NORTHFIELD — Having touched countless lives as a World War II veteran and longtime Pioneer Valley Regional School educator, William Messer has made an impact over his century of life.

Messer, a Bernardston native who has lived in Northfield with his wife, Pat Messer, for 61 years, turned 100 years old on Monday. Gathered around him as he sat in his living room on Sunday, Messer’s family members commended not only his personal achievement, but his century of service to his community.

Messer began his adulthood by enlisting in the Navy in 1942 before completing his education at Springfield College and becoming an educator. He worked at Pioneer Valley Regional School for its first 29 years of existence, serving as a history teacher, assistant principal, guidance director, coach and athletic director.

“He was always involved in anything that involved kids,” Pat Messer said of her husband. “He would always say, ‘They don’t always have to like me, but they have to respect me,’ and they would respond back, ‘We loved him.’”

Chip Messer, the eldest of Messer’s four sons, added that his father was “one of the first real advocates for women’s sports” in the area. He explained that Messer founded a local girls’ basketball tournament that eventually blossomed into the state-level high school girls’ basketball tournament that exists today. Messer’s impact on the school’s athletics was so profound, in fact, that the Pioneer gymnasium was renamed in his honor upon his retirement in 1986, his wife noted.

Messer also formerly served as Northfield’s town moderator and is a Veterans of Foreign Wars member.

As he suffers from dementia, Messer admitted that specific moments in his life are tough to remember. Still, he said he is grateful to have “a lot of good people that have remained in contact.” These friends range from Navy buddies to Pioneer alumni.

“There are a lot of people that have made contact with me who have remembered school at the time they were there,” he said. “That’s been a big part of my life.”

Current Pioneer Superintendent Patricia Kinsella, despite not overlapping tenures with Messer, recognized his impact and legacy in a letter celebrating his 100th birthday. She commended Messer’s birthday as a “remarkable achievement and wonderful milestone for someone who has dedicated many decades to serving both country and community” before welcoming him back to the school to celebrate further.

“We would welcome the opportunity to celebrate your birthday on campus and invite you and your family to visit school during these last days of June or next September during the opening of school,” she wrote. “It would be a privilege to share our gratitude in person for all that you have contributed to the district.”

While Pat Messer said staying active has been key to her husband living such a long life, William Messer laughed, confessing that he hasn’t “any idea” what has enabled him to live this long. What matters most to him, he said, is that life is a gift that keeps on giving.

“At this stage,” he said, “there are so many good things around that it’s hard to concentrate, and I’m afraid I’m missing something if I don’t focus on every single one.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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