated for the national Ira K. Lovejoy Courage in Journalism award. He also served as president of the Maine Press Association.

He was appointed the editor of Church World, Maine’s Catholic weekly newspaper, in 1968 by then-Bishop Peter L. Gerety. During his tenure, Gosselin received several honors and recognitions from Catholic groups and organizations for the voice he gave them through the newspaper.

He was a modest man who always insisted the awards go to Church World and not to himself. He once said that he thought his greatest talent was his ability to recognize talent in others.

In 1992 he received the Catholic Press Association’s highest honor, the St. Francis de Sales Award for Lifetime Achievement. He was also awarded an honorary doctorates from St. Joseph’s College and St. Anslem’s College.

He was the author of two historical novels: “Clement Gosselin, George Washington’s French-Canadian Spy” and “Eustache Lambert, Donne Extraordinaire.”

On January 6, 2005, he married Claire M. Bastien.

Gosselin was predeceased by his sister Ruth and her husband, Richard.

He is survived by his devoted wife, Claire, of Harpswell; sister Pauline and her husband, Phil, of Harpswell; brother, Roland, and his wife, June, of Topsham; niece and godchild, Judy Creel, and her husband, Steve, of Oviedo, Fla.; nephew and godchild, Daniel Gosselin, and his wife, Diane, of Topsham; niece and godchild, Patricia Moses, and her husband, Larry, of Danbury, Conn.; and 10 more nieces and nephews and their families; three stepsons and their families; and lifelong friend Col. George Boucher of Anderson, S.C.

There were no visiting hours. A funeral was celebrated on May 5 at St. John’s the Baptist Church-All Saints Parish. Burial will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gosselin’s name may be made to The Vicarage by the Sea, 9 Vicarage Ln., Harpswell, ME 04079 or to Respite Care, 10 Main St., Topsham, ME 04086.