THE BEST VIEW – School’s in: those smilin’ faces

A young girl on her first day of school. (AI generated)

by Norma Best Boucher

At first, I was embarrassed when I couldn’t remember this teacher’s name, but then I realized that teachers’ names are not written on their students’ foreheads, but what they do for their students is indelibly written on their minds.

I was going through adolescence. I hated the world, and I was sure the world hated me. My arms and legs were too long for my already too skinny body, and my hair, which had always been worn in tight side braids, was now long and stringy. I even bit my fingernails. I was too self-absorbed to notice that every other young girl looked and felt the same as I.

I sat in a corner back seat in class and saw everyone and everything that went on in the room. No one ever saw me, except, of course, when I took that long walk to the front of the room. I just knew everyone was staring at me. I did anything to avoid that walk.

I wanted to be somebody. I wanted to be special. I wanted to do something that no one else could do, and I wanted to do it well. The only individual things we ever did in class to be recognized were spelling bees, reading aloud, and playing the flash card math game. All of us could spell and read, and all the math game ever did was to prove to me and to the rest of the class that I was a math dunce.

One day, hope sprang eternal. Our class had been chosen to do a special project, and the teacher needed volunteers. Up went my hand when suddenly I heard the words “mural” and “pastels.”

Oh, no, just my luck. The only thing I did worse than math flash cards was art.

I quickly lowered my hand but not fast enough. The next words I heard were, “and Norma can be the flower girl.”

Oh, God, why me?

The mural was to have three sections. The first was to be a picture of the Waterville Savings Bank, where the mural would ultimately hang. The second section was to be a busy city street, drawn in perspective. The third was to be a friendly neighborhood setting with houses and children playing.

My job was simple, or so it seemed. All I had to do was make multi-colored dots in four rectangular flower boxes.

I worked on those boxes for what seemed forever. Every spare minute I had, I worked on those flowers, but they always looked like multi-colored dots in rectangular boxes. I erased and erased and erased again.

One day, I must have looked especially depressed. She had given me the easiest job on the entire mural, and I couldn’t even do that right. Finally, the teacher approached me.

Maybe she remembered being a young girl with long, skinny limbs, stringy hair, and bitten nails herself, or maybe she knew that the next year I would start to fill out and begin to like myself and the world. She gave me her “we can do this together” smile and asked me what my favorite flowers were.

That was easy. I liked red roses because my father gave them to my mother every year for their anniversary. I liked the pink bleeding hearts that were in front of my best friend’s house. I liked the lavender lilacs we picked on Memorial Day, even though they made me sneeze, and the lemon-colored marigolds in our neighbor’s garden that I could see from my bedroom window. Best of all, though, I liked the purple and blue pansies because they had smiling black faces.

“Draw those,” she said.

“Every time you make a dot,” she explained, “remember you’re drawing red roses, pink bleeding hearts, lavender lilacs, lemon-colored marigolds, and purple and blue pansies with smiling black faces.”

That was it. When I drew dots, they looked like dots, so all I had to do was draw flowers, and they’d look like flowers.

When each student finished his/her job on the mural, the teacher always made a point of interrupting the class for the students to recognize each artist.

I remember as if it were yesterday. When I finished my window boxes, the teacher said, “Everyone, look. Norma has finished her flowers. Aren’t they the most beautiful flowers you’ve ever seen?”

At last, I was somebody.

I literally floated through the remaining days of school in anticipation of the unveiling of the mural at the Waterville Savings Bank. I rushed my parents to the bank with such excitement they must have thought I was a young Van Gogh. When I showed them what I had done, they looked at each other with questioning expressions: “All this hullabaloo for that?”

All they saw were multi-colored dots in boxes.

I looked at their puzzled faces, and I knew they didn’t understand. I saw four flower boxes filled with red roses, pink bleeding hearts, lavender lilacs, lemon-colored marigolds, and purple and blue pansies with smiling black faces.

They didn’t know – they couldn’t know – but somehow that didn’t matter. What was really important was that I knew…and she knew.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy (AI generated)

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

John F. Kennedy

The 35th President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) was a most vivid, vibrantly alive presence on the family Philco TV set from when I first saw him debate Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994) during October 1960, it being a very cold Friday night, to the assassination in Dallas; I remember Kennedy’s highly strong Irish Boston accent and debonair appearance versus Nixon’s coarse bass speaking voice and the derailing 5 o’clock shadow.

On Election Day in 1960, my 4th grade East Vassalboro School teacher Susan Brondmo all but declared Nixon the winner and everyone in class applauded, except one girl whose family was both Catholic and Democrat. The following day when the Illinois vote came in, she was the only one smiling.

Key events during Kennedy’s 1,000 days in office have been chronicled in detail – the inaugural ceremonies with Robert Frost reading a poem for the occasion (Frost was a dyed in the wool Republican and a huge fan of Eisenhower but was thrilled to be invited by Kennedy that freezing snowy day in January 1961); the Bay of Pigs fiasco; First Lady Jackie’s televised tour of the White House; the enrollment of the first African-American student, James Meredith, at the University of Missisippi, with the National Guard called in; the, for me personally, nightmarish week of the Cuban Missile Crisis; Kennedy’s phenomenal charm at his press conferences; and finally November 22, 1963.

One occasion just a month before Dallas was Kennedy’s visit to the University of Maine/Orono when Dr. Lloyd Elliot was president there and which I watched on TV.

A 1975 book, Conversations With Kennedy, by former Washington Post editor Benjamin C. Bradlee (1921-2014), provides fascinating anecdotes of a close personal friendship between the two men and their wives, beginning in 1958 when Kennedy was still a Senator and he and Bradlee were neighbors.

A few examples:

Early in his campaign, Kennedy admitted to feeling strange about running for the Oval Office himself but then stated that “I stop and look around at the other people who are running for the job. And then I think I’m just as qualified as they are. ”

Joe Kennedy Sr. was testily against his son running in the 1960 West Virginia primary because of its hostility to Catholics. Kennedy ran anyways and won; he and Jackie invited the Bradlees to fly from D.C. to Charleston for a victory celebration and the very bumpy ride terrified Bradlee’s wife Tony and JFK’s sister Jean Smith who kept screaming for her husband Steve.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy consulted with Nixon, with whom he had similar views about the Cold War, but expressed relief that Nixon wasn’t president at the time.

Kennedy was friendly with Ed Muskie and the two went sailing off the Maine coast. He loved the ocean but otherwise preferred city life to the countryside.

As overnight guests at the White House, the Bradlees once witnessed the president wandering around in his night shorts wondering aloud what life was like in that mausoleum known as the Kremlin while the couples were watching an NBC special on it.

Kennedy had a deep admiration for Vice-President Johnson’s talents as a political sharpshooter but found LBJ’s presence at times creepy.

Kennedy sometimes enjoyed listening to gossip on other politicians.

Adlai Stevenson’s reputation as an intellectual may have been overrated. Kennedy read 10 books for every one that Stevenson read.

During the weekend when the country was grieving, Bradlee and his wife were at the White House and witnessed long time Kennedy family friend Dave Powers helping to assuage Jackie’s grief at odd moments with stories of hilarious moments during the 1960 campaign, but then the tragedy would intrude again from the TV coverage and all the other details.

The concluding paragraph – “Jackie was extraordinary. Sometimes she seemed completely detached, as if she were someone else watching the ceremony of that other person’s grief. Sometimes she was silent, obviously torn. Often she would turn to a friend and reminisce, and everyone would join in with their remembrance of things forever past. There is much to be said for the wake. Led by Dave Powers, this one was more often than not surprisingly cheerful, and always warm and tender. “

LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, August 31, 2023

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
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 August 31 & September 7, 2023. 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-C M.R.S.A. §3-80.

2023-228 – Estate of THOMAS G. COWARD, late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. Nicole Paul, 40 Sherwood Forest Drive, Winthrop, Maine 04364 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-232 – Estate of PAULINE A. WILLER, late of Bingham, Me deceased. Robert Willer, 535 Pond Road, Lewiston, Me 04240-2306 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-233 – Estate of MARK HENRY, late of Anson, Maine deceased. Susan E. Roy, 16 Donald St., Waterville, Maine 04901 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-234 – Estate of CAMERON MILLER, late of Palmyra, Maine deceased. Craig Miller, 56 Sherman Farm Lane, Fairfield, Maine 04937 and Curtis Miller, 81 North St., Newport, Maine 04953 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2023-235 – Estate of DOUGLASS M. CORSON, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Rebecca Corson Somes, 9 Hillcrest Rd., Danvers, MA 01923 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-236 – Estate of MELVINA L. DAVIS, late of Madison, Maine deceased. Donna L. Davis, 150 Weston Ave., Madison, Maine 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-237 – Estate of PHILP BRUCE DAGGETT, late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. Cheryl Ruth Daggett, 33 Great Meadow Lane, Fairfield, Maine 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-241 – Estate of ELIZABETH H. LINDSAY, late of Hartland, Maine deceased. Durwood H. Beckwith, Sr., 206 Loon Cove Rd, Hartland, Maine 04943 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-242 – Estate of LINDA M. GODFREY, late of Madison, Maine deceased. Michele M. Godfrey, 175 Pullen Corner Rd., North Anson, Maine 04958 and John H. Godfrey, 184 10th St., Troy, New York 12180 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2023-248 – Estate of BARBARA NEWTON, late of Detroit, Maine deceased. Breanna Faron, 15 Denbow Rd., St. Albans, Maine 04971 and Faxon McLaughlin II, 57 Main St., Detroit, Maine 04929 appointed Co- Personal Representatives.

2023-249- – Estate of PAULINE E. GREEN, late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. Donald I. Green, 92 Falls Road, Benton 04901 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-251 – Estate of PATRICIA G. FORTIER, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Gregory H. Libby, 9 Ash St., Skowhegan, Maine 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-254 – Estate of LISA MARIE HIGGINS, late of Pittsfield, Maine deceased. Donald E. Higgins, 646 Higgins Rd., Pittsfield, Maine 04967 and Doreen E. Magee, PO Box 184, Sangerville, Maine 04479 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2023-255 – Estate of MICHAEL R. TREMBLAY, late of Moscow, Maine deceased. Rachel Louise Trembly, PO Box 285, Bingham, Maine 04920 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-256 – Estate of GARY WAYNE CLEMENT, late of Norridgewock, Maine deceased. Travis Wayne Clement, 246 Martin Stream Rd., Norridgewock, Maine 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-257 – Estate of DONNA M. WHITNEY, late of Athens, Maine deceased. Nicholas Whitney, 62 Harmony Rd., Athens, Maine 04912 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-259 – Estate of JAMES D. MCQUARRIE, late of Madison, Maine deceased. Kelly Putman, 25 Heald St., Madison, Maine 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-261 – Estate of MARJORY CLUKEY, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Michael D. Clukey, 88 West. St., Biddeford, Maine 04005 and David J. Clukey, 18 Tewksbury Lane, So. Portland, Maine 04106 appointed Co- Personal Representatives.

2023-264 – Estate of STANLEY W. KNOWLTON, late of Harmony, Maine deceased. Gail A. McKenney, 7 Woodside Dr., Skowhegan, Maine 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-266 – Estate of DAVID L. GIROUX, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Susan M. Giroux, PO Box 871, Norridgewock, Maine 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-269 – Estate of ANGELO PIZZO, late of Cranston, Rhode Island deceased. Ernest Pizzo, 925 NE 26th Ave., Pompano Beach, FL 33062 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-270 – Estate of BENJAMIN L. SCHENK, late of Athens, Maine deceased. Patricia Schenk, PO Box 10, Athens, Maine 04912 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-183 – Estate of HARVEY L. LANDRY, late of Athens, Maine deceased. Jeffery L. McAllister, 763 Bingham Rd., Bingham, Maine 04920 appointed Personal Representative. This notice is especially directed to heirs unknown.

2023-274 – Estate of JOHN B. CAHILL, late of Mercer, Maine deceased. Erica Maguire, 15 Arbor View Lane, Scarborough, Maine 04074 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-276 – Estate of NORMA STEVENS, late of Moscow, Maine deceased. Parker Stevens, 20 Hunnewell St., Moscow, Maine 04920 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-277 – Estate of BARRY A. DELONG, late of Madison, Maine deceased. Carrie-Jo Leblanc, 34 Scotty Rd., Sidney, Me 04330, Flint Delong, 2625 9th Ave., Boothwyn, PA 19061 and Suzanne Delong, 33 Kincaid Rd., Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representatives.

2023-278 – Estate of VINCENT J. SCANNELL, late of Smithfield, Maine deceased. Jessica J. Scannell, 3197 Carrabassett Dr., Carrabassett Valley, Maine 04947 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-279 – Estate of CHARLES L. FALES, JR., late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. Thad D. Fales, 3 N. Circle Dr., Fairfield, Maine 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-282 – Estate of KEEL J. HOOD, late of Fairfield, Maine deceased. Noah K. Hood, 39 Stagecoach Rd., Apt. A, Unity, Maine 04988 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-247 – Estate of MICHAEL J. STEWARD, late of Skowhegan, Maine deceased. Julie M. Steward, 21 Maple St., Apt. 1A, Skowhegan, Maine 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-284 – Estate of JOHN M. MANSFIELD, late of Starks, Maine deceased. Jacob S. Mansfield, 226 Mayhew Rd., Starks, Maine 04911 appointed Personal Representative.

2023-286 – Estate of ELDORA MAE TURNER, late of Pittsfield, Maine deceased. Brent M. Turner, 177 Cianchette St., Pittsfield, Maine 04967 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published August 31, 2023.

Dated: August 28, 2023
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(9/7)

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 or change of name. These matters will be heard at 10 a.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be on September 12, 2023. The requested appointments or name changes may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard. This notice complies with the requirements of 18-C MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2023-207 – Estate of ALYSIA BETH POLAND. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Alysia B. Poland, 54 North Ave., Skowhegan, Me 04976 requesting her name be changed to Alysia Beth Martin for reasons set forth therein.

2023-208 – Estate of ISAAC ALAN STURTEVANT. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Isaac A. Sturtevant, 55 Ohio Hill Road, Fairfield, Me 04937 requesting his name be changed to Isaac Schmidt for reasons set forth therein.

2023-212 – Estate of RHIANNON LOUISE McEGAN-REUTER. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Rhiannon Louise McEgan-Reuter, 205 Madawaska Ave., Pittsfield, Me 04967 requesting her name be changed to Rhiannon Aster Rose Reuter for reasons set forth therein.

2023-221 – Estate of MAKAYLA GAGNON. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Makayla Gagnon, 5 Bunker Avenue, Fairfield, Me 04937 requesting her name be changed to Erin Maeve Gagnon for reasons set forth therein.

2023-229 – Estate of ABIGAIL M. MASTERS. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Abigail M. Masters, 157 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, Me 04976 requesting her name be changed to Jamison Ash Masters for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: August 28, 2023

/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(9/7)

TOWN OF FAIRFIELD

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Fairfield Town Council will hold Public Hearings in the Council Chambers at the Community Center, at 61 Water Street, on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, at 6:30 p.m., for the purpose of hearing public comments on the following matters:
– To hear from the public on a liquor license renewal application (Class XI – Restaurant) submitted by River Jack Tavern, 230 Main St., Fairfield.
– To hear from the public on a request for a Cannabis License renewal, Maple Valley Pharms Dispensary, LLC, 502 Norridgewock Rd.
– To hear from the public on annual updates to the General Assistance Ordinance.
Copies are available at the Town Office.  All interested persons are invited to attend the public hearings and will be given an opportunity to be heard at that time.
Signed:  Christine Keller, Town Clerk

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Music in the Kennebec Valley – Part 5

by Mary Grow

Two musical Hallowell families

In the course of reading about the history of music in the central Kennebec Valley, specifically George Thornton Edwards’ 1928 Music and Musicians of Maine, your writer came across two intertwined musical families who lived in Hallowell, before and after Augusta became a separate town in 1897.

Both were from England. Edwards, James W. North (in his 1870 Augusta history) and Henry Kingsbury (in his 1892 Kennebec County history) paid attention to:

  • Benjamin Vaughan, M.D., LL.D. (April 19, 1751 – Dec. 8, 1835), son of Samuel and Sarah (Hallowell) Vaughan;
  • His younger brother, Charles Vaughan (June 30, 1759 – May 15, 1839); and
  • John Merrick (April 27, 1766 – Oct. 22, 1861; or 1862), husband of Benjamin and Charles’ sister Rebecca (1766 – July 1851).

Benjamin Vaughan

Benjamin Vaughan was born in Jamaica, educated in Britain (including Trinity Hall, one of the Cambridge colleges, from which he did not graduate) and earned his medical degree at the University of Edinburgh.

He was interested in science and politics, a combination, Wikipedia says, led to his friendship with Benjamin Franklin. He and his wife, Sarah (Manning) Vaughan (April 29, 1754 – 1834), whom he married in 1781, also knew other leading families in the new United States, including the Washingtons, Adamses and Jays.

Vaughan was a participant in the negotiations to end the American Revolution. In 1786, he was elected a member of the Philadelphia-based American Philosophical Society.

In 1792 Vaughan was elected a member of the British Parliament. But his politics were out of step – he had supported both the American Revolution and the 1789 French Revolution – and he left Britain for France in 1794. He moved on to Switzerland; in 1795 (probably; other sources say 1796 or 1797) to Boston; and a year or two later to the family property in Hallowell – Hallowell because the Vaughan brothers inherited land there from their mother’s family.

Here, according to the on-line Maine An Encyclopedia, Vaughan practiced medicine for the first time, serving the poor and “usually supplying medicines as well as advice without charge.” He helped manage the family land and advised other landowners.

Maine An Encyclopedia says that in Hallowell, “he built houses, mills, stores, a distillery, a brewery, and a printing-office, and established a seaport at Jones’s Eddy, near the mouth of the Kennebec.”

He brought with him a library, the same source says, almost as big as Harvard’s (2,000 books smaller, an on-line source says), and spent much time researching and writing articles on politics and science. Harvard gave him an honorary LL.D in 1807, Bowdoin in 1812.

In addition to Benjamin Vaughan’s many business activities, an on-line source says in 1820, the Maine legislature asked him to design a seal for the new state. He recommended the farmer and the mariner, symbols of work; the moose, for nature; the pine tree, for timber resources; and the north star overhead.

Charles Vaughan came to the family property in Hallowell a few years earlier than Benjamin, according to Edwards and others (but Kingsbury said a few years after Benjamin, whose arrival he put in 1796). One on-line source dates Charles’ arrival 1790, another “around 1791.” Sources call him a merchant instrumental in Hallowell’s economic development.

Benjamin and Sarah Vaughan had at least seven children. Charles and his wife, Frances Western Apworth or Apthorp (1766 – 1818, or Aug. 10, 1836, or May 15, 1839), had three or four children.

John Merrick (who often has “Esquire” after his name) was born in London; Edwards said he was “of Welsh origin.” North said he studied for the ministry, but did not pursue it. At some point he “became a tutor” in Benjamin Vaughan’s family, and when the Vaughans moved to America in the 1790s, he came with them.

In 1797, North wrote, he went back to London, where in April 1798 he married Rebecca Vaughan, bringing her to Hallowell in May. North listed six Merrick children.

North, who had known Merrick at least casually, and Edwards both speak highly of him as a man and a civic leader. North wrote that Merrick “was a gentleman of thorough education, refined tastes, high intellectual and social culture, benevolent, public spirited, kind, courteous, and gentle…just in all his dealings, of excellent judgment and practical good sense, a good citizen highly esteemed and beloved by his neighbors and friends….”

Describing Merrick in his 90s, showing a companion where a recent Kennebec River flood had cut around the Augusta dam, North wrote: “His form…was erect, his step elastic, and his flowing long locks of a snowy whiteness resting upon his shoulders gave him an imposing and venerable appearance.”

Edwards added that Merrick was well-informed about “astronomy, navigation, mathematics, and surveying.”

Among Merrick’s civic roles the two authors listed were trustee of Hallowell Academy (from 1802) and board president in 1829; member of Bowdoin College’s Board of Overseers (1805); Hallowell first selectman “for many years” (North) and overseer of the poor for 10 years; and cashier of the second Hallowell and Augusta Bank from 1812 until it failed in 1821.

In 1810, North wrote, Massachusetts Governor Christopher Gore appointed Merrick a member of an expedition charged with exploring a possible road from the Kennebec to Québec. During the six-week expedition, “he camped out twenty-one nights, seventeen of which it rained.”

Edwards devoted considerable attention to the musical side of the Vaughan and Merrick families. He summarized: “The Vaughans, the acknowledged leaders of all social events in Hallowell, were liberal patrons of the arts, and they and the Merricks were responsible in no small degree for the prestige which Hallowell was destined for nearly a century to enjoy as a musical center, and for the musical advancement of the towns along the Kennebec River.”

Music was important in both families, Edwards continued. Both sets of parents provided for their children the best available “instructors in piano, violin and flute.”

Merrick was one of the tutors in the Benjamin Vaughan family; their French teacher was a violinist. Charles and Frances Vaughan’s son, Charles, born in 1804, became a flutist and cellist; their daughter, Harriet, was a pianist and singer.

(Benjamin and Sarah Vaughan also had a daughter they named Harriet, the first-born of their seven children. Born in 1782, she died in 1798.)

Charles and Frances Vaughan’s daughter Harriet, born April 15, 1802, married children’s book author Jacob Abbott (Nov. 14, 1803 – Oct. 31, 1879) on May 18, 1829. Harriet Vaughan Abbott died Sept. 12, 1843.

Jacob and Harriet had several children. Another on-line source provides a brief biography of their oldest son, one of Charles Vaughan’s grandsons. He was Benjamin Vaughan Abbott, born in Boston June 4, 1830, a Harvard Law School graduate (1852). He is recognized primarily for his many collections and digests of court rulings and other legal records, work with which his brother, Austin Abbott, helped.

Merrick, in addition to tutoring Vaughan children, was a talented musician and leader. Edwards wrote that his musical taste was “exquisite.” He was known as a cellist, singer (Edwards quoted a description of his voice as “a very sweet and highly cultivated tenor”) and music critic. Linda Davenport, in her Divine Song on the Northeast Frontier, included a quotation saying Merrick “could play on any instrument.”

Locally, he led outstanding choirs at Hallowell’s Old South Church (called the best in New England in his time) and the Gardiner church, Edwards said. He also sang in the old South Church choir, as did Jacob Abbott.

When the Handel Society of Maine was formed in Portland in February 1814, Merrick was its first president. Edwards described the group as an ambitious state-wide effort that probably lasted only a few years, holding twice-yearly meetings at Bowdoin College. Its short life he attributed to the many other demands on members’ time, their limited resources and the difficulty of travel in Maine in the early 1800s.

Handel Society of Maine program from 1883.

Edwards listed one more of Merrick’s musical accomplishments: he wrote that when Samuel Tenney published The Hallowell Collection of Sacred Music in 1817 (second edition 1824), Merrick and (future) Chief Justice Prentiss Mellen, from Biddeford, “two of the ablest men in the state,” assisted.

Davenport analyzed the history of The Hallowell Collection in more detail, pointing out that although it is attributed to Samuel Tenney, he is not named “on the title page, in the notice about the copyright deposit, or in the introductory advertisement.”

Merrick and Mellen did endorse the collection, Davenport said, in their capacities as president and vice-president of the Handel Society. She disagreed with the suggestion that the Society published the book.

In Davenport’s opinion, “A more likely possibility is that Merrick and possibly Mellen may have served as musical advisors to the book’s publisher, Ezekiel Goodale, a Hallowell printer who was not known to have been musical.”

Merrick, because of his education and his experience leading choirs, she believed probably guided the choice of mostly-European music and wrote the “theoretical introduction, portions of which are more detailed and erudite” than in other contemporary collections.

Mellen could have contributed from Biddeford. Tenney might have helped, Davenport wrote, and almost certainly used the book when he opened his singing school for sacred music late in 1817.

Main sources

Davenport, Linda, Divine Song on the Northeast Frontier Maine’s Sacred Tunebooks, 1800-1830 (1996).
Edwards, George Thornton, Music and Musicians of Maine (1928).
Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892).
North, James W., The History of Augusta (1870).

Historical Association’s best bakers prepare for auction of desserts at annual “Preservation Party”

Linda Pope displays a fabulous cake during the auction of desserts at last year’s Preservation Party for Lincoln County Historical Association. (photo by Bob Bond)

One of the highlights of “Preservation Party,” Lincoln County Historical Association’s (LCHA) annual fundraiser dinner, is the auction of cakes by the delightful veteran auctioneer, Kaja Veilleux, of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries. Each dessert is artfully displayed in a “dance of desserts” by apron-clad volunteers who wind their way through the tables to encourage lively bidding. Winners often share their treasures with other guests during the evening.

But the tasty desserts are only one reason to attend this year’s event. LCHA’s party planners offer a catered three-course Italian dinner, guitar music by David Lawlor and Neil Lamb, and an auction of experiences. Bidders can win one of two vacations in Italy, a theater package, a fishing trip, a cooking class/dinner for six, a photographic portrait, and more. Guests may also purchase raffle tickets for a wide variety of gift cards.

Now is the time to reserve your place at the table. Tickets are available online at www.lincolncountyhistory.org. The date is Sunday, September 10, rain or shine. The place is the Pownalborough Court House in Dresden. The fun begins at 4:00 pm.

Proceeds from Preservation Party support LCHA’s mission to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Lincoln County, Maine. Key to the work of the organization is the stewardship of three historic buildings: the 1761 Pownalborough Court House, in Dresden, the 1811 Old Jail, in Wiscasset, and the 1754 Chapman-Hall House, in Damariscotta.

MY POINT OF VIEW: It’s Labor Day weekend

by Gary Kennedy

On September 4, we celebrate Labor Day in the United States. It’s a public holiday which is celebrated on the first Monday in September. Basically it honors the American labor movement and the contributions the working class has made to strengthen prosperity, laws and the well being of our great country. For most of us it is a long weekend in which we have an extra day to enjoy family and friends. Some of us will take short trips to camp and also to enjoy friends over a campfire with hotdogs and smores. Usually the weather is at its nicest at this time of year; at least I have always found that to be true. I hope I haven’t jinxed it by predicting good weather. For me the very best time for vacation was the last two weeks of August and first two weeks of September. Those have proven to be great weeks for me.

Historically, Labor Day has been a national holiday since 1894, when then-President Grover Cleveland signed the law that Congress passed designating the first Monday in September a holiday for workers. The labor unions of the time pressed to gain recognition of both the contributions and the mistreatment of the working class of the time. This as we know became a very big deal in our growth.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on September 5, 1882, in N.Y.C. with large parades and barbecues. It did not begin as a national holiday but as a self activity in the streets. The Workers Movement and the Socialist party were very close during this time. It isn’t hard to see the comparison. Some good things do bear roots out of such as this. One stupid expression of the times was the wearing of white. Some historians make note that bright clothing was worn by affluent groups who could afford to leave town for warmer climates when the leaves began to change. It became a socially expected norm that the poor, who didn’t have money to take fall and winter vacations, shouldn’t adorn white after the summer season.

That sounds absurd to us today but the mindset was a lot different back then. Class was very important to those of the time. It became a volcano waiting to erupt. Eventually it did. The advent of this ridiculous rule was brought about by the affluent ladies of the time. They wanted to be recognized for their wealth and alienated from the poor classes. We still have some of that today. We seem to push forward in some areas and backward in others.

The magazine, Country Living is a very good read if you are interested in a narration of the Real Meaning of Labor Day, by Maggie Horton & Terri Robertson, updated 7-23-2023. Oregon was the first to declare Labor Day as a holiday. Labor Day is a product of the Industrial Revolution. It is a hard won example of how far workers rights have come since the Industrial Revolution. True it is a three-day weekend celebrating the conclusion of summer with a cookout with hotdogs and burgers. Also, it has become a great weekend for shopping; everything seems to be marked down. You can look forward to it every first Monday of the month of September. The date does change. In 2024 it will be held on September 2. In 2025 it will be held on September 1 and in 2026 it will occur on September 7. Now you have future dates for your calendar.

According to the Readers Digest, the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries brought a vast array of jobs and commerce to the USA. What it didn’t bring was appropriate wages, salaries, safety regulations nor common sense regarding to the length of a work week. These were the days of 12-hour days and seven days a week jobs. Also, the exploitation of children ran rampant. There were many accidents and many broken hearts. Through the suffering, Labor Unions began to fight for the American worker. Child Labor was addressed, working conditions were addressed, and poor pay was also addressed along with civilized working hours. Strikes and rallies where organized and sometimes turned violent. Eventually the realization of all these issues were acknowledged and addressed. The American workers’ contribution to the growth and welfare of the country eventually became realized. The holiday was adopted and the American worker began to receive what was deserved.

Next year, remind me to tell you a little about May Day which is similar but perhaps more colorful. For now I think I have given you an idea which you can pursue if you have an interest. Remember this; we have come very close to the adoption of Socialism. That is one step from Communism and if that scares you, it really should. These are precarious times, times in which we should be ever vigilant. When you go down that road it’s very hard to return. The proof is all around you. This is fruit for thought and not meant to throw a wrench in your holiday weekend.

God bless all our readers and have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend. Oh, don’t forget our veterans; after all they have always been part of this.

The views of the author of this column are not necessarily those of The Town Line newspaper, its staff and board of directors.

OBITUARIES for Thursday, August 31, 2023

MADELEINE E. JACHE

SOUTH CHINA – Madeleine E. Jache, 89, of Manchester, New Hampshire, died Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at home. She was born on June 15, 1934, in Derry, New Hampshire.

Madeleine enjoyed her family, whether at home or at camp; crafting with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, enjoyed knitting and crocheting blankets and sweaters. She looked forward to solving the daily newspaper puzzles, and she was a huge Elvis Presley fan. She bowled at Lakeside Lanes and golfed. At camp she enjoyed hiking, snowmobiling, badminton and sitting by the camp fire making the best Hobo pies.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Lawrence F. Jache, of Manchester, NH; her children Debra Fischer, of China, Brenda Boisvert, of Winter Haven, Florida, and James Jache of Derry, NH; 8 grandchildren Jennifer (Fischer) Greenleaf, Michael Fischer, Matthew Fischer, Tania (Boisvert) Wrzeszcz, Jessica (Boisvert) Borkush, Noah Blodgett, Alayna Blodgett and Logan Blodgett; nine great-grandchildren Tanner Greenleaf, Aidan Greenleaf, Hailey Fischer, Cassidy Fischer, Lucas Fischer, Rachael Wrzeszcz, Emily Wrzeszcz, Alexis Ostman and Chloe Borkush;three brothers, Kenneth Chase, Henry Chase and Albert (Skip) Chase Jr; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her parents Albert E. Chase Sr and Mildred (Brewer) Chase, of Derry, NH and her daughter Elaine Blodgett, of Manchester, NH.

A celebration of life was held at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 673 Weston Road, Manchester, NH, by Rev. Donald Colageo, on Saturday, August 5, 2023.

TRINA SANDELIER

FAIRFIELD CENTER – Trina (Pomeroy) Sandelier, 57, of Fairfield Center, passed away unexpectedly at Maine General Medical Center, Augusta Campus, on Thursday August 10, 2023. Trina was born in Waterville on May 11, 1966, the daughter of Charles R. and Florette M. (Moreau) Pomeroy.

She was educated in the Fairfield school system.

Over the years, Trina had worked at many places, but her love was working in the public service industry and veterans’ community working as a bartender at the Oakland American Legion and most recently for 20-plus years at the Fairfield VFW.

Her enjoyments in life were very simple. She loved camping, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and playing poker and cribbage. She followed in her mother’s footsteps and thoroughly enjoyed betting on the ponies, watching football, NASCAR, and Survivor. Trina loved cooking, especially BBQs with her husband as evident by their “End of Summer” BBQ that, while it was a production, she absolutely loved. She loved her animals and had many pets throughout her years.

Another of her loves were her nieces and nephews with the latest and apple of her eye, Everly Ra,e whom will forever call Trina “Auntie, Auntie, Auntie”. Her greatest love of all was her daughter Bailey Michelle. After a few failed attempts she was born and filled a hole in Trina’s souls. Along side her daughter was her step-son Nickolas Michael, that she helped raise from a very young age as well as Erica and Troy Savage that also benefitted from her love. She was very proud of all four of them. Her love of family ran very deep.

Trina was predeceased by her mother and father; and three siblings, Cathy Russell, Randy Pomeroy and Charlie Pomeroy.

Trina is survived by her husband Steven Jr.; daughter Bailey and stepson Nickolas; her brother Kenneth “Tiny” Childs; sisters Jodi Knox and husband Chuck, Shannon King and husband Paul, Sherry Brown and husband Doug, and Cindy Haywood; nieces and nephews Chelsea Smith and husband Tom, Mindy Loubier and husband Adam, Tracy Liberty, Darcy Liberty, Cory Pomeroy, Justin King, Andrew King, Libby Bolduc, Jennifer Bouchard, Jacob Bouchard, Amanda Stetson, Billie Jeanne Pomeroy, Ingrid Haywood, Ian Haywood, Ryan Pomeroy, Jesse Pomeroy, and Cody Pomeroy, and many other great-nieces, nephews, cousins,.

There will be a graveside service held at Tozier Cemetery, on the Green Road, in Fairfield Center, on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 10 a.m., and immediately following there will be a gathering at 269 Norridgewock Road.

In lieu of flowers, Trina’s wish was that donations be made to St. Jude’s Children Hospital, in her memory.

LAWRENCE BARTLETT

VASSALBORO – Lawrence Bartlett, 95, passed peacefully on Friday, August 11, 2023. He was the son of Kenneth and Beatrice Overlock of Maine.

At the age of 16 he enlisted in the Merchant Marines and proudly served his country, serving in World War II on the Liberty Ships, the SS Grace Abbott and the SS William Paca.

Upon his return from World War II, he helped his father Ken on the farm, these life experiences helped develop a hard work ethic that was passed down to his children. In 1947 he married Mary (Fenton) Bartlett, and they had two children together. Eventually moving to California where he opened his trucking business.

In 1965, he married his late wife, Beverly, and moved his growing family back to Maine in 1966. Larry worked for the City of Waterville as the Director of Public Works. He owned and operated Larry’s Equipment Service and Sales and Main Street Motors, Inc., where he spent much of his life at auto auctions buying and selling cars, with a passion in special interest vehicles. Having been asked to teach for Kennebec Valley Vocational Technical Institute (KVVTI), in Fairfield, sharing his immense knowledge of diesel mechanics was something he was proud of and enjoyed. He will be fondly remembered by his students and employees as “Diesel Doc.”

Larry was a member of the Lions Club and American Legion, he was a Mason, and the longtime president of the Downeast Chapter of the Maine Merchant Marines where the group worked tirelessly and successfully to bring attention and recognition to the service members of the Merchant Marines.

Most important to him, however, was his family.

He is survived by his five children and their spouses, Tanya Flager (Dann), of Upland, California, Lawrence T. Bartlett (Debbie), of Mesa, Arizona, Pamela Lemieux (Ralph), of North Vassalboro, Lisa Sinde (Rich), of Travelers Rest, South Carolina, and Tina Avelar (Luis), of Nashua, New Hampshire; twelve grandchildren, Danny Flager, Jimmy Flager, Tara Bartlett, Amanda Bartlett, Derrick Lemieux, Richard Sinde, Brittany Sinde, Megan Sinde, Candace Sinde, Shaye Harwood, Cory Avelar and Jessica Avelar; 11 great-grandchildren.

He had two wishes, first was to remain in his home to finish his life’s journey and with the help of his family he was able to do that, and secondly was to make his family proud, which he did with abundance.

CONNIE HUARD

WINSLOW – Connie Huard 78, passed away peacefully on Tuesday August 15, 2023, following a courageous battle with Alzheim­er’s Disease. She was born in Waterville, on September 5, 1944, the daughter of Harold and Joan York. Connie graduated from Waterville High School.

Mrs. Huard, as she was known by many, dedicated her life to the Huard’s Martial Arts dojo, in Winslow, and for 55 years was an anchor and sparkling light for us all. She touched so many lives and was truly loved by the many past and present students at the school.

Connie loved animals and had three wonderful Miniature Schnauzer’s over a span of 55 years. She was an excellent gardener and you’d almost always see her wearing red, which was her favorite color, while flashing her trademark bright smile.

She was predeceased by her mom and dad and sister Carol Fortier.

She is survived by her husband of over 60 years Randy Huard; her sons, Mike Huard, and Mark Huard, Mike’s wife Kellie Huard; her brother Tom York and his wife June York; her one grandson Mack Huard; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A committal service will be held at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, 78 Grove Street, Waterville, on Friday September 15, at 10:30 a.m.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Gallant Funeral Home.

An online guestbook may be signed, condolences and memories shared at http://www.gallantfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Northern Light Home Care & Hospice 325-D Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville, ME, 04901

SYLVIA L. CORBETT

OAKLAND – Sylvia Louise (Baker) Corbett, 83, passed away on Saturday, August 19, 2023, following a short stay at Northern Light Hospital, in Waterville. Sylvia was born in White­field, New Hampshire, November 1, 1939, the daughter of Sidney and Viola (Sisco) Baker.

She attended high school at Lancaster Academy and graduated Class of 1957.

After graduating high school, Sylvia was employed by Crotched Mountain, working with special needs children. In 1961, Sylvia went into the restaurant business and became owner/operator of the Buck ‘N’ Doe Restaurant, in Island Pond, Vermont, until she sold the business in 1966. She married her husband Arthur in 1975 and their first child was born in 1976. She and Art owned North Country Painting and Roofing for several years in the Portland area until they moved their family north where they have since resided in Oakland.

Sylvia enjoyed crocheting, knitting, sewing, baking, playing cards, board games, word finds, reading, and watching game shows; Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune were among her favorites. Her mornings were always spent listening to B98.5 on the radio while she drank black coffee and played cards with Art. She cherished time spent with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, whether they were putting a puzzle together or she was teaching them how to properly count back change. They were all referred to as “Sweetie” or “Nitwit.”

She was predeceased by both her parents, Sidney and Viola (Sisco) Baker; her brothers, Robert, Russell, Carl, Roger, David, Harold, Merlyn, and Lyle (Jimmy), her sisters, Helen, Marjorie, Gail, and Baby Girl Baker; several special nieces, nephews, cousins.

Sylvia is survived by her husband of almost 48 years, Arthur Corbett Jr., of Oakland; her son, Adam Corbett and wife Crystal; her daughter, Amie (Corbett) Cunningham and husband Shawn, all of Smithfield; grandchildren, Tyra Cunningham, of Oakland, Naomi Cunningham and significant other Brandon French, of Smithfield, Abigail (Corbett) Berry and wife Airianna, of Augusta; great-grandchildren, Madilyn and Winter Shortreed, of Oakland, Austin Shortreed, of Smithfield; brother, Mervyn Baker, of Florida; sister, Judith Demers, of New Hampshire; several nieces, nephews, cousins.

Sylvia requested that there be no funeral services. The family will hold a celebration of life in her honor at a later date.

MICHAEL H. LEWIS

BENTON – Michael Howard Lewis, 65, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Mike was born on May 23, 1958, in Waterville.

He graduated from East Hartford High School, in Connecticut, where he grew up. He traveled extensively for work before returning to Maine to become a caregiver for both family and friends.

Mike was an avid pool player and enjoyed vacationing in Las Vegas, Nevada, playing poker. He loved vegetable gardening and shared his bounty, as well as canning.

Mike was predeceased by his father, Howard “Ted” Lewis; and niece Katherine Grass Burns.

He is survived by his mother, Gloria Lewis, of Benton; sister, Debra Lewis Beckwith and husband Durwood Sr., of Hartland; nephew, Benjamin Grass and wife Kelly, of Watertown, New York; niece, Patrice Harris and husband Benjamin, of Winslow; great-nieces Jordaan Harris, Michaela Burns and Ainsley Grass; great-nephews Joshua Grass, Jakob Harris and Garrison Grass; as well as his great-great-niece, Daisy Kate; his aunt, uncles, and many cousins.

There will be a graveside service on Thursday, August 31, 2023, at 11 a.m., at St. Francis Cemetery, in Waterville.

Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or a charity of your choice.

BARBARA E. HIGHT

OAKLAND – Barbara Elizabeth (Burns) Hight, 76, passed at Central Maine Medical Center, in Lewiston, on Wednesday, August 16, 2023, following a long battle with de­mentia. Bar­bara was born in Skowhegan on November 27, 1946, the daughter of Mildred (Pomerlow) and Harry Burns.

She attended Madison High School, graduating in 1965.

Barbara was the wife of Vernal Edward Hight, Jr., and mother of five children. She worked at C. F. Hathaway Shirt Factory, in Waterville, from 1976 to 1994. After a stint at Walmart when she left the mill, she received certification to become a pharmacy technician and spent the rest of her career working at True’s Pharmacy, in Oakland, and then for Redington-Fairview hospital, in Skowhegan. She was enthusiastic about her work and made her life fun every day.

Barbara loved to read, bake, crochet, and did amazing work with a sewing machine. She taught all her kids — and maybe some others along the way — how to cook, clean, and sew, and tried to teach them how to crochet. Her crafting skills also extended to drawing and ceramics. She loved road trips, but always wanted to be in her own bed at night. Her real passion, though, was her family, especially her husband, children, and grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband of 52 years, Vernal Hight, Jr.; her parents Harry and Mildred Burns; her sister Lucy Allen, brother John Burns, and sister Florence Anderson.

She is survived by her five children, Chandra Hight, Sandra Hight, Helen (Erik) Hart, Michael (Ami-Lyn) Hight, and Matthew (Maggie) Hight; seven grandchildren, Sydney Grandmaison, Mackenzie Hart, Jackson Hart, Patrick Robinson, Isabel Hight, Cody Oullette, and Allee LaRochelle; her sister Ruth (David) Desjardins; brother Larry Burns; brother-in-law Jimmy Hight; and sisters-in-law Betty Wing and Joyce (Richard) Perkins; and many nieces and nephews.

The family will have a graveside service at Gould Cemetery, on Sunday, September 3, 2023, at 2 p.m., where she will be placed alongside her husband.

In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates donations to organizations that support dementia research

DEVIN J. MASON

CHINA – Devin Joseph Mason, 23, of China, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, August 17, 2023. Devin was born June 13, 2000, to Cheryl and Joseph Mason.

He spent most of his life in China – enjoying the calmness of country life.

Devin was always the silent observer watching people and his surroundings before engaging in activities or conversations with others. This made him a master joke teller and prankster – you never saw either coming! It surprised us all to discover his artistic talents in music. His vision of art to represent his music videos was amazing, commissioning the right artist that put that vision to light was genius! He was just beginning to be noticed and had so much more to share. His stage name is “young creez” and he will continue to be heard by his followers. We invite you all to view his music at https://www.instagram.com/young.creez/?hlen .

He was predeceased by his father Joseph; maternal grandparents Dennis and Clara Harding, paternal grandparents Harriet and Maurice Mason; as well as Lawrence and Pricilla Oberlander.

Devin is survived by his mother, Cheryl Mason, of China; sister, Celina Mason and her daughter Izabella, of Waterville; brother, LCPL Calvin Mason, stationed in North Carolina; several aunts, uncles, and cousins.

GERALD W. HOLT

BENTON – Gerald Willie Holt, 88, passed away at home early Sunday morning, August 20, 2023. He was born at home in Clin­ton, February 16, 1935, the son of Irvin and Ora Holt (Lewis).

He attended school in Canaan and graduated high school there in 1953. He served as a corporal in the United States Army, from 1957-59, at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Gerald labored as a pipefitter for one employer, Scott Paper Co., for the entirety of his more than 40-year career.

He was a devoted member of East Benton Christian Church, having served many years as an Elder. Gerald is remembered as a joyful, patient, and kind soul who demonstrated generosity in avidly helping others. His faith in the Lord was strong and comforted him through his entire life. He loved to smile and was always ready to laugh.

Gerald was involved in boxing, bowling league, and had a love of golf which he passed along to his grandson. He loved to play cribbage with family and friends.

He was predeceased by his parents, Irvin and Ora; his first wife, Glennis; his son, Jeff; and his brothers Richard and Omar.

He is survived by his wife, Kim; his son and wife, Andrew and Wendy; his grandson and wife, Alex and Tessie, his granddaughter, Kaylee; his great-grandchildren, Ava and Aiden; his daughter and husband, Deborah and Keith; his sisters Faye and Lucille, his brother, Tim; many other family members.

The funeral will take place on Saturday, September 9, at 1 p.m., at East Benton Christian Church, with visiting hours and reception following the service. A graveside service will be held at Unity Cemetery, at 4 p.m., that same day.

ELAINE QUINLAN

WINSLOW – Elaine Quinlan, 88, of Winslow, passed away on August 21, 2023. She was born Dec. 12, 1934, in Oakland, the daughter of Ossie and Hilma Dolloff.

She was predeceased by her brother, Harvey Dolloff.

Elaine graduated from Williams High School, in Oakland, and the University of Maine, Orono. She taught at Skowhegan High School, Yarmouth High School, and Mount View High School, in Thorndike. She and Richard raised their children in Unity where they lived for more than 40 years.

She also volunteered as a literacy tutor, participated in the Maine Audubon Society Annual Loon Count and was an active member of the Friends of Lake Winnecook. She was the Unity correspondent for the Central Maine Morning Sentinel for many years. She later worked for MSAD #3, and the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad.

She was very much involved with the activities of her four children. Together with her husband, she organized and ran the popular Twilight Track Club, in Thorndike, for several years. She loved being a mother and took great pride and joy in her children.

In the transition to retirement, Elaine and her husband spent several winters in South Carolina. From 2001 to 2017, she and Richard enjoyed an active retirement in Zephyrhills, Florida, where she was a volunteer in the Betmar community, at Gulfside Hospice, in the Richland Baptist Church and then New Hope Baptist Church. In her late 70s, she wrote a book called Guideposts Through the New Testament that used Chapter 3, Verse 16 as a springboard for exploring the Bible. She hoped to help readers access the peace, comfort, joy, and contentment that God promises to those who invite Him into their lives. She and her husband moved back to her roots in Central Maine in early 2018 where she could enjoy time with family.

She had a passion for life. She enjoyed many hobbies, including playing cards, gardening, golfing, walking, biking, reading, and creative writing. Her two cats were a great comfort in her final years. Trained as a biology educator, she took delight in the natural world, particularly the Maine lakes on which she spent most of her summers. She revelled in small wonders and embraced new experiences.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, Richard Quinlan; her four children, Joseph Quinlan, of Hong Kong, Dr. Kathleen M. Quinlan, of Canterbury, England, Karen Jamison, of Waterville, and Carol Wohlers, of Rochester, New Hampshire; 12 grandchildren, Emily Ackley, Dakota, Makita, Jessie, Tatonka, Jerico, Jasper, Journey and Justice Champagne, Josie Eaton, and Casey and Trevor Wohlers; seven great-grandchildren.

The family will honor her memory at a private ceremony at a later date. The family welcomes your comments and memories at https://dsfuneral.com/obituaries/elaine-quinlan.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Elaine Quinlan’s name to a local charity of your choice.

PATRICIA A. DICKEY

CLINTON – Patricia Ann Dickey, 83, passed away on Monday, August 21, 2023, in Madison. Patricia was born in Waterville on November 25, 1939, the daughter of Clarence and Louise (Cyrway) Young.

Pat was a loving mother and helpful neighbor. She loved Christmas and was a big fan of country music. It was country music that connected her with husband Paul, and they both supported the Maine Country Music Association. She worked at Stern’s Department Store for over 20 years and became the manager for the Ladies Department.

Patricia is survived by husband Paul; Tammy Packie and husband Robert, Paul Jr. and wife Dede; grandson Corey Dickey and wife Rachelle and their children Neveah, Kinslee and Jacobi; and three stepchildren Nancy Bickford, Michael Dickey and Ellen Blodgett, and their many children.

Pat was predeceased by her parents (Clarence and Louise); siblings Clarence Jr., Margaret Pinette, and Robert Young.

There will be a graveside memorial, at Brown Cemetery, in Benton, on Friday September. 1, 2023, at 1:30 p.m.

Arrangements are in the care of Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main Street, Fairfield where memories may be shared, and an online register book may be signed by visiting http://www.lawrybrothers.com.

LINDA L. TRASK

FAIRFIELD – Linda L. Trask, 84, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 25, 2023. She was born on August 24, 1939.

She attended school in Oakland and was a dedicated CNA, at Pleasant Hill Nursing Home, in Fairfield, for 22 years.

Linda was a very caring person who committed her life to helping others and would give anyone that needed a helping hand. She was a fierce lover of her family and animals and loved to watch the many birds, squirrels, and hummingbirds that frequented her front porch. She loved the first sip of a cold beer, a good laugh over silly things, watching her family converse with one another, a warm fuzzy blanket, and all the hugs and kisses she could get from her loved ones.

Linda was predeceased by her parents Georgia and Simon Stevens.

She is survived by her four children, Lysle and Sharon Trask, of Waterville, Lisa and Scott McGee, of West Gardiner, Lucille Grivois and her partner Jim Alden, of Sidney, and Lynne Trask, of Fairfield; her siblings Gene and Joyce Stevens, of Winslow, Glenn and Ethel Stevens, of Sidney, and Mae and Ray Turmel, of Waterville; grandchildren Michael McGee and partner Anna Picard Ricker, of West Gardiner, Sue and Chad Brousseau, of West Gardiner, Tony and Mindy Trask, of New Sharon, and Vicki and Sergio Roman, of Puerto Rico; great-grandchildren Angel, Millie, Mila, Arthur, Paige, Ethan, and Mason; as well as extended family members.

Per her wishes, there will be no funeral services, but her life will definitely be celebrated.

KARL DORNISH JR.

WINSLOW – Karl Dornish Jr., 90, passed away on Thursday, August 24, 2023. He was born on September 18, 1932, the son of Karl and Helen (Hammond) Dornish.

His family would spend summers at “The Farm”, in Orrington.

He graduated from Vermont Academy, in 1950, his cherished Colby College, in Waterville, in 1954, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1956. While at Colby, he met the love of his life, Jane Millett Dornish. They were married in June 1955, and began their life together in Hanover, New Hampshire, shortly thereafter moving to Gorham and raising their three daughters there. Karl and Jane were married for 67 years and their love for each other only grew stronger over the years. To see them together was to witness deep love, devotion, quiet generosity, and respect in action.

He began his professional career as a production manager at SD Warren (Sappi), in Westbrook. He worked in Westbrook, Muskegon, Michigan, and finished his career at Sappi, in Skowhegan.

He retired in the early 1990s. While at the paper companies, his forte was labor relations, and he prided himself on knowing the name of each employee at the plant. He continued in the labor field as a retiree and served on the Maine State Labor Board for many years – one of many volunteer and board positions that he held throughout his life.

Karl was an avid supporter of Colby College, and, together with Jane, frequently attended athletic events, concerts and the art museum. For the past several years, he served as class president and was the chief fundraiser for the class of 1954. The college recognized his consistent dedication and support by honoring him with the Colby Brick Award, the Ernest C. Marriner Award and the C Club Person of the Year Award.

Ever the sportsman, Karl could often be found on the water, on a mountain, in the woods, or on a tennis court and had long-lasting friendships with many who shared these passions. He instilled his love for the outdoors in all of his children and grandchildren. Karl’s quiet and calm guidance is a legacy that his family will carry forward with them.

He is survived by his three girls, Deborah Dornish, formerly of Waterville, now residing in Lorton, Virginia, Katherine and husband Robert DuGrenier, of West Townshend, Vermont, and Martha and husband Paul Uribe, of Lorton, Virginia; his grandchildren Luc, Rachel and husband Stephen Ball, Jonathan and wife Maya, Regina, and Isabel; and great-grandchildren, Jack and Oliver; sisters, Patricia Gesner, of West Palm Beach, Florida, and Margaret Dornish, of Carlsbad, California.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, September 17, 2023, at 2 p.m., at the Colby Alumni Center.

Arrangements are in the care of Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main St., Fairfield where memories may be shared, and an online register book signed by visiting http://www.lawrybrothers.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ellsworth W. Millett Financial Aid Fund, at Colby College, which was established in honor of Jane’s father. Karl would encourage you to “do something nice for someone” and “push yourself, but always be yourself.”

LETTERS: It’s all in the salsa!

To the editor:

I read with interest the column ‘More Salsa Please’ by Dan Beaulieu.

I just arrived for my 52nd summer stay on China Lake, but my permanent residence is in Corpus Christi,Texas,100 miles north of the Mexican border. We take pride in the many authentic “Tex/Mex “restaurants north of Mexico.

I completely agree with Mr. Beaulieu that salsa is the defining feature of each establishment. A basket of warm chips and a large bowl of usually homemade salsa arrives on the table as the guests sit down. They never run out and are never charged for. It calls for good coffee in the morning and ice cold margaritas and beer later in the day. This encourages leisurely stays and great reputations.

If the salsas are good and the chips are hot the mood is fiesta time!

I anxiously look forward every week to the great articles in The Town Line.

Susan Thiem,
Corpus Christi,TX

LETTERS: A warm thank you

To the editor:

The family of Alia Coombs Singh would like to thank our friends and neighbors for their kindness and generosity after Alia’s unexpected passing.

The benefit supper put on by the American Legion post #163, the Branch Mills Grange #336, the Palermo Community Library, Tobey’s Grocery and the efforts of Kathy Neenan, Mary Haskell and many, many others, was a resounding success. The attendance was great, the pie auction was fantastic (never bid against a four-year-old), the winner of the 50/50 generously donated the money back, and to cap it all Robert Potter announced his company, Modern Woodmen of America, was putting up a very nice matching fund. WOW!

It was one of those nights that helps you realize how special our town is. We cannot express how appreciative we are by this outpouring from so many, All we can say is thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

The family of Alia Coombs Singh:
parents Michael and Sheila McCarty
husband Dheeraj Singh and sisters Maygen Hardy and Paula Doucette

VASSALBORO: School supplies drive has another successful event

From left to right, Ira Michaud (VCS principal), Don Breton, Tabitha Brewer (VCS assistant principal), Lisa and Jessica Breton. (contributed photo)

The school supplies gathering by a Vassalboro group for students at Vassalboro Community School, had another successful drive on August 19.

With Don Breton holding large pencil and Lisa Breton holding large crayon. Thank you goes out to Walmart, Huhtamaki, Caswell’s Liquidation, Staples, Marden’s, for their donations, and all the folks who stopped by to make a donation towards the school supplies drive. (contributed photo)