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Ruth Thelma (Schmidt) Smith
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Ruth Thelma (Schmidt) Smith, at age 99, of Rochester, N.Y., and Cape Neddick, died unexpectedly, Wednesday, Jan. 7, at home.
Born in Rochester, the youngest daughter of Edwin and Mary, Miss Smith graduated from the Rochester Normal School and began teaching in 1925 at School 12. She later taught at School 38 and then transferred to School 52 in 1933, where she spent most of her 40-plus years of teaching, and was remembered as an extraordinary kindergarten teacher by generations of her students.
In an age when it was unexpected and unlikely for a woman to do so, Miss Smith bought her first car in 1928. In 1940, she and a friend made a cross-country road trip to California. She also traveled extensively in Mexico. By 1952, Miss Smith had discovered the southern coast of Maine. When oceanfront property became available, she and a friend purchased the small camp facing Nubble Light House, much to the chagrin of family and friends. The house and its surroundings consumed subsequent summers for over three decades, during which time friendships were built and a bond was established with the tidal surroundings. Generations of family were exposed to the beauty and grandeur of living by the ocean thanks to her hospitality.
Ruth Smith was predeceased by seven brothers and sisters and is survived by many great-nieces and nephews who drew upon her knowledge, wisdom and generosity; and many hundreds of public school students who remember her with love, admiration and thanks. In her final years, her avid desire to remain in her home was achieved through the loyal and tireless efforts of caregivers and companions who became a new generation of family.
Services were held Saturday, Jan. 17, at Anthony Funeral Chapel, Inc., 2305 Monroe Ave. Interment at White Haven Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be directed to the Regional Center for Independent Living Inc., 1641 East Ave., Rochester, N.Y. 14610.
Wayne D. Avery
YORK - Wayne D. Avery, 62, of York Harbor, died peacefully on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004, with his wife by his side at York Hospital.
Wayne was born on Sept. 15, 1941, the son of Floyd R. and Mildred W. (Hartwell) Avery. He lived in York and attended local schools.
Wayne was one of the co-founders of the York Volunteer Ambulance Association and served as a driver for them for three years. Wayne also served York as a fireman with the York Village Fire Department for over 18 years. He was a sheriff’s deputy with York County for eight years and the station manager of Channel Three, York Public Access Television.
Wayne is survived by his wife, Rosie (Staples) Avery; one son, Wayne D. Avery II, and his wife Stephanie (Tibbetts) Avery, of York; one daughter, Barbara-Jo Avery Skelton, and her husband, Roger Skelton, of Monticello; and one sister, Gloria Royal, and her husband, David Royal, of York.
Wayne is also survived by his beloved dog Jack.
A funeral will be held on Saturday at 10 a.m. in the First Parish Congregational Church, York Street. Visiting Hours will be held Friday, Feb. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, 91 Long Sands Road, York. Interment will be in the First Parish cemetery following the funeral. In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to the American Cancer Society, New England Division, 1 Main St., Suite 300, Topsham, ME 04086 or to the York Volunteer Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 238, York, ME 03909.
Judith M. Goode
KENNEBUNK - Judith M. Goode, 57, of Cat Mousam Road, Kennebunk, formerly of Woodland Hills Condominiums, South Berwick and Sheru Avenue in York died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford after a long illness.
She was born in Waltham, Mass., on Jan. 27, 1947, the daughter of Walter F. and Shirley (Ryan) Goode. She was a 1965 graduate of Waltham High School and a 1968 graduate of Bay State Jr. College, receiving a degree in secretarial science.
Judy had worked for many years as a medical secretary in doctors’ offices. She enjoyed long weekends and family gatherings at their summer cottage at Long Sands Beach. Judy spent many weekend mornings with her mother driving to local yard sales. She enjoyed collecting antiques, jewelry and the art of stained glass. During the past two years Judy enjoyed spending a lot of time reading and visiting with her great-nephew, who was very special to her. Judy was a great part of a large family and friends who will miss her dearly.
Survivors include her sister, Joanne P. Coite of York; a niece, Melissa Moulton, and her husband, Dale, of York; a nephew, Ryan Coite, and his wife, Shelley, of York; and a great-nephew, Braiden Moulton of York.
A funeral was held Thursday, Feb. 5, in York Street Baptist Church, York Street, York. Interment was in First Parish Cemetery. Family desires that memorial donations be made to the York Street Baptist Church Scholarship Fund, 59 York St., York, ME 03909.
Mary L. Holmes
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Holmes and Lunney families are saddened to report the death of our beloved Mary Rosella (Lunney) Holmes on Feb. 4, 2004, at age 91.
Mary was an Irish
-American "Rose" in every sense of the term, a beautiful and loving woman, yet also a strong-willed and independent Maine Yankee. Mary was born November 1912 in Easton, Maine. She was the first daughter of 12 children of Thomas Andrew Lunney and Susan Martha (Taylor) Lunney. Mary grew up on the family farm at Easton, in a home filled with the Irish humor and hospitality of her father, a proud descendant of the Gaelic kings of Ireland, and with the Quaker sensibilities and generosity of her mother, a proud descendant of the American Revolutionary War patriot, Elias Taylor. After helping her parents to raise her younger siblings, Mary, by then in her 20s, asked her "papa" to find her suitable husband. Through family contacts, Mary was introduced to Chester Hodsdon Holmes of Somersworth, N.H. After a brief courtship, Mary and Chester were married on April 4, 1936. Their union lasted over half a century, and was blessed with a son, John Chester Holmes.
Mary and Chester Holmes spent most of their married life in York, where Mary also worked at the local hospital as a dietitian. Their home in York was always the perfect setting for wonderful family gatherings. Mary and Chester were both perfectionists about their home and table. Chester built both of their two homes in York with his own hands, and he and Mary filled them with wonderful antiques. Mary and Chester brought real magic to the countless family gatherings that they hosted. Mary was the laughter, the great jokes, the warm hugs and fantastic cooking, and Chester was the genial host, the endless source of fascinating stories and knowledge of practical skills and crafts and of local history. They practiced hospitality as a high art, not an obligation. Guests to their home always left well-fed, better-educated and most grateful for the time spent with their hosts.
After Chester retired from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, he and Mary spent several more happy years together, traveling and spending time with family and friends. When Chester became ill and infirmed, Mary was a patient companion and nurse. After Chester died, Mary moved to Naples, Fla., where she spent several years enjoying the Florida sun, making new friends and welcoming family and friends to her home. After her eyesight began to fail, she moved to Rhode Island to be closer to her family. The last years of her life were blessed with good health, a keen mind and the company of her devoted son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandson.
Mary had hoped to live to be 100, but a sudden and unexpected illness deprived her, and all of her family and friends, of seeing her reach this goal. Although we are all deeply saddened to lose her, we take joy in knowing that Mary lived a long life, a life well-lived, and a life ended with grace and dignity. She was, and always will be, our guardian angel.
Mary left family members and friends almost too numerous to mention, but she would have wished us to acknowledge at least a few of them here. Mary is survived by her son and her daughter-in-law, John and Terry Holmes; her granddaughter, Cynthia Holmes and great-grandson, John Russell Beaulieu, all of Chepachet, R.I.; her grandson, Russell Thomas Holmes of Hudson, N.H.; her brother, Boyd Lunney of Cape Elizabeth; her sister, Alice (Lunney) Gregory of Westfield, Maine; and sisters-in-law, Mabel Lunney of Westfield and Ruby Lunney of Concord, N.H., and Mabel Donneson of Concord, N.H.; and many, many devoted nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.
A gathering of family and friends is planned for Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2 p.m. in the Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home, Route 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville, R.I. A burial service will be held sometime later in the spring in York. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent in Mary’s name to the Home and Hospice Care facility located at 169 George St., in Pawtucket, R.I. 02860-9924.
Virginia M. (DeWitt) Indiano
ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Virginia M. (DeWitt) Indiano, 77, died Monday, Feb. 2, 2004, after a brief illness.
She was predeceased by her husband, Mathew Indiano; her great-grandson, Jayden Mitchell; brother Preston DeWitt and sister Corrine Goff.
She is survived by her children, Mary Indiano of York, Thomas Indiano of Saratoga Springs and Carol Indiano of Rochester; six grandchildren, Daniel and Jeannie Boardman of York, Mathew Indiano and Nicole Mitchell of Saratoga Springs, Christine McCaffrey and Richard McCaffrey, Jr. of Rochester; her brother, George (Edna) DeWitt; and several nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to GRHCA/Hospice, 70 Metro Park, Rochester, N.Y. 14623, Arrangements by Alvah Halloran and Son.
Romeo A. Lambert
YORK HARBOR - Romeo A. Lambert, 89, died Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2004, at Sentry Hill in York Harbor.
He was born in Biddeford, on Dec. 21, 1914, the son of the late Louis and Florida (Roberge) Lambert. He resided in Berlin, N.H., from 1918 to 1943, where he attended local schools. Mr. Lambert remained a bachelor all of his life.
As a teenager during the great depression, Mr. Lambert joined the Civilian Conservation Corps for three years, planting and restoring the forests in the White Mountain National Forest in upper New Hampshire. He then worked in the Brown Paper Company in Berlin as a pulp press and shredder man for eight years. After World War II, he returned to the United States and settled in Biddeford. There he worked for 34 years for the Saco-Lowell Shops in Biddeford and the Edwards Plant in Saco as a lathe operator, working on mufflers and M-16 machine guns until his retirement in 1980.
Mr. Lambert served more than 30 months with the 469th Engineering Maintenance Company in the Army in places such as Oran, Africa; Sicily, Anzio, Messina, Rome, Florence and Milan, Italy; Marseilles on up to Paris, through Belgium, then on to Germany to meet the Russians. Often mobile under combat conditions, repairing and driving heavy construction equipment through snow, sleet and mud, such equipment as bull and angle dozers, road scrapers, graders, rollers, hauling ammunition, his company was constantly on the move in support of Gen. George S. Patton and his troops throughout Europe. He earned six battlestars and one arrowhead.
Mr. Lambert was a communicant of St. Andre’s Church in Biddeford. He enjoyed sports, his motor boat, fishing along the Saco River, playing cards, going to the racetrack, and especially dancing (particularly during the Big Band Era.) He was a lifetime member of the VFW and the Rochambeau Club in Biddeford.
Mr. Lambert never forgot how truly wonderful the Salvation Army was during World War II as he and the troops trekked through Europe. The Salvation Army was everywhere and always ready to feed the GIs all for free as paydays were few and far between.
Mr. Lambert is survived by a sister, M. Pauline Thibault of York Beach; three nieces, Mary Ann Hodgson of Port Neches, Texas, Carol Gamester and her husband, Peter, of New Castle, N.H., Cheryl Taylor and her husband, Gerald, of Dayton; one nephew Rex Lambert, and his wife, Judy, of York; and several grandnieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, 91 Long Sands Road. Interment will be at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Biddeford in the family lot, at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Salvation Army, 2 Church St., Old Orchard Beach, ME 04064; American Cancer Society, New England Division, 1 Main St., Suite 300, Topsham, ME 04086, or the Heart Association, 20 Speen St., Framingham, Mass., 01701, or Beacon Hospice in Boston.
Claire T. Smith
YORK - There will be a memorial service to celebrate the life of Clare T. Smith on Feb. 13 at 1026 U.S. Route 1 in York. All are welcome to attend and share memories of her life.
Nancy H. McGinnis
KITTERY - Nancy Helen McGinnis, 65, of Bousch Street, formerly of York and Wells, died Sunday, Feb. 8, at York Hospital.
She was born in Sanford, Aug. 4, 1938, daughter of James and Dorothy (Lirette) McGinnis.
She graduated from St. Ignatius and from Robinson Female Seminary School in Exeter, N.H. Miss McGinnis received a medical assistant certificate from the Port York Medical Clinic, in Portsmouth, N.H. She graduated from Tufts University Medical School of Anesthesiology as a dental surgery anesthesiology assistant. She also took evening language classes at the University of Tennessee.
Miss McGinnis worked as a live-in care-giver in the York area for many years.
She enjoyed creating stained glass designs for her friends. She enjoyed music and exploring the local area.
Miss McGinnis lived in Tennessee before moving to York in 1982 and then she moved to Island Beach in Wells.
She was predeceased by her son, George Dufour Jr. and by her brother Richard McGinnis. She leaves many "dear to the heart" friends.
Services will be private and donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice or have a party in her memory.
Thomas A. Bucknam
YORK HARBOR - Thomas A. Bucknam of 694 York St. York Harbor, died Saturday, Jan. 24, 2004, at York Hospital.
He was born in Newport, N.H., on Sept. 3, 1940, son of Harold and Flora Bucknam. He attended York schools. He was a self-employed carpenter and lobsterman.
He enjoyed fishing, refinishing furniture and the challenge of fixing anything. He was at one time a member of the York Beach Fire Department.
Surviving are his wife of 34 years, Susan (Donnell) Bucknam; a brother, Richard Bucknam of York Beach; two sisters, Evelyn Blaisdell of York, and Louise Guptill of Eliot; one nephew, two nieces and many close friends.
There will be a gathering of friends and family at Tom’s home in the spring.
Donations in his memory may be made to the York Beach Fire Dept. or the York Village Fire Dept.
Joan Matson Oates
YORK - Joan Matson Oates, 73, died Monday, Jan. 26, 2004, in York after a long illness.
She was born in St. Johnsbury, Vt., in 1930, the daughter of Samuel D. and Maybelle (Farrington) Matson. She graduated from Concord High School in New Hampshire in 1948 and enjoyed a long and distinguished career working at St. Paul’s School in Concord from 1957 to 1976. From 1976 to 1982 she served the school as the wife of the rector.
She is survived by her husband, William A. Oates of Kennebunkport; three stepsons, William Oates Jr. of Dedham, Mass., James M. Oates of Elkins, N.H., and Thomas N. Oates of Greenwich, Conn.; nine stepgrandchildren; one great-stepgrandson; a sister, Marjorie D. Matson of Wells; one niece and one nephew.
A memorial service was held Thursday, Jan. 29, at the First Congregational Church, 177 N. Main St., Concord, N.H.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the York Hospital, 15 Hospital Drive, York, ME 03909.
Arrangements made by Bennett Funeral Home, Concord.
Terri Adams-Wheeler
LAS VEGAS - Terri Adams Wheeler, Las Vegas, Nevada, died Saturday, Jan. 24, 2004, peacefully in her sleep at her home in Las Vegas.
She was born July 5, 1954, in Portsmouth, N.H., the daughter of Philip F. Adams (deceased), of York, and Nancy M. Bardier, of Las Vegas.
She was a longtime employee of the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery before moving to Las Vegas several years ago to get away from the cold New England weather and retire.
She enjoyed traveling and especially enjoyed Maui, Hawaii. She had many close friends and family both in Las Vegas and southern Maine. She especially loved her animals and was supportive of many charities and the local Catholic Church.
Some time ago she told her mother that when she reached heaven she would be able to walk and drive a beautiful, red convertible (without handicapped accessories).
Certainly her life on this earth was never an easy one, yet she never complained nor looked for sympathy. Those who knew and loved her know how willing she was to give of her time and energy whenever they needed her.
Survivors include her mother and stepfather, Nancy M and Albert L. Bardier, of Las Vegas; stepmother Elaine R. (Theriault) Adams, of York; grandmothers Jessie M. Kalix, Kittery Point, and Mary F. Adams, Kittery; sister Laurie Evans and her husband Kevin and two daughters, Jennifer and Stephanie Hamel of Las Vegas; brother Philip M. Adams and his wife Sandy and two children, Samantha and Clay of Las Vegas; brother Paul S. Adams and his wife Kathy and two children, Krysta and John of Las Vegas; sister Nancy Rovnak and her husband Matt and two children, Abigail and Amanda of South Berwick; sister Gina Adams and her husband Mark Merena and their two sons, Chad and Beau Carson of York; sister Teresa and David Lever of North Carolina; sister Misty and Brian Ellis of Sarasota, Fla.; stepsister, Katherine A. Minsky and her husband Joel of Center Barnstead, N.H.; stepbrothers Scott A. Bardier and his wife Monica and two children, Maddy and Casey of Epsom, N.H.; and Kevin Bardier of York Harbor. She is also survived by many uncles, aunts and other close relatives in various parts of the country.
Ceremonies were conducted at Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas on Jan. 28, 2004. Donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation.
