OBITUARIES for Thursday, October 13, 2022

MARY McFARLAND

CHELSEA – Mary “Anita” McFarland, 94, of Chelsea, passed away the morning of Tuesday, September 1, 2022. Better known as “Anita”, she was born in Portage Lake, on May 26, 1928.

Anita was devoted to her Catholic faith and attended the St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Anita was a dedicated self-employed hairdresser for 46 years. In her younger years Anita enjoyed spending time at her camp on China Lake. She also enjoyed traveling and spent some time exploring France. She was also a breast cancer survivor.

Anita is survived by her children, Paul Lizotte, and Andrew McFarland and his wife, Cheryl; her grandchildren, Jessica Simmons and her husband Jake Simmons, Timothy McFarland, Sarah Wheelock, and Taylor Wright; five great-grandchildren, Acadia Simmons, Aurora Simmons, Saffron Simmons, Guinevere Simmons and Mykah McFarland; a niece, Darlene Leonetti.

Anita was predeceased by her husband, Raymond Bacon McFarland; her mother and father; brothers Armond Cormier, Hubert Cormier, and Willard Cormier; and her niece, Rosalie who was like a daughter to her; daughter-in-law, Lucinda Lizotte.

A graveside service will be held on Monday, October 17, at noon, at the Maine Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 143 Blue Star Ave., Augusta, ME 04330.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta, ME 04330. Condolences, stories, and photos may be shared by visiting http://www.plummerfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Anita’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 383 US Route One #2C, Scarborough, ME 04074.

WALLACE V. STRATTON JR.

BELGRADE – Wallace Vernon Stratton Jr. “Buddy”, 81, passed away on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Buddy was born on October 29, 1940, in Augusta, to Wallace Vernon and Dorothy May (McGlashing) Stratton.

He was the middle child of three. He grew up on the West Road, in Belgrade; many of his neighbors will remember him for singlehandedly being responsible for all the rocks on their lawns once he got behind the wheel of his mother’s Studebaker! Buddy will be most remembered for his incredible work ethic and ability to fix or repair most anything. At the age of nine, he started his career in the woods by working with his uncle Denny, loading train cars with pulp wood.

Later, Buddy worked twitching logs with a team of horses with his dad. Buddy always spoke of his love for the teams of horses and remembered them all fondly by name. After marriage, he briefly moved to South Portland where he worked for several construction companies (White Brothers, Cook Concrete) however, the draw of being a lumberjack always brought him back to the industry. There were not many moments in Buddy’s life that he was not behind the wheel of a pulp truck, skidder or working on them in the garage.

In his “spare” time, Buddy was known for his legendary horseshoe throwing. On June 15, 1985, Buddy married his second wife, Edith Alexander, and together they celebrated 37 years of marriage.

Buddy is survived by his wife, Edith Stratton, of Belgrade; one sister, Gail Wilcox, of Augusta; his five children from his first marriage, Billie Jo (Skip) Tilton, of Dummer, New Hampshire., Travis (Lisa) Stratton, of Valdosta, Georgia, Scott Stratton, of Freedom, Rudy (Kathy) Stratton, of South Portland, and Jimmy (Sara) Stratton, of Norridgewock; three stepchildren, William Hayes, of Belgrade, Jean Saucier, of Belgrade, and Joanne Fuller, of New Hampshire; eight grandchildren, Danyelle Stratton, Sophia Stratton, Jamin Tilton, Devon Stratton, Solomon Stratton, Heidi Elva Tilton, Levi Stratton, and Joshua Stratton; and one great-grandchild, Jovita Stratton; five step-grandchildren, Nicholas Savage, Liza Soucier, Lexi Soucier, McKenzie Savage and Kelsey Soucier; and many aunts, uncles; cousins; nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents Wallace and Dorothy Stratton; sister, Evelyn Alexopoulos; and his first wife, Elva Stratton.

A private graveside service for family and friends will occur at a later date.

Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home and Cremation Care, One Church St., Augusta, where memories, condolences and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of our website at http://www.khrfuneralhomes.com.

DEBORAH A. POULIN

SHAWMUT – Deborah A. Poulin, 72, passed away Thursday, September 29, 2022, at Maine Medical Center, in Portland. Deborah was born and raised in Clinton, Massachusetts, April 2, 1950, daughter of the late Edward T. Duchnowski and Theresa A. (Fitzgerald) Duchnowski.

Deborah was a graduate of Clinton High School class of 1967, where she had made many friends and was very proud to be a Clinton Gael. In her early 20s, she survived a month long coma from a car accident, resulting in permanent paralysis of her left side. After spending many days in speech and physical therapy, she moved to Maine, married her now late husband, Henry, and raised two boys, Matthew, and Justin.

Deborah was a devoted wife and mother and loved her family so very much. She was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, in Fairfield, for many years. She was a proud Catholic, and had strong Christian faith and beliefs. She served as treasurer for the Boy Scouts, in Fairfield, where both her boys were members of Cub Scout pack #471, and Boy Scout Troop #460.

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her husband of 32 years, Henry G. Poulin; and a brother, Edward “Chip” T. Duchnowski.

Deborah leaves her two sons, Matthew E. Poulin and Justin H. Poulin, both of Waterville and their wives, Sara Poulin and Jessica Poulin; grandsons, Nicholas, and Brevin; granddaughter Gillian; her brother, George W. Duchnowski and sister, Madelyn Grady, both of Clinton, Massachusetts; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and their respective families.

A graveside service was celebrated Monday, October 10, at Falls Cemetery, in Benton.

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, of Fairfield. To share memories, or to offer condolences, please visit http://www.lawrybrothers.com.

GARY J. VIOLETTE

NORRIDGEWOCK – Gary James Violette, 69, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, October 1, 2022. Gary was born March 6, 1953, the second of seven children of Robert and Ethel Violette.

He grew up in Fairfield and attended Lawrence High School, where he played football, graduating in 1971. He later received a degree in civil engineering from Central Maine Community College (CMCC), in Auburn, and enjoyed a long and successful career in construction inspection and management.

Gary was an avid outdoorsman and spent most of his time enjoying and maintaining the beautiful parcel of land that he called home. He loved to garden and to pick apples in his orchards with his children and grandchildren. From a young age, he took great pleasure in hunting, fishing, boating, four wheeling, and snowmobiling. Gary was also well known for being a vintage car fanatic; his ‘64 Chevy Bel Air was his pride and joy. History and gun/war memorabilia collecting were passions of his as well. He was especially well versed in American and local Maine history and was always happy to share stories of the past with family and friends.

His three grandchildren from his daughter, Cortney Bard, Nile age 6, Nova, age 3, and Nellie, age 1 were the light of his life. Gary is also survived by his two sons, James Violette, and Coby Violette; as well as his six siblings, David Violette, Kevin Violette, Joel Violette, Peter Violette, Todd Violette, and his sister Donna Maiorino.

An outdoor celebration of life will be held at his home on Sunday, October 23. Please contact any of his family members for more details.

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.

TRUDY SMITH

ROME – Trudy Smith, 79, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, October 2, 2022, following a decade-long battle with metastatic breast cancer. Trudy was born in Bellows Falls, Vermont, on October 5, 1942, the daughter of Belle (Hurd) and Ralph Halladay, and sister to Barbara (deceased), Richard, and Juanita. She graduated from Bellows Falls High School and held a real estate license.

She loved nature and volunteered as a milfoil inspector on the Belgrade Lakes and could be seen out on the lake before sunrise for the annual loon count.

Prior to the family’s move to Rome, she was a volunteer for Meals-on-Wheels, in Yarmouth. She was very passionate about giving back whether it was volunteering for the Maine Attorney Generals Office as a mediator or donating to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a charity she held dear. A true competitive spirit, she was an avid tennis player. Tennis gave her great joy. Remarkably, she played up until the final months of her life.

Trudy was most passionate about her family. She absolutely adored her grandchildren. She was very happy that they were all gathering for her 80th birthday telling stories and enjoying each other.

She is survived by her husband, Richard Smith; her daughter, Trisha (Jim), of Hingham, Massachusetts, her son, Stephen (Michaelyn), of Belgrade; her grandchildren, Jason, Hallie, Addy, Megan and Kaitlyn; many nieces and nephews.

Arrangements are in the care of Wheeler Funeral Home, 26 Church Street, Oakland, where condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the website at http://www.lawrybrothers.com.

AILEEN B. WESCOTT

MANCHESTER – Aileen Burhoe Wescott, 80, passed away on Monday, October 3, 2022. Aileen was born on March 25, 1942, in Farm­ington, to Wal­lace and Ma­rian (Becker) Bamford. She graduated from Mt. Blue High School, in Farmington, and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Orono.

Aileen worked for the State of Maine DHHS as a daycare licensing agent, then a foster care licensing agent until her retirement. She was married to Howard Burhoe from 1964 to 1986. Later, she married John A. Wescott in 1990 and they were together until his death in 2013.

Aileen was an active and caring woman who spent most of her life thinking about others. She always surrounded herself with her friends and family, which is where she felt most comfortable and loved. As a mother and grandmother, she was generous, loving and kind.

(Editor’s note: Aileen was an advertising sales representative with The Town Line newspaper from 2002 – 2007.)

Aileen is survived by her son, Mark Burhoe and wife Manon of Fayette; daughter, Karen Taylor and fiancé Brooks Van Sant, of Manchester; grandson, Daniel Taylor; step-grandchildren, Robert Martin, Jessica Martin, Ryan Martin and their families.

There will be no visitation or services at this time. Burial will be in the Fairview Cemetery, in Farmington.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 488 Farmington Falls Rd., Farmington, ME 04938.

Those wishing may make memorial contributions to their favorite animal shelter in memory of Aileen.

PHYLLIS A. DALEY

WHITEFIELD – Phyllis A. Daley, 89, passed away on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. She was born December 27, 1932, in Chelsea, the daughter of Fred and Beatrice (Oban) Campbellton.

She was married to Vance Daley who passed away in 2011. She was a graduate of Gardiner High School and Kennebec School of Commerce. She worked at the Hallowell Shoe Co., Gardiner Shoe Co., and Central Maine Power Co. She retired from Central Maine Power in 1991. She also worked for years teaching horsemanship and different seats of riding. In the 1950s she worked with the Civil Defense spotting planes.

In the 1960s she worked with the Red Cross where she taught many groups First Aid including the police and fire departments.

Phyllis was president of the Maine Trail Riders and the Central Maine Kennel Dog Club. She served on the board of directors for the Maine Horse Association and managed the AAA Horse Shows for about 10 years.

She liked being busy doing all kinds of arts and crafts, painting, making blankets and crocheting. She also liked bowling, square, and round dancing, boating, fishing, water skiing and swimming.

Phyllis loved working with horses, teaching to ride, trail ride and passing on the knowledge about horses to others. Her biggest love was her Shelties (Shetland Sheep dogs). She liked training, showing and above all, loving them, especially her beloved Missy Mae.

Phyllis is survived by brothers Billy and his wife Debby, Frank and his wife Jennette; sister Betty McKay; sister-in-law Gloria Campbellton; and several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her father Fred, mother Beatrice; and her brothers, John, and Dennis.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, October14, from 11 a.m. to noon, with a funeral service following at noon, at Staples Funeral Home, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner. Burial will follow at the Oak Grove Cemetery, in Gardiner.

Arrangements are entrusted with Staples Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 53 Brunswick Avenue, Gardiner, Maine.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the Staples Funeral Home website, http://www.staplesfuneralhome.com.