WENDELL — Before his death in November, Joshua Jay Dostis, better known locally as the politically charged jester Waffles T. Clown, announced his terminal illness in a fashion typical to him, with a communal gathering at the Full Moon Coffeehouse.

Dostis passed out his well-known pamphlet with his philosophy for living a good life, “Waffles T. Clown’s 10 Condiments of Transmogrification: The Way is Love.” In it, he declares the necessity of acting in ways motivated by one’s own desires and needs, so as to enable personal and communal wellness.

“My spirit is sacred to me, and as such I consider myself holy,” he concludes in the booklet. “I define holy and sacred as that irreducible principle, power or presence, which is the source, and the guarantor of unity, dignity, meaning, value and wholeness. I have returned to a primitive state of being. I am dancing and singing my way back to my roots — community.”

This community that Dostis danced and sang his way back to was on full display Saturday afternoon during a celebration of life in Wendell. Community members gathered to share stories, videos, photos, songs and a one-clown show in tribute to Dostis.

Friends remembered Dostis for his rousing political actions, many of which were recorded and several of which were played at the gathering.

In one video, taken on the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Dostis is dressed in a scientist costume. He walks around downtown Brattleboro, Vermont, telling those he encounters that he is from the “National Bureau of Radiological Testing in Washington” (a fictional organization) to take baseline radiation levels in the event that the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant were to experience a similar disaster to Chernobyl. He then asks people how they feel about living just a few miles away from the site. The video concludes with a message demanding the closure of the plant.

The stunt was typical of Dostis’ activism: rousing actions intended to raise awareness about issues he saw as critical.

One such stunt was Dostis’ “foot-mobile,” which was on display at Wendell Town Hall where the celebration of life was held. In a video of one of Dostis’ actions, attendees could see the costume, a toy car worn around his waist, in action. Dostis, at a car show, walked around telling attendees about the foot-mobile, which he described as the “transportation of the future.”

Upon seeing a convertible, Dostis lifted his hat and told the driver, “I’ve got a convertible, too.”

The New York City transplant and longtime New Salem resident died of bladder cancer at the age of 83 after some time in hospice.

Among his local advocacy was a December 2007 protest in which he ascended a sign at the Big Y plaza in Greenfield dressed as Uncle Sam with donkey ears and unfurled a handmade banner sounding the alarm on veteran suicide rates and urging an end to the Iraq War. War and veterans’ issues were particularly personal to Dostis, himself a military veteran. He also waved a small American flag and shouted anti-war slogans through a megaphone.

Dostis also worked with the anti-nuclear movement and protested a state plan to divert Route 2 through Wendell State Forest/Bear Mountain by dressing up as a bear.

Friends of Dostis praised his methods of raising awareness with joy rather than with “out of control attention-seeking,” as longtime friend Ann Reed put it.

“Gently, he did what he did,” Reed said. “He produced irony. He did not win by shouting the other guy down or punching the other guy out.”

Although unable to attend, Dostis’ niece, Melanie, wrote a eulogy, which was delivered by one of Dostis’ friends. In it, she echoed the sentiment of Reed and others at the gathering.

“As a nonconformist, he shared his ideals through his artwork, spreading love with mindfulness, as he thought this would make the world a better place for everyone. It was said he marched to the beat of a different drummer. Indeed, this was a wonderful thing, as it enhanced the beauty and originality of his song. He was a caring and loving uncle and a wonderful brother,” the eulogy read. “We will miss his smile, his gentle manner and his laughter.”

“Waffles T. Clown” was derived from Dostis’ brief ownership of a waffle shop in Greenfield and the fact that he collected antique wafflemakers. In honor of Dostis’ love of waffles, a waffle party will be held at Deja Brew Café and Pub in Wendell on Saturday, May 31, at 6 p.m. His favorite spinach waffles with garlic and feta will be available.