Valentine’s Day Bandit Revealed By Family After Sudden Death of Falmouth Man

The first thing I thought, is that the tradition must live on in his honor.

I didn't know 67-year-old Kevin Fahrman from Falmouth. But so many of us were affected by his kindness...without us evening knowing. Kevin passed suddenly and his family wanted you to know that he was Portland's Valentine's Day Bandit.

Maine Public Radio says for decades he has put huge red hearts on everything from Fort Gorges, Portland storefronts, and even places that make you scratch your head and wonder, 'How'd he do that?'

MPR talked to a close friend of Kevin, Rachel Guthrie who worked with Fahrman years ago, and said just how many lives he truly touched.

There are so many people who benefit from those hearts, and nobody knew. We were so good at keeping that secret, the small group of us who knew.

It was actually someone who worked with Kevin that started the heart tradition in 1976 but Kevin took over in 1979. Apparently, his basement is still filled with red hearts. Tributes are going up along Route 88 in Falmouth.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a negative word said about Kevin. He was truly loved and will be truly missed. Not just as the Valentine's Day Bandit, but as a giving member of society. He was a photographer, a lover of sailing, and taught at Southern Maine Community College to help young photographers.

If you would like to pay your respects to a man you may have never met but was touched by nonetheless, there will be a celebration of life for Kevin from 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at the Portland Yacht Club in Falmouth.

Also, can we all just agree right now to do whatever it takes to keep this tradition alive?