Elaine Frances Merrill

New Gloucester - Elaine Frances Merrill, 90, passed away on Monday, May 2nd at home with her loving family at her side. She was born in Lewiston, Maine on October 25, 1931, to Alonzo M. Tibbetts and Gladys M. (Alexander) Tibbetts. She grew up in South West Bend in Durham, the 2nd youngest of 10 children and loved to retell stories of her youth growing up at the homestead. These were some of her fondest memories. Elaine’s sisters were older so her playmates were her brothers. With pride, she’d say that anything her brother’s could do, she could do better. She attended grammar school in Durham and Edward Little High School in Auburn. During her high school years she worked as an apprentice at a tailor shop in Auburn where she became a skilled seamstress. On February 11, 1949, she married Carleton L. Merrill, also of Durham, where they resided raising 7 children in the home they built together. After raising her children, she worked as a Nurse’s Aide at Regional Memorial Hospital in Brunswick for approximately 10 years and then she and Carleton owned and operated Merrill’s Wildlife Center on their property in Durham during the 70’s and early 80’s. After their retirement they traveled the US, towing along their travel trailer, making lasting friendships all across the country and finally settling in Florida until their final move back to Maine in their elder years. She loved touring the country and was an avid walker. She belonged to the American Volkssport Association, an association committed to fun, fitness and friendship, where she completed scheduled walks in all states, with the exception of Alaska. Elaine had a very artistic nature and was gifted with natural talent. Her craftsmanship was evident in the many lovely things she created during her lifetime, including a very large, beautiful collection of hand decorated “Faberge” style eggs. Her hobbies were genealogy & doll collecting but her favorite pastime and life-long passion was her sewing and quilting but she was also talented at oil painting, gardening and landscaping, to name just a few. She loved all of her very large family and friends deeply and it was very important to her to leave them a legacy of her love in the many quilts she gifted them. She called them “Stitches of Love” and hoped to be remembered by the love she put into making them and the comfort and warmth they would provide. She is survived by 4 children; Richard Merrill and wife, Betty Presnell of Newtown, CT, Peter Merrill and wife, Mabel of Mexico, David Merrill and wife, Gerry Thompson of Poland, Karen Herrick and husband, Martin of New Gloucester; Daughters-In-Law, Pamela Merrill of Lewiston and Guylaine Merrill of Lisbon Falls; Son-In-Law, Robert Rundstrom of Clinton and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her Husband; Two sons; Brian A. and Stephen W. Merrill and a daughter, Kathryn E. Rundstrom; Father, Alonzo Tibbetts; Step-Father, Richard Stiles and her Mother, Gladys of Oxford, ME; Siblings, Dorothy Halligan of WA, Gladys (Marjorie) Chapman of NY, Pearl Sawyer of Auburn, ME, Blanche Carter of CA, Kenneth Tibbetts of CA, Milton Tibbetts of Cumberland, ME, Richard Tibbetts of VA, Glenn Tibbetts of NM, and Lorraine Tibbetts of Pownal, ME.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2022

11:30 AM.

102 Upland Rd, Lisbon Falls, ME

In Lieu of flowers donations may be made to: Androscoggin Home Healthcare + Hospice

15 Strawberry AVE, Lewiston, ME 04240

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