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Melba Taylor (Keasor) Hodgkins
Melba Taylor (Keasor) Hodgkins, 103, of 35 Bedford Ave., Gilford, N.H., died early Tuesday morning, March 1, 2005, at Belknap County Nursing Home, Laconia, N.H.
She was born Aug. 19, 1901, in Laconia, the daughter of the late Fred and Ida N. (Ladd) Keasor. Her father was one of the first directors of the Laconia Savings Bank and owned a dry goods store on Maine Street for many years. She was a graduate of Laconia High School, Class of 1919, and had attended LaSalle College, Boston, and Concord Business School.
She was a direct descendant of Col. Samuel Ladd, one of Laconia’s first founders, as well as the Taylor family, who donated the land where the Taylor Home and Community now stands. She was also a grandniece of Rhoda C. Ladd, who donated the land and money for the building of a hospital in Laconia, Cottage Hospital, on Court Street, now known as the Lakes Region General Hospital.
She was first employed as a receptionist at the Laconia Car Company, before becoming a reporter for the former Laconia Democrat and later the Laconia Evening Citizen for many years, where she worked through the 1960s, meeting trains
and talking to locals and reporting all the comings and goings at the train station, which was a popular feature at the time.
She enjoyed the outdoors, hiking and camping with her husband, the late Philip M. Hodgkins, who died in 1975. He was a forest ranger-turned-surveyor and engineer. They spent their honeymoon hiking the New Hampshire and Maine sections of the Appalachian Trail. She would often go on trips with him to survey Greenfield State Park, the Flume and other state parks as part of the CCC. She had also climbed Mount Washington three times, where once, armed only with a mop, she drove a bear out of the campsite.
She also loved painting and gardening. She was the holder of the Boston Post Cane for the town of Gilford since 2000.
She was the oldest member of the Laconia Congregational Church and was very active for many years. She was also a member of the Friendship Club, the Laconia Women’s Club, the Laconia Garden Club, and a known artist, painting local and New England scenes.
She was a longtime summer resident of Goose Rock Beach in Kennebunkport. Her son, Allan F. Hodgkins, still summers there.
She was the wife of the late Philip M. Hodgkins, who died in 1975, and is survived by a son and his wife, Allan F. Hodgkins and Mary Ann Burdett of Chiefland, Fla.; a grandson, Scott A. and his wife, Carol Hodgkins, of Gilford; her granddaughters, lawyer Melissa Martin and her husband, lawyer Douglas Gross of Lebanon, and Helen E. Martin of Taos, N.M.; her great-grandchildren, Jezamine Martin of Taos, N.M., Coleman Martin-Gross and William Martin-Gross both of Lebanon; her nephews, Vaughan and his wife, Dorothy Pitman of Hollis, and Donald Pitman of Stratford, Conn.; several grandnieces and grandnephews. She was predeceased by sisters Mildred Pitman and Pauline Kcasor, both of Laconia.
There are no calling hours. Entombment will be in Union cemetery to await graveside services later in the spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Laconia Historical Society c/o Laconia Public Library, 695 Maine St., Laconia, N.H. 03246.
Thelma Thompson
YORK HARBOR - Thelma (Burleigh) Thompson, a 93-year-old homemaker, died at the York Harbor Home on Friday, March 4, 2005.
She loved to tell stories about growing up on a small family farm in Woolwich, Maine, and marveled often at the advancements made by technology during her lifetime that set a man on the moon and the Internet in every home. Like many women of her generation, she was accomplished in the old-fashioned homemaker arts such as baking,
needlepoint
, crochet and knitting, and nothing pleased her more than to see her children and grandchildren carrying on these traditions.
She met and married the love of her life, Charles H. Thompson, in 1939. They built a life in the New Hampshire towns of Farmington and New Boston and in the Maine towns of Eliot and York. Together they raised Thelma’s two daughters from previous unions, JoAn and Audrey, and had two children of their own, Esther and Jane.
Thelma lived by the golden rule and valued family above all else. Her home was always open to friends and family in need. She greeted each day as the gift from God it is and was always ready with a smile and a giggle. Her chirpy spirit will be missed by her daughters, JoAn Huesman of Fort Myers, Fla., Audrey Brush of Freemont, Ohio, Jane Ross of Farmersville, Texas, and, most especially, by her devoted daughter Esther with whom she shared her home in York for more than 30 years. She also leaves behind 15 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, and 15 great-great-grandchildren (with three more on the way).
The family will gather during warmer weather to celebrate her life. In recognition of the care given to Thelma for the final years of her life, the family requests that donations be made to the York Harbor Home Activities Fund, 6 Norwood Farms Road, York, ME 03909.
Robert "Bob" Hunkins
KITTERY - Robert "Bob" Hunkins, 87, formerly of Philbrick Avenue in Kittery, and Sentry Hill in York, died Tuesday, March 8, 2005 at York Hospital following a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
He was born in Portsmouth, N.H., on Jan. 12, 1918, the son of Robert Hunkins and Catherine (MacDonald) Hunkins. Bob attended Portsmouth schools and was employed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for more than 35 years and retired from the Planning and Estimating Department in 1973. Following his retirement, he and his wife Marion spent a great deal of time camping throughout the United States and Canada
.
Bob also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and survived the sinking of the Henry R. Mallory off the coast of Iceland in February of 1943. He was then deployed to the Pacific fleet where he served with President George Bush aboard the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto for the duration of the war.
He was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be missed very much by his family and friends. He especially loved spending time with his grandchildren and will be remembered most for his quick wit and easy-going smile.
Bob is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Marion; his sons, Christopher Hunkins of Sturbridge, Mass., Richard Hunkins of Glencoe, Minn.; and his daughter, Cathy McKeel and her husband Dan of South Berwick, Maine; 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; his sisters, Jenny Hatch, Catherine Bradley, and Martha James of Portsmouth, N.H., Frances Stroup of Nevada; and his brother, Joseph Hunkins of Arizona, as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his daughter, Nancy Currier; his sisters, Helen Dixon, Mary Carlson, Dorothy McIntyre; and his brother, Vincent Hunkins.
A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, March 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in Kittery, Maine, with a reception immediately following the service in the parish hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to The Alzheimer’s Association, State of Maine Chapter, 163 Lancaster Street (Suite 160B), Portland, Maine, 04101. Arrangements are entrusted to the J.S. Pelkey Funeral Home of Kittery.
Robert Weare Ellis
CAPE NEDDICK - Robert Weare Ellis, 84, of Cape Neddick, died on Thursday, March 10, 2005.
He was born June 9, 1920, the son of Harley G. and Sylvia (Weare) Ellis.
Mr. Ellis attended York schools and graduated from Bowdoin College. He was associated with the Ellis Agency in York Beach as a Realtor, retiring in 1975.
Robert served in the U.S. Navy in World War II on active sea duty from 1940 to 1945. He left the service with the rank of lieutenant commander. He received the Bronze Star Medal for bravery when his destroyer was hit by two Japanese kamikaze planes off of Okinawa.
Mr. Ellis was a member of the Union Congregational Church. He served the town of York as a selectman for 18 years. He was a member of the York Planning Board and was treasurer of the York School District. He was also chief of the York Beach Fire Department.
Mr. Ellis was a member of the York Golf and Tennis Club and played for many years. He was an avid reader and family man who took great pride in his son and granddaughters.
He was predeceased by his brothers, Richmond H. and Edward M. Ellis; three sons, Hugh, Hazen and Harley; and his wife of 50 years, Margaret Burdon Ellis.
Mr. Ellis is survived by his son, Peter B. Ellis; daughter-in-law, Carey Armstrong-Ellis; and granddaughters, Erin A. Ellis and Emily M. Ellis, all of Cape Neddick.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., on Sunday, March 20, in the Union Congregational Church, in York Beach. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to York Hospital, 15 Hospital Drive, York, Maine, 03909 or to the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road, in York, Maine, 03909. Arrangements by the Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, in York.
Emmanuel James Anthony Fontana
YORK - Emmanuel James Anthony Fontana, 73, of 50 Fernald Avenue, died on Thursday, March 10, 2005, at Portsmouth Hospital, from respiratory failure.
He was born in Jamestown, N.Y., on Nov. 10, 1931. He was the son of Anthony and Florence Caltigerone Fontana, who emigrated from Sicily in the 1920s. He served as a medic in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1952 to 1954. Thereafter, he studied at Hobart Welding Institute in Troy, Ohio, and began teaching at its manufacturing facility. He subsequently worked for a year at Berwick Car & Foundry in Berwick, Pa., but returned to teach at Hobart.
In 1963, the head of the newly established Welding and Brazing Engineering Division of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard hired him to establish a welder and brazer qualification program that would provide highly skilled welders and brazers to support shipyard work. Emmanuel developed a team that rewrote procedures and established a program of proficiency tests that set a higher standard for welders and brazers. His team worked on new production and later, the overhaul and repair of Naval nuclear submarines.
As both the supervisor of the qualification group and one of the lead managers of the division, Emmanuel set the standards for training and qualifying personnel. In the process, he was recognized as one of the leading developers of new engineering personnel of both technicians and engineers. Three of the engineers he helped to mentor went on to be heads of the division.
"Manny’s" high standards and strong work ethic were respected and acknowledged to have heavily influenced his co-workers, managers and subordinates. Upon his retirement in 1990, he was head of the Laboratory and Qualification Branch of the Welding Engineering Division.
Emmanuel also taught welding at New Hampshire Technical Institute. He was a 50-year member of the American Welding Society.
Emmanuel’s chief interests were working on his circa 1740 replica home and the grooming of the 90-foot bocce court he built. On Wednesday mornings, friends would come to play bocce. He also enjoyed attending the Portland Stage Company, art openings, museums and concerts anywhere, and going to The Press Room on Friday afternoons.
He was a longtime member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, N.H., where he particularly enjoyed services of morning prayer and choir music. He also attended summer services at Trinity Church in York Harbor, where he met his wife in 1991.
He will be remembered for his passion for bocce, music and vegetable gardening in general, and in particular for his generous spirit in sharing his talents and distributing his vine-ripened tomatoes throughout his neighborhood and beyond.
His brother, Emanuele predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Kathryn Shields Mulhearn, of York; his sister, Rachele Kahle of St. Petersburg, Fla.; his niece, Denise Cook; and nephews, Alan and Randy Kahle, all of St. Petersburg, Fla., and their families.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2005, at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel Street, Portsmouth, N.H. Telephone (603) 436-8283. Donations may be made to The Organ Fund at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, N.H. Arrangements are under the direction of the J. Verne Wood Funeral Home, Buckminster Chapel, in Portsmouth.
Marie Maiello
YORK - Marie Maiello, 80, died peacefully on Friday, March 11, 2005, surrounded by her loving family and friends.
Marie was born in Walden, N.Y., on Oct. 20, 1924, the daughter of Anthony and Assunta Stefane, who emigrated from Naples, Italy. She was one of five children.
As a young woman, Marie moved to New York City to attend business school and to work on Wall Street. It was in New York, on a blind double date that both she and her sister met their future husbands. Marie married Jim Maiello on Sept. 9, 1950. Together they raised five children and lived in Brooklyn. N.Y., and North Providence, R.I., before his untimely death in 1976. Marie later lived in Florida and in New Jersey. She relocated to Maine in 1994 to live near her children Mary and Joe Maiello.
Loving wife, mother, sister, and friend throughout her lifetime, Marie devoted herself to raising her children and caring for her elderly parents. Marie loved to cook Italian food and was an avid reader and former spelling bee champion, talents that she passed on to her children and grandchildren. She also loved traveling to Italy and seeing her relatives there. Marie struggled bravely with the limitations of her Parkinson’s disease and will be remembered for her patience, strong spiritual beliefs and sense of humor that carried her through.
She was predeceased by her husband, James and daughter, Susan.
She is survived by her children, James Maiello of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Mary Maiello of Rye, N.H.; son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Nancy Maiello of Kittery Point; son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Lisa Maiello of Philadelphia, Pa.; grandchildren, Matthew Maiello and Zoe Pilla; brothers, John and Jim Stefane of New Jersey; sisters, Mildred Richadone of Los Angeles, Calif., and Doris Wood of Atlanta, Ga.
A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on Tuesday, March 15 at the Immaculate Conception Church, 98 Summer St., Portsmouth, N.H. She will be laid to rest alongside her husband in Gate of Heaven cemetery in Providence, R.I. Arrangements provided by the Farrell Funeral Home, 684 State St. Portsmouth, N.H.
James Edward Muckenhoupt
YORK - James Edward Muckenhoupt died on Sunday, March 6, 2005, at his home in York at the age of 64.
He was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on July 3, 1940, to Beatrice and Robert Muckenhoupt. He grew up in Latham, N.Y., with his brothers, Robert of Baltimore, Md., and Neil of Chaplin, Conn.
He celebrated his lifelong love of jazz and classical music by playing his upright bass in the Sienna College band where he graduated in 1962. He continued to play while obtaining a master’s degree in physics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1964.
After his short career as a physicist, he used his technological background and moved into marketing. This career began at MFE Corp. in Salem N.H., moved to Semiconductor Circuits, also in Salem, and for the last 20 years he has worked at Vicor Corp. in Andover, Mass.
He raised his three children, Joanne of Cape Neddick, Laura of Petaluma, Calif., and James of Portland, Ore., in Derry N.H. with Bernadette "Darby" Muckenhoupt of Salem, N.H.
Nearing his retirement, he bought a small home in York to watch his dreams come true. It was a place for his family to visit, his three grandchildren to play, and collect the rewards of being an incredible father, friend, brother and human being.
His granddaughters, Taylor of Cape Neddick, Isabella, of Petaluma, Calif., and grandson, Miles, also of Petaluma were his greatest fans and will forever be influenced by his love.
With his dignity, humor and wit, he left a lasting impression with all those in his daily life. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends and the family made at Vicor. In honor of Jim’s love for the Seacoast we will be dedicating a memorial bench in his name overlooking Boon Island. Contributions may be made payable to Joanne Muckenhoupt, 23 North Village Road, Cape Neddick, Maine, 03902.
Lillian Neilson Newick
YORK HARBOR - Lillian Neilson Newick of York Harbor died peacefully on Wednesday, March 9, 2005, at Sentry Hill at the age of 94.
She was born in Cambridge, Mass., on July 25, 1910, at the home of her maternal grandparents, Lillian Hillyard (Tenney) and Joseph Ballister Russell. She was the eldest daughter of Sarah Elizabeth (Russell) and Robert Hude Neilson. She spent her childhood in New York City and Hewlett, N.Y. She attended private schools in New York and graduated from Ethel Walker School, in Simsbury, Conn.
On Feb. 11, 1935, she married G. Mason Newick of York Harbor, in Cambridge, Mass. The couple resided in the Providence, R.I., area before moving to York Harbor in 1941.
She was a member of the York Harbor Reading Room, the York Golf and Tennis Club and the Agamenticus Yacht Club. She volunteered as a nurse’s aide at the York Hospital during World War II, and was an active supporter of the York schools. She established and operated The Country Squire, a gift shop in York Harbor.
She passed many a happy summer sailing along the New England coast with her family and friends. She was an avid reader, bridge player, crossword puzzler and rug hooker. In her later years, she spent considerable time researching her family’s genealogy and entertaining her many grandchildren. Until she developed Alzheimer’s disease, she was a keen observer of the world around her and had an innate joie de vivre. But most of all, she loved her family and loved helping others.
Mrs. Newick is predeceased by her husband, Mason; her sisters, Joanna Neilson and Sarah Bradt; and her daughter, Nancy Louise Platner. She is survived by her daughter, Sarah; son, Mason and wife Catharine; and daughter, Roberta and husband Brian McGann; and by eight grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road, York, Maine, 03909.
