The co-owner of a bar that was one of the sites of last year’s mass shooting in Lewiston has died.  

David Lebel passed away unexpectedly, according to a Facebook post Tuesday morning from his wife, Kathy.  

“He embraced life and people with an open heart,” Kathy Lebel wrote. “Making friends came effortlessly to him. I don’t believe anyone out there who met him didn’t feel a connection.”

The two purchased Schemengees Bar and Grille in 1998 and moved it to Lincoln Street in 2008, according to the Sun Journal.

Ten people were killed at Schemengees, which closed following the Oct. 25 shooting. Eight others were killed at Just-In-Time Recreation. It was the worst mass shooting in Maine history.

Kathy and David Lebel were married for 37 years and had a son, Tyler.

“I could never have wished for a better man by my side,” Kathy Lebel wrote on Facebook. “He was kind, gentle, and loving—a true partner in every sense.”

With reporting by Matthew Jaroncyk.