I’m Just Curious: Just resting my eyes

by Debbie Walker

Have you ever noticed how someone can make a comment to you and all of a sudden you’re traveling back in your mind? That just happened to me tonight.

Ken came to the kitchen and told me he had been resting his eyes (he was snoring!). Resting his eyes. That took me back in time so quickly. My whole body was affected. I was doing a body smile.

“I was just resting my eyes,” was what Great-grammie Smith used to say. For sometime Grammie lived across the road from us in a tiny mobile home. There wasn’t much room in it but there was room for her rocking chair. She also had her sewing machine set up and probably another chair. I can’t quite remember.

Every chance I got I would make the escape across the road to Grammy’s. I was always welcome; it was like she was always waiting for me.

So many times I would go over, open the door and there was Gram, sitting in her rocker, with her eyes closed and snoring. She’s not here to be upset with my telling you she was snoring! Sometimes I would just sit and wait for her to open her eyes. She was so funny. She would open her eyes and say “Oh my, you caught me resting my eyes.” Then we would laugh and begin our visit.

Grammie used to make and wear patchwork aprons (and how I wish I had one she made!). Her hands were so knarled up with arthritis; it would make anyone wonder how she did anything with her hands. (She had the softest touch when she would brush my hair.) Those aprons were so neat, so many colors and patterns and she enjoyed doing it.

One day Gram was working along on an apron, when she picked it up she had made a mistake. She had sewn the new apron onto the one she was wearing. We had a good laugh over it and then she let me take out the stitches.

I don’t even remember how long Gram lived across the road from us but I loved every minute of it.

There was a Christmas I will never forget. I had found a pant suit, in the Sears catalog, that I was desperate to own. I had to have it. It was corduroy, in a beautiful shade of teal, a different color for that time period. The top had a big cowl neck collar, the front came down to a point and had a tassel on the end. My life just would not be complete without it.

Mom had pretty much told me it was out of the question, which left Grammie. I certainly put in my best sales pitches to her. The closer it got to Christmas the more desperate I was. I knew Gram would have to buy me something and it would have to be in her little home.

Most mornings I would get up and run over to Gram’s to wake her up. No need for locks back then. I would just let myself in, go in to Gram and wake her up. She’d say “I’ll be right out.”  Well, her “I’ll be right out” would give me a little time to hunt for signs of my Christmas present and then I would be innocently sitting in her rocker when she came out. No luck, I hunted every day. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed.

Christmas morning came and dad walked Grammie to our house to celebrate. We all sat in chairs in the living room as we started the wait for each of our turns for a gift.

Imagine my surprise when dad handed me my gift from Grammie. I unwrapped that absolutely wonderful pant suit for which I had o diligently campaigned. When I finally got it open Gram laughed right out loud. It seems that she had really put one over on me. She took great delight in telling me that with all my searching (she knew!!) I never found it. She informed me I had been sitting on it every time I sat in her rocker. She had hidden it under the cushion. Over the years she enjoyed reminding me.

Gees, okay, all that came out from Ken saying he was just resting his eyes. Hopefully this little ramble will have given you happy memories of something you have tucked away in your memory box.

You can’t imagine how many times a day I’m Just Curious about something, maybe I’ll try resting my eyes.

Reach me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com sub line: Gram   Hope you enjoyed reading. Can’t wait to hear from you!

Legal Notices, Week of September 29, 2016

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
Court St., Skowhegan, ME
Somerset, SS
Location of Court
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted.  The first publication date of this notice is September 22, 2016

If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide.  See 18-A MRSA 3-804.

2016-120 –    Estate of CLYDE E. MOWER, late of Pittsfield, Me deceased.  Paul R. Dionne, Esq., 465 Main Street, Suite 201, Lewiston, Me 04242 appointed Personal Representative.

2016-233 –    Estate of BRENT L. REDLEVSKE, late of Mercer, Me. Deceased.  Casaundra Redlevske, 1965 Mercer Road, Mercer, Me  04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2016-235 –    Estate of RAYMOND A. FONTAINE, late of Madison, Me deceased.  Laurie L. Carrigan, 279 Shusta Road, Madison, Me 04950 and Jalana Rae Carrigan, PO Box 303, Bangor, Me 04401 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2016-236 –    Estate of TRACY J. DEMO, late of Canaan, Me deceased.  Dorothy Smith, 15 Bartlett Street, Fairfield, Maine 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2016-240 –    Estate of PAUL A. DAVIDSON, late of Fairfield, Me deceased.  Lorrie L. Pelotte, 262 Green Road, Fairfield, Me  04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2016-241 –     Estate of STEVENS J. PLANTE, late of Jackman, Me deceased.  Ross T. Plante, 899 Compass Way, San Diego, CA 92154 appointed Personal Representative.

2016-243 –    Estate of MARTIN D. GARBE, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased.  Sharon G. Soderberg, 52 Carver Street, Bangor, Me 04401 appointed Personal Representative.

2016-248 –    Estate of ALTON C. BRANN, SR., late of Cornville, Me deceased.  Amy Cunningham, 143 Wood Road, Cornville, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on September 22, 2016 & September 29, 2016.
Dated: September 19, 2016
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(9/29)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
41 COURT ST.
SOMERSET, SS.
SKOWHEGAN, ME

PROBATE NOTICES

TO ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ESTATES LISTED BELOW

Notice is hereby given by the respective petitioners that they have filed petitions for appointment of personal representatives in the following estates.  These matters will be heard at 9 a.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be, on October 5, 2016. The requested appointments may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard.  This notice complies with the requirements of 18-A MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2016-247 –    Estate of CASSY LEE WALKER, Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Cassy Lee Walker, 654 Warren Hill Road, Palmyra, Maine 04965 requesting her name be changed to Cassy Lee Martell for reasons set forth therein.

2016-249 –    Estate of DEAGEN GREGORY LINDSAY, Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Justin Ellis of 1 Merrill Street, Skowhegan, Maine 04976 requesting that the minors name be changed to Deagen Gregory Ellis for reasons set forth therein.

2016-253 –    Estate of MARIAH MAY TRACY Petition for Change of Name (Minor) filed by Tracy and James Tracy, 36 Saint Mart Street, Skowhegan, Maine 04976 requesting that the minors name be changed to Alexander James Tracy for reasons set forth therein.

Dated:  September 19, 2016
/s/ Victoria M. Hatch
Register of Probate
(9/29)

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Django Unchained & The Four Lovers

Django Unchained

Starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo Di Caprio, Samuel Jackson, Christoph Waltz, etc.; directed by Quentin Tarantino; produced by the Weinstein Brothers; released 2012, 165 minutes.

The Quentin Tarantino films that I have seen – Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill 1 and 2 – are all stylized mixes  of belly tickling comedy with violence that kicks a viewer in the stomach. They totally engross but leave a nagging guilt that one has wasted time that will never be available again. They are the magnificent creations of individuals with talent to burn and, much of the time, doing just that, while attempting to convey the illusion of genuine cinematic art with the finesse of true confidence men. And the almighty dollar is always a prime motive.

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx portrays Django, a freed slave turned bounty hunter. Kerry Washington is Broomhilda von Shaft, Django’s wife, who is separated from her husband after an auction. Christoph Waltz is Dr. King Schultz, a German-born dentist turned bounty hunter who offers to buy Django and  other chained and bolted men from two slave-trading brothers, kills one and leaves the other at the tender mercies of Django’s companions, afterwards thoroughly training his new partner in the finer arts of bountying.

Django proves immeasurably helpful to his mentor in rounding up outlaws, so Schultz commits himself to assisting Django in searching for Broomhilda. They travel from  spaghetti western territory to the quaint ante-bellum Mississippi world of cotton fields, savage bloodhounds with names such as Marcia;  whip cracking overseers, including one played by Justified’s Walton Goggins; and a most evil head butler of senior years, featuring a realistically much aged Samuel Jackson.

Django and Schultz act on a tip that Broomhilda’s most recent owner is the immensely charming but fiendishly murderous Calvin J. Candie (characterized with gusto by Leonardo di Caprio), whose plantation, Candyland, is a regular Auschwitz for slaves. But, as in previous columns, no spoilers – instead a firm recommendation for those who have not yet seen the film, ever bearing in mind my own reservations about Tarantino.

The Four Lovers

The Four Lovers

The Four Lovers

You’re the Apple of My Eye; The Girl in My Dreams: RCA Victor- 47-6518, seven-inch vinyl 45, recorded 1956.

You’re the Apple...  was a minor league hit on Billboard’s top 100 for this rock band, featuring lead singer, Frankie Valli, before his own rendezvous with destiny, in 1960, upon joining the far more  exciting and vastly successful 4 Seasons. Both tunes were fair to middling, compared to more infectious 45s being released during the mid-’50s. The group would release a few more disks, all of them failing to chart, and would inevitably be dropped by RCA, later disbanding and all of them disappearing from the scene, except, of course, for Valli.

Frankie Valli

Frankie Valli

Letters to the editor, Week of September 29, 2016

A vote for Theriault

To the editor:

On September 8, Judd Thompson posted a letter to the editor which peaked my interest. He says he was dismayed (interesting comment) to learn that Tim Theriault had missed 18 percent of the roll call votes in the legislature. I made inquiries with friends in Augusta and they consider that a sterling record. He’s batting .820 and that is not bad in any league. Interesting as well, Mr. Thompson alludes to Roger Katz as “my senator!” Well, he is “our senator” and one of the most respected members of that body. I am also told that Tim Theriault is just as well respected in the House by members of both political persuasions. He also states that he will not vote for Mr. Theriault this time and I’ll wager that he didn’t vote for him last time. I will further wager that he didn’t vote for Roger Katz last time, and most likely will not vote for him this time. After all, they are Republicans and Mr. Thompson, like most voters, is entrenched in the nonsense of political partisanship.

I’ve known Tim Theriault for over 30 years and let’s look at his record of involvement here in the town of China. He served on the budget committee, has always been an active participant at town meetings, is a member of the Thurston Park Committee, has been involved with the China Fire Department for 28 years and is the current fire chief. Many of these missed roll calls were caused by having to respond to fire or emergency calls, and I’m sure we can all forgive him for that. He is a member of the China Four Seasons Club, coached little league, soccer, basketball, as well as involvement with the Boy Scouts. The question is, can Mr. Thompson or Mr. Glowa state the same?

Tim Theriault worked at the SAPPI mill for 31 years in maintenance. I designed many of the hydraulic systems in that plant and had years of experience knowing first hand of his value to that company. Mr. Theriault knows what it means for a company to have to make a profit in order to stay in business. Unlike the government, they can’t raise taxes or print more money to make payroll. I asked Dave Cotta what he thought of his first few months in office when he was our representative and his response was, “they think it’s their money!” So does Washington to the degree that a newborn child is burdened with a $60,000 debt before its first borning cry. Now that is really something to be “dismayed” about.

I do not mean to impugn Mr. Glowa’s beliefs in any way. I am sure he believes very strongly in his stance on certain issues and I respect him for that. It is also my privilege to take an opposite stance on some of those same issues. I spent time at the town office this week to ask about the Thompson and Glowa record of involvement in town affairs in either elective or appointive positions. None they could think of.

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine considers him having the most adversarial position concerning sportsmen in the state of Maine. The executive director of SAM, Dave Trahan, wrote a scathing report concerning Mr. Glowa and it would be well worth your time to read that article. Mr. Trahan spent 12 years on the Fish and Wildlife Committee, and can attest to the extreme confrontational nature of Mr. Glowa. I have talked to three other members of that committee who agree with the confrontational assessment. The most damning is the statement that, (I quote), “he has made the destruction of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife a life mission. He has advocated and made it his life’s mission to restore wolves in Maine. I can think of no man in Maine potentially more destructive to wildlife management than John Glowa.”

Their words, not mine. The world is going to hell in a handbasket and we have to be concerned about wolves in Maine? I suspect that if wolves wanted to be in Maine, they would be in Maine. Does anybody remember the state attempting to introduce caribou into Maine? They put a seed herd in the Katahdin area, and those that survived the attempt were back in Canada within six months. Seems to me wildlife will be where they want to be.

Tim Theriault has served his town well in elective and service positions and deserves to be re-elected to the legislature.

Don Pauley
South China

Don’t have to live with progress

To the editor:

I am submitting this letter in response to Dale Worster’s September 22 letter to the editor in The Town Line.

Dale, having read your last two letters to the editor – Aug. 25 and Sept. 22 – I need to respond.

As a resident of China, third generation, I found some of your statements disturbing. Although your ideas for development here in China are quite noble, as described in your Sept. 22 letter, I don’t know what makes you think we actually need or want that kind of “progress” for China.

I will not speak for other residents but I am one who lives here for a quiet, low-key way of life along with the beauty of this lakeside community.

I do not need “new experiences” in the form of your visions. If I want or need new experiences I know what to do and where to go to get them.

I would much rather see: lowered taxes; improved fire department; lowered taxes; improved public safety; lowered taxes; a small health clinic. (I think of the empty old general store on Main St. [in China Village]); whatever the town’s restrictions are for the conversion of the old Grange hall on Main St. lifted (re: Susan White’s letter to the editor, dated Sept. 15); Did I say lowered taxes?

Yes, yes, I know all too well that the five million “Simoleans” and “cheddar,” that you so fondly refer to as TIF money, is marked only for business and recreational development.

By you making the comments you have such as:

“I’ve been doing my part for China when many aren’t” – my response is China has zero debt, residents pay a very high property tax to a community that offers very few services in return.  I think residents are very well doing their part.

“Some people may have to live with progress,”— my response, the last I knew there was a voting process that could very well prove you wrong on that.

Dale, it is no wonder, with comments such as these, that you “don’t always find it true when China calls itself the friendliest town in Maine, especially on the pages of The Town Line.”

Mary M. Allen
China

TIF committee continues recreational plan for head of lake (China)

by Mary Grow

Five members of China TIF (Tax Increment Financing) Committee continued discussion of plans to improve recreational access at the head of China Lake’s east basin at their Sept. 26 meeting.

Engineer Mark McCluskey of A. E. Hodsdon presented updated cost estimates that include:

•  $387,500 to build a bulkhead and fishing platforms along the lake side of the causeway, expand parking and add erosion control measures, making the area safer for boaters and fishermen;
• $350,000 to replace the deteriorating bridge across the inlet with a new bridge including a sidewalk;
•  $585,600 to build a new fire station for the China Village Volunteer Fire Department, which has no room to expand its present building just west of the head of the lake; and
•  $210,000 for miscellaneous costs, including engineering, legal and permit fees.

Committee members unanimously endorsed the idea of a new bridge.  McCluskey said the traffic lanes could not be widened much without significant environmental impacts.  As planned, he said, the work will require an application to the state Department of Environmental Protection; he offered to schedule a pre-submission meeting with DEP staff as soon as possible.

Residents near the causeway are to be invited to a meeting to hear about project plans, either the meeting with DEP staff or a separate TIF Committee meeting.  No definite dates were fixed until McCluskey reports back.

The first step in the committee plan for the causeway project is acquisition of a six-acre lot across Causeway Street from the boat landing.  A Nov. 8 local ballot question asks voters to appropriate $10,000 from the TIF account for the purchase.

Landowner Susan Bailey has been reluctant to sell at that price, but at the TIF meeting Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux said she might have changed her position.

Committee members talked briefly about two other issues, but with two members absent made no decisions.

First was the possible acquisition of the former Fairpoint building on Route 3. L’Heureux had an email from South China resident Rick Fischer asking if the idea had been abandoned.  Committee Chairman Amber McAlister said no, just postponed.

Selectman Neil Farrington, in the audience Sept. 26, urged the committee to recommend buying it.  His vision is a daycare that would serve both children and senior citizens; others suggested other uses for the large story-and-a-half building.

The issue of lake access has been on the committee’s agenda for several meetings.  It was agreed that Irene Belanger, who is a selectman and a TIF Committee member, will ask the Board of Selectmen to create a new lake access committee.

A prior lake access committee recommended acquiring the former Candlewood property on the east shore of China Lake, but voters rejected the plan.   At that time no TIF money was available.

TIF funds are taxes paid by Central Maine Power Company on its expanded power line through China; by state law the money must be used for economic development, including recreational development.   A new China Village fire station is probably not eligible for TIF funds, according to the Sept. 26 discussion.

In addition to the request for $10,000 for the land at the head of the lake, the Nov. 8 ballot includes a request for $50,000 in TIF money for recreational trail maintenance.  A public hearing on local ballot questions is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17.

Selectmen add 14th item to November 8 ballot (China)

by Mary Grow

China selectmen have added a 14th article to the warrant for the Nov. 8 local election (for a summary of the first 13, please see The Town Line, Sept. 22 , p. 6 ).

At a special meeting Sept. 22, Town Manager Daniel L’Heureux said the board voted unanimously (with Neil Farrington absent) to ask voters to appropriate from the Development Program Fund $10,000 to purchase land at the head of China Lake’s east basin across Causeway Street from the boat landing.

The Development Program Fund is fed by tax revenue from the expanded Central Maine Power Company line, money set aside in a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plan and spent by voters on recommendation of a TIF Committee and the selectmen.      The proposed purchase is a preliminary step in the committee’s plan to expand water access at the head of the lake to make it safer for fishing and boat launching.  The committee has had an engineer study the area; future additional steps include providing fishing platforms over the water connected by a trail, additional parking and runoff control measures.

The land the committee is asking voters to buy is owned by Susan Bailey, with whom L’Heureux has been negotiating a sale price.  He said Bailey continues to ask for more than $10,000.  The parcel, which is mostly wetland, is assessed at $1,700, according to discussion at selectmen’s and TIF Committee meetings.

The special selectmen’s meeting was followed by a budget committee meeting at which L’Heureux said the committee recommended voters approve all but one of the seven monetary articles on the Nov. 8 ballot.      The manager said the committee unanimously recommended approval of three items: spending $12,000 from surplus to buy land behind the town office off Alder Park Road; appropriating $50,000 from TIF funds for recreational-trail maintenance; and buying the Bailey property.  Six members supported putting Palermo’s annual transfer station payment in a new transfer station capital fund; taking $3,800 from surplus to assess senior citizens needs; and adding $5,000 to the police budget.

Only three members supported the manager’s request to move $100,000 from surplus to the capital equipment and repair reserve fund, with three opposed and one abstaining, L’Heureux said.  The main objection was concern about reducing the undesignated surplus below the committee’s target level.

Selectmen voiced a similar concern at their regular meeting Sept. 19.  L’Heureux told them that in the eyes of bond rating agencies, moving the $100,000 from one account to another would not affect the town’s credit rating.

Selectmen have scheduled a public hearing on the Nov. 8 questions for 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, at China Middle School if the all-purpose room is available.  The next regular selectmen’s meeting is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3.

Obituaries, Week of September 29, 2016

FLORENCE A. MORIN

WINSLOW––Florence Ann Morin, 89, of Winslow, died Monday, September 12, 2016, at The Woodlands Memory Care, in Waterville. She was born June 4, 1927, in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York City, the daughter of William C. Earl and Regina Margaret (McCarthy) Earl.

While still a young woman, she met her future husband, Lionel “Pete” G. Morin, on a subway train. At that time, Pete was a marine corporal who had been recuperating from his war wounds suffered in the South Pacific. The couple was married October 19, 1947, at Holy Cross Church in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York. After five years of living in New York City, the couple moved to Maine and settled in Winslow.

They raised their family of eight children on Whipple Street. After her daughters entered high school, Florence went to work in the Winslow School system as a teacher’s aide. She helped numerous children improve their reading skills during her 20 years in the school system.

Florence and Pete were members of St. John The Baptist Parish, in Winslow, where they sent their children to the parish school and were active in many parish programs. Florence sang for many years as a cantor and a member in the church choir and she also sang in the Waterville Community Chorus concerts at Colby College.

Florence and Pete loved visiting their children and grandchildren, supporting their school and sports activities, and attending countless parties, graduations, sacramental celebrations, and other gatherings of their large extended family.

Their children have fond memories of family trips to Reid State Park, and the Belgrade Lakes (always in a very packed car).

After 61 years of marriage, Pete passed away on September 26, 2008. Florence spent her final years in the memory care unit of The Woodlands in Waterville, where she received loving care, for which her children are very grateful.

She was predeceased by her parents, William and Regina Earl; grandson, Lincoln; twin great-grandchildren, Connor and Sterling; a son-in-law, Jon Higgins; and her three siblings and their spouses: Jean and her husband Frank Hettrich, William and his wife Patricia, and Thomas and his wife Rose Marie.

Florence is survived by her eight children: Rev. Francis, of Augusta, Thomas and wife, Kathryn, of Oakland, William and wife, Lorraine, of Oakland, John and wife, Cheryl, of Winslow, Richard and wife, Sally, of Winslow, Robert and his partner, Amie, of Bath, Mary and husband, Lloyd Quirion, of Winslow, Ann and husband, Robert Densmore, of Texas; and by her 15 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.

An online guestbook may be signed and condolences expressed at: www.gallantfh.com

Memorial donations may be sent to Woodlands Memory Care, 147 West River Road, Waterville ME 04901, or MaineGeneral Hospice Care, 10 Water Street, Waterville ME 04901.

SANDRA T. HALKETT

WINSLOW––Sandra True Halkett, 63, of Winslow, died unexpectedly at her home on Monday, September 12, 2016. She was the daughter of James E. and Geraldine I. Halkett (deceased), of Bangor. Sandi was born December 22, 1953, in Bangor. She attended Bangor public schools and graduated from Bangor High School in 1972.

Sandi attended the University of Maine at Farmington, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education in 1975. She began her 19-year teaching career at Mary Snow School, in Bangor, and delighted students there and at Fairmont School, Abraham Lincoln School, Fruit Street School, and Garland Street Middle School with her outside-the-box teaching style. She loved her students and many of them felt similarly. In 1988-1989 she took a sabbatical leave to complete her master’s degree in middle-level education at the University of Maine. She was the author of  Things You Always Wanted To Know About Middle Level Education but Didn’t Know Where to Look, published in 1989. She said of it, “Not a best seller!”     During these school years she was active in more than 20 organizations. She was State Senator Mary-Ellen Maybury’s campaign manager in 1988. In 1997 she left teaching to pursue her interest in things of the spirit. Sandi opened her first shop, Back Door to the Moon, in Oakland, in 1997. It closed in 1998 and she reopened later that year at the Loon Cove Golf Course, in Skowhegan. She moved her business to Winslow in 2000 and continued offering a cup of tea, spiritual counsel, and a book or crystal to whoever came through the door. Back Door to the Moon closed in 2009. She continued to offer spiritual counsel and readings and also taught in different venues until her death.

Sandi was very happy around a camp fire or kayaking with friends. No one who visited her store can forget the warm welcome they received from Moon (“Moonie”), her miniature dachshund. They were inseparable for more than 13 years. Sandi also loved camping st Searsport Shores and spend two of her happiest seasons there.

Sandi is survived by a brother, Thomas and his wife Diane, of Orono; four nephews: Stuart McCluer and wife Lane, of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, Jesse Halkett and Rowland Halkett, of New York City, Ezra Halkett, of Bar Harbor; one niece, Mariah Halkett, of New York City; a step-niece, Lucia Helder, of Halifax, Nova Scotia; two grand-nieces, Lillly and Margaret McCluer, and a grand-nephew, Bates McCluer, all of South Carolina.

Please visit www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com to share condolences, memories and tributes with her family.

Memorial contributions may be made to: Temple Heights Spiritual Camp Scholarship Fund, PO Box 311, Lincolnville ME 04849

RUTH E. POLLEY

SABATTUS––Ruth Elizabeth Kenoyer Polley, of Sabattus, died Wednesday, September 14, 2016, at the Maine Veterans Home, in South Paris.

Mrs. Polley graduated in 1938 from Erskine Academy and attended Earlham College in Indiana for two years. She then attended and graduated from Central Maine General Hospital Nursing School in 1944. She was a private duty nurse from 1944 through 1954 and then a head nurse and supervisor at Central Maine Medical Center from 1955 through 1975. She was a member of the Nurses Association for over 35 years and was also a member of United Commercial Travelers for a number of years. In 1968, she married Leland Polley, of Sabattus. Leland died in 1995.

Mrs. Polley attended and served as a deacon  of the Community Free Baptist Church, of Sabattus, and then the Court Street Baptist Church, of Auburn, in her later years. She enjoyed bird watching and saved the life of some of them. She raised several wild birds and enjoyed them greatly. In 1987, she wrote a book about a favorite bird she raised, Little Twerp. She also loved gardening and outdoor activities, painting and knitting.

She was predeceased by her husband and her parents; sisters Alice and Martha; brothers Jean, Joseph, Winifred, Robert, John and Russell; sisters-in-law Peggy, Van, Muriel, Beverly and Shirley; and brothers-in-law Charles Mosher, Albert Probert and Elliott Lamb.

Mrs. Polley is survived by her sister, Helen Kenoyer Mosher, of South China; cousin, Charles Sisson and wife Stella, of South China and Nederland, Texas; 31 nieces and nephews; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.

Condolences may be offered in the guestbook at www.thefortingroupauburn.com.

STEVEN W. BUCKNAM

OAKLAND––Steven W. “Bucky” Bucknam, 66, of Oakland, died unexpectedly on Thursday, September 15, 2016, at his home. He was born in Waterville on January 6, 1950, the son of John and Gladys (Eastman) Bucknam.

Steve n graduated from Williams High School, in Oakland, and Presque Isle Intergrated Technology with a degree in electronics and TV repair. He worked a short time for Smitties TV, in Waterville. He was employed by Keyes Fibre Company, in Waterville, and later for SAPPI Fine Paper, in Hinckley.

Steven was an active member of the Messalonskee Masonic Lodge. He was a former member of the Fairfield Center Grange. His passion was buying and repairing pianos.

Besides his parents, ne was predeceased by a brother John Bucknam and two sisters, Joyce Pelletier and Ellen Weeks.

Surviving are brothers Robert, of Clinton, Ronald, of Oakland and David, of Belgrade; a sister Helen Bridges, of oakland; and many nieces and nephews.

An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.lawrybrothers.com.

Memorial donations may be made to: Messalonskee Masonic Lodge, 12 Oak Street, Oakland ME 04963.

IRVING F. BANKS SR.

JEFFERSON––Irving Farnham Banks Sr., passed away on Thursday, September 15, 2016. He was born in Jefferson on August 21, 1925, to William and Winifred Farnham Banks.

On August 28, 1943, he married Cynthia Jackson, and even though they had celebrated their 73rd anniversary, he often introduced her as his bride. Irving was a hard working man and took pleasure in keeping a lovely lawn, gardens and,  recently, stone walls. Always of interest to him was the weather and the Red Sox. Singing and humming let everyone  know all was well in his life. He was a long-time member of the Riverside Masonic Lodge #135, in Jefferson.

He was predeceased by his son Irving, Jr.

Irving is survived by sisters Dorothy, Donna, Shirley, Sheila, and Nancy; sons-in-law Maurice Wing, Sr. and Thomas Clark, Sr.; sister-in-law Leah Libby; and brother-in-law, Errol Clark; 14 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great-grandson; and several nieces and nephews.

Condolences and messages for the family may be expressed by visiting www.StrongHancock.com.

Memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

STEPHEN F. BERNIER

VASSALBORO––Stephen F. Bernier, 55, was born August 4, 1961, in Waterville, to Louis and Pearl Bernier (deceased). Mr. Bernier died in Tennessee on Friday, September 16, 2016.

He was educated in local schools and graduated from Waterville High School. He worked at Sappi Fine Paper, in Hinckley, where he retired early due to ill health.

He was predeceased by a brother, Richard H. Bernier.

Stephen is survived by a son, Lyle E. Bernier, of Maine; sisters, Diane and husband Roland Dechaine, of  Winslow, Patricia and husband Robert, of Vermontville, Michigan, and Janice M. and husband Kevin Dyer, of Waterville; his brother, Peter Bernier, of Sidney; and several nephews and nieces.

ELAINE S. SINCLAIR

VASSALBORO––Elaine S. Sinclair, 67, passed away on Sunday, Sept­ember 18, 2016, which was her daddy’s birthday. Her only illness was infectious happiness which was very contagious and spread to everyone with whom she came in contact.ELAINE S. SINCLAIR

Elaine was born in Waterville on July 23, 1949, to Roland and Anita Sinclair. She loved life and people, making everyone her best friend. She grew up in Smithfield/Oakland area with her parents, then lived in Winslow with her sister Barbara Butler. For the last three years of her life she was cared for by nephew and niece Dana and ‘April Sawtelle, in Vassalboro. Their daughters Alainie and Lilly and son Dana Michael Sawtelle loved and treated her like a sister.

Elaine attended Hilltop School as a young girl. She worked at Ken-A-Set, in Waterville, many years and then went daily to Muskie Center until a few months ago. She loved going places with her family, one dollar bills, chocolate ice cream spaghetti-meatballs, saltine crackers, chips and chocolate milk. She spent endless hours listening to her many records. Her favorite song was The Ballad of the Green Berets.  Elaine was convinced that there was a soldier named Ray (as in green Ba-Ray) and she was determined to marry him. This was a daily wish and she had his picture nearby at all times. She won many bowling trophies and participated in Special Olympics. Elaine attended the Fairfield First Baptist Church and loved her church family.

Elaine was predeceased by a brother George and her parents.

She is survived by two sisters and their husbands, Carol and Mike Ouellette, of Pittsfield, and Barbara and Ken Butler, of Waterville; a brother and wife, Mike and Mary Sinclair, of Brewer;  and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A service celebrating her life will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, October 1, 2016, at the Fairfield First Baptist Church, on 12 Newhall Street, followed by refreshments prepared by the ladies of the church. The burial will be at the Village Cemetery, on Peltoma Avenue, in Pittsfield, at a later date.

Arrangements under the care and direction of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan.

Online condolences may be given at http://obituaries.centeralmaine.com/obituaries/mainetoday-centralmaine/.

Memorial donations may be made to: Fairfield First Baptist Church, 12 Newhall St., Fairfield ME 04937.

RUTH B. PROSSER

ALBION––Ruth Beatrice Prosser, 84, died on Wednesday, September 21, 2016. Ruth was born August 2, 1932, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

She grew up in Kittery with her parents George and Dorothy Essex, and her siblings Diana and Ted. Ruth graduated from Traip Academy, in Kittery, where she met her soul mate, Byron Prosser. Ruth and Byron were married in Kittery on August 4, 1951. After traveling the country through Byron’s service in the Air Force and his employment with Cessna Aircraft they came back to Maine and settled in Albion, where they became active members of Albion Christian Church. Ruth cherished her time with family and friends, gardening and the many road and plane trips she would take with Byron.

Ruth was predeceased by her son, Keith; her parents; her brother; and her sister.

She is survived by Byron, her husband of 65 years; her children, Byron Jr. and his wife Zoeann, of Searsport, Rodney and wife Barbara, of Columbia New Jersey, and Dorothy and husband James Small, of Skowhegan; many grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren.

An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.lawrybrothers.com.

Memorial donations maybe made to: Albion Christian Church, 51 Main Street, Albion ME 04910 or : Alzheimer’s Research at, www.alz.org.

ELEANOR B. FOSTER

AUGUSTA – Eleanor Bailey Foster, 96, passed away peacefully on Monday, Sept­mber 19, 2016, at Maine­General Medical Center, in Augusta. Eleanor was born in China Village on August 20, 1920, the daughter of William B and Ida (Pinkham) Bailey.

ELEANOR B. FOSTEREleanor spent all of her life in China except for a couple of years while she and Bill lived in Florida during World War II.

She married William A. “Bill” Foster  at China Baptist Church, in China, on August 20, 1944.  Eleanor and Bill raised two children and when the children reached school age in 1956, Eleanor was appointed postmaster and remained as the postmaster in China Village for 26 years until retiring in 1982.

Before and during her retirement, Eleanor kept actively involved within the church and the community.  She belonged to many community organizations, Woman’s Bible Study, China Historical Society, Women’s Auxiliary for the Legion, just to name a few.  She served as church secretary for the China Baptist Church, sang in the choir and on occasion played the organ.  She also kept herself active by playing golf, cross-country skiing, scrapbooking, crafting, reading, writing, doing genealogy and traveling around the country.

She was predeceased by her parents; two brothers, Nelson and Blaine Bailey; and her husband of 71 years of marriage, Bill.

Eleanor is survived by her two children, Dale Sturtevant, of Oakland, and Kendall Foster, of Dexter; two granddaughters, Heather Clark, of Old Orchard Beach, and Danielle Foster, of Albion; and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 1, 2016, at China Baptist Church, Causeway Road, China Village.  Burial will be right after the service at The China Village Extension Cemetery.  Following the burial, there will be a reception for Eleanor at the China Baptist Church Vestry.

Memorial donations may be made to:  China Baptist Church, P.O. Box 6095,   China Village, ME 04926.

An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.lawrybrothers.com.

Board discusses expanding pre-K program (Vassalboro)

by Mary Grow

At their Sept. 20 meeting, Vassalboro School Board members continued discussion of expanding the four-year-old (student) or pre-kindergarten program that’s beginning its second year at Vassalboro Community School.

The current program, which still had two openings as of Sept. 20, is affiliated with Head Start and therefore has income guidelines.  New school board member Libby Mitchell would like to have all four-year-olds able to enroll if their parents want them to.

AOS (Alternative Organizational Structure) #92 Superintendent Eric Haley said he had researched the question after August’s initial discussion.  He found that whether to start a program for four-year-olds is a local decision; the program requires state approval.

If Vassalboro were interested, he said, a letter of intent would need to be sent to the state commissioner of education by Jan. 1, 2017.  The letter would not commit the school department to follow through.

The first year of the new program would be financed by local funds.  The state would begin reimbursing the town the following year.  This year, Haley said, Vassalboro received $100,000 in state reimbursement for last year’s four-year-old students.

Committee members decided they should try to determine how many local parents would be interested in sending their four-year-olds to school.   They discussed possible ways to conduct a survey.

Mitchell said she believes educating four-year-olds is “a public responsibility,” and children should be able to start school before kindergarten regardless of income.  She does not believe sending four-year-olds to school should be mandatory, and she is not committed to a full-day (versus half-day) program.

Principal Dianna Gram said because Vassalboro’s four-year-old program is new, there is not yet evidence to determine whether it helps youngsters’ education.  Assessments are ongoing, she said.

In other business Sept. 20, school board members accepted the resignation of kindergarten teacher Pamela Blais and appointed kindergarten teacher Sarah Woodard and Educational Technician II Christian Wilkens.

The meeting was preceded by an informal gathering with new staff members.

The next Vassalboro School Board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Sidewalk plowing estimates not pleasing to selectmen

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Road Foreman Eugene Field collected a lot of information on estimated costs of plowing sidewalks for the Sept. 22 selectmen’s meeting.  The information did not make board members happy, and they took no action.

The issue came up earlier in September during discussion of a pending Nov. 8 request to voters for funds to put in sidewalks in East Vassalboro.  Selectmen had just learned that the town is supposed to maintain the existing sidewalks in North Vassalboro, including plowing and sanding.  Vassalboro would also be expected to maintain East Vassalboro sidewalks.  (See the Sept. 15 issue of The Town Line, p. 6, for more details.)

Field talked with public works personnel in other Maine towns, researched different kinds of equipment and questioned a local contractor.   A lot of towns do not break out sidewalk maintenance in their public works budgets, he said, making an annual cost hard to get.

One town, he said, reported spending around $3,500 a season for sidewalk maintenance, excluding the operator’s pay.  The local contractor estimated he could do East and North Vassalboro on a three-year contract for a total of around $30,000.

Prices for a trackless sidewalk machine ranged from around $25,000 for a used one to $110,000 or more for a new one.  Alternatives like loaders and tractors are estimated to cost from $35,000 up.   Some of the machines would have other uses, Field pointed out.

Selectmen held lengthy discussions on two other topics at the Sept. 22 meeting, without resolving either.

Kent London and Jan Clowes of the Vassalboro Historical Society would like to renegotiate or at least clarify the 1992 lease between the society and the town that allows the society to use the former East Vassalboro school as a museum and defines responsibilities for the building and grounds.

Town voters have been appropriating $3,000 for the society every June; the town deducts appropriate charges, for example for mowing the grounds, and sends the remainder to the society at the end of the fiscal year.  London commented that the remainder decreased to around $900 last year, mostly because mowing charges increased.      He and Clowes also said that in the 1990s, the recreation department used part of the building and made a contribution in return; the department moved out and its contribution ceased, but, London and Clowes said, most of the grounds are used for parking for the boat landing, a recreational rather than historic activity.

Selectmen asked Town Manager Mary Sabins to talk with Clowes and Field about what they would consider a fair deal for the historical society.

Selectmen, resident Bernard Welch, Codes Officer Richard Dolby and town attorney Alton Stevens discussed a consent agreement between the town and Welch to resolve Welch’s violations of local ordinances.  Welch admits the violations but considers the combined fine and reimbursement for attorney’s fees too high.

Selectmen asked Sabins to continue discussion with Welch and Dolby.

The one decision board members made was to accept Field’s recommendation and buy a new John Deere loader from Nortrax, a Florida-based company with a Maine office in Westbrook.  At a cost of approximately $126,400, including a $3,000 option Field chose, the bid was the lowest of four received.   At the June 6 town meeting, voters authorized spending up to $165,000 for a new loader.

The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, Oct. 6.

Golf Fore Kids’ Sake nets $31,000 for BBBS

Big Brothers Big Sisters Golf Fore Kids’ Sake

Big Brothers Big Sisters Golf Fore Kids’ Sake raised over $31,000 for mentoring services that benefit local kids facing adversity in Kennebec and Somerset counties. Winning the first place gross prize in this year’s event was Charlie’s Family of Dealerships, from left to right, Charlie Shuman, Stephen Shuman, Ryan Madore and Roger Williams.
Photo by Monica Charette

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine’s 2016 Golf Fore Kids’ Sake, presented by Kennebec Savings Bank, raised  $31,186 to benefit school and community-based mentoring services for children in Kennebec and Somerset counties. Twenty-three teams competed in the 17th annual golf tournament, held September 2 at Belgrade Lakes Golf Club. This year’s tournament was again chaired by Nicolas Patenaude, from Kennebec Savings Bank.

2016 Golf Fore Kids’ Sake Tournament Winners:

First gross – Charlie Shuman, Stephen Shuman, Ryan Madore, Roger Williams (Charlie’s Family of Dealerships).
Second gross – Jason Gall, Ed Gall, Mark Plummer, Jim Quinn (Wendy’s).
Third gross – Adam Moran, Mike Wilson, Scott Maccheyne, Gary Schewe (Great Falls Marketing).
First net – Cole Smith, Jacob Bernatchez, Conor Ferguson and Colby Charette (Messalonskee High School Big Brothers).
Second net – Marc Lacasse, Bill Purington, Will Purington, Chip Stevens (Augusta Fuel Company).
Third net – Randy Charette, Jeff Jolicoeur, Bert Languet and Troy Martin (Golden Pond Wealth Management/Century 21 Surette).

Messalonskee High School Big Brothers Team

First place net award was presented to Messalonskee High School Big Brothers Team, from left to right, Cole Smith, Jacob Bernatchez, Conor Ferguson and Colby Charette.
Photo by Monica Charette

Course Challenge Winners:

Straightest Drive – Scott Maccheyne (Great Falls Marketing)
Closest to the Pin Contest – Vito Proietti (Great Falls Marketing)
Putting Contest – Joe Dorazio (Aetna)
Hit the Green Contest – Chris Russell (G & E Roofing)
Chipping Contest – Randy Charette (State of Maine)

A hole-in-one challenge was sponsored by Charlie’s Family of Dealerships. Golfers were treated to breakfast, sponsored by Aroma Joe’s, snacks and water were provided by Pine State Trading and lobster rolls, salads and chowder were served throughout the day by BBBS partner The Red Barn. The event Beverage Sponsor, Valley Distributors, along with Rita’s Catering, sponsored the Awards Reception. An auction with sponsor-donated prizes raised nearly $6,000 and “ShineOnCass” sponsorships, in honor of Big Sister Cassidy Charette who died Oct. 11, 2014, raised $3,000 for local school-based mentoring programs.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine changes the lives of over 700 children facing adversity in Androscoggin, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Somerset and Waldo counties, for the better, forever by providing strong and enduring, professionally-supported, one-to-one relationships. By partnering with parents, volunteers and organizations, children in Big Brother Big Sister programs have higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, avoid risky behaviors and achieve educational success. For more information on volunteering or donating please call 236-BBBS (2227) or email info@bbbsmidmaine.org.