Thomas Francis Moser, the Maine-based craftsman known for the elegant wooden furniture that bore his name, died Wednesday, his family announced Friday. He was 90.

Moser founded Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers in 1972 out of a garage in New Gloucester, his family said.

Today, Thos. Moser employs more than 60 craftspeople in its Auburn workshop, where it has been headquartered since 1987, the company said. In January, the Moser family sold the company to Portland-based Chenmark holding company, said CEO Philip Hussey, who took over at that time.

“This happened with Tom’s blessing, in that he wanted to find a way to make sure that Thos. Moser could continue on for the next 50 years,” Hussey said in a phone call Friday night.

The company’s work, which has included a lectern for former President Bill Clinton and ceremonial seating for Pope Benedict XVI’s 2008 White House visit, fills showrooms as near as Freeport and as far as San Francisco. Moser’s craftsmanship was also featured in an exhibition at the Maine College of Art and Design’s Institute of Contemporary Art a decade ago.

Aaron Moser, one of Thomas Moser’s four sons, said that his father “believed crafting furniture should be a collaborative venture” and worked closely with his employees.

“He relished passing along what he learned and, especially, eliciting input about design and craft from his team,” Aaron Moser said in a written statement.

Moser was born in Chicago on Feb. 23, 1935. His mother died when he was 14, and his father died on Moser’s 18th birthday, his family said.

“Raised in Northbrook, Illinois, he took on roles as a Boy Scout, golf caddy, window dresser, and altar boy, showcasing his enterprising spirit,” the family said in a written statement. “He remained a loving brother to Joseph Moser of the Chicago area.”

Moser married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Wilson Moser, in 1957. They built their first home from a kit in the Sears catalogue and raised four sons.

Before coming to Maine, Moser worked as a military policeman in Greenland and studied at SUNY Geneseo, tuning organs and repairing antiques to support his young family.

COMING TO MAINE

The Mosers settled in Maine in 1966, at which time he joined Bates College as a professor, preached at a local church and coached speech and debate, the company said. The couple founded the furniture company together.

“You cannot underestimate the important role that his wife, Mary, has played in the success of his career,” said Peter Korn, founder of the Center For Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport.

Korn hosted Moser for lectures and at the center’s annual open house, calling him a deeply compelling orator.

As American furniture manufacturing was increasingly outsourced overseas, Moser remained committed to keeping his production in Maine and supporting the local economy, Korn said.

“His commitment to craftsmanship, his commitment to made in America,” Korn said. “There’s no question that the world’s an emptier place for Tom not being here.”

Moser leaves behind strong legacies “in different arenas,” Korn said, including in helping shape the taste of American craftsman and consumers.

When Moser was first getting started in the 1970s, cherry wood was thought to be cheap and often found in the “lowest bin at the lumberyard,” Korn said. But Moser helped bring its rich color and durability into the spotlight.

“He made it his wood, his signature wood,” Korn said. “It then eventually surpassed white oak as the No. 1 furniture wood in the U.S.”

Donna McNeil, who curated the Institute of Contemporary Art show and co-wrote a book with Moser, said he brought a confident presence, strong sense of humor and thoughtful approach to every space he entered.

“I think that Tom was definitely a one-of-a-kind type of person,” McNeil said. “It’s fair to say that Thomas Moser is credited with the revival of fine woodworking, certainly in Maine, and maybe in the country.”

McNeil said Moser maintained a strong relationship with the Shaker community, from whom he borrowed influence and inspiration.

She recalled him driving around in a gold-colored Jaguar and commanding well-earned attention.

“He was clearly the man,” she said. “He was the guy that started it all, and he carried it with him.”

These days, Thos. Moser furniture sells for thousands of dollars. Each piece bear the signature of the individual craftsperson, as well as their own personal taste, expressed through choice of wood-grain, joint-work and overall style, Hussey said.

A LASTING BUSINESS

At the Thos. Moser showroom in Freeport, a portrait of its founder sat cradled by one of the company’s armchairs as the shop closed Friday afternoon. Another photo sat on a two-toned desk, next to a pot of purple flowers and a brief retelling of his life.

Meg Hurdman, assistant territory manager, said the store phone rang throughout the afternoon following the announcement of Moser’s death. Colleagues, customers and fans from as far as Florida and Colorado called to share their condolences and appreciation for Moser’s craft, she said.

“They can run through the whole list of things that they own,” down to the collection and model name, Hurdman said. “It is unusual, I would say, for a furniture company. But Tom was probably the best known living furniture maker.”

Hurdman called Moser’s furniture works of “functional sculpture” and noted that he helped mentor several other furniture makers who went on to start their own business, including Bill Huston, founder of Kennebunkport-based Huston & Company furniture makers.

Huston noted his time working alongside Moser and his wife during a speech at his retirement party last year.

“I worked with Tom and Mary for 12 years, learning lots of furniture making skills, but most significantly I learned from them that you had to embrace the marketing side if you were going to survive and grow a business,” he said, according to an archived version of the speech.

In addition to furniture, Moser crafted wood-grain American flags. One of those adorns the office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

“It is emblematic of his love of our country and of the care and craftsmanship that he brought to bear upon all his work. My heart goes out to Tom’s entire family — he was a national treasure and will be deeply missed,” Collins said in a written statement. “His productions combined beauty and function and are instantly recognizable when you see them.”

Hussey, the new CEO, said that while Moser had not had an active role in building the furniture for years, his work has “touched hundreds of thousands of lives.”

“The incredible thing about Tom is that his legacy continues on through everybody he touched, but especially the craftsmen who were lucky enough to work with him,” Hussey said.

No services are planned at this time, the family said, asking that, in lieu of flowers, well-wishers send donations to the Thomas Moser Scholarship Fund for the trades.