Alfreda Marie Raymond Mower
May 6,1939 - May 6, 2024
Old Town - With deep faith, hope, love, and trust in God, we announce the death of our dear Alfreda Marie Raymond Mower, providentially on her 85th birthday, May 6, 2024. After she received the final anointing for the dying by two priests, many of her family members, caregivers, and friends joined her in person or by Zoom to pray the Rosary, and say farewell in the final hours of her life on earth.
Alfreda was a woman of faith, and her life was a testament to her Catholic upbringing. She was a proud member of the Daughters of Isabella, where she found companionship and shared her love of service. She was a CCD teacher in the parish and served as an extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
While raising five children, she also worked in Old Town factories and in sales at various stores before settling on a career as a teacher's aide in later years. As a certified special education teacher's aide, Alfreda's heart was always with the children she guided at the Lewis Libby School, where she worked tirelessly to inspire and uplift them. Her faith and commitment to service were matched only by her love for her family. Alfreda was a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother, whose love knew no bounds. In recent years she found joy in the quiet solitude of daily scripture reading, rosary making, sewing, and puzzle-solving, activities that reflected her meticulous nature and patience.
Born on a sunny day in Old Town, Maine, into a large French-speaking Catholic family in 1939, she was the sixth of twelve children. Alfreda learned early on the values of love, faith, and family that would guide her throughout her life. She attended Saint Joseph Elementary School, Saint Joseph's Parish, Old Town High School for adults, and a certificate program in special education.
She is preceded in death by her loving parents, Joseph and Lydia Raymond, and her beloved husband, Charles; her great granddaughter Scarlet Perry; her grandson, Joshua Pelkey; her granddaughter, Stephanie Roy; and her siblings, Ovila Raymond, Ramona King, Winifred Searle, Romeo Raymond, Octave Raymond, and Theresa Ouellette.
She is survived by her three daughters, Theresa Perkins and her husband Orrie of Georgia, Jane Arbuckle and her husband William and Lori Roy of Bangor; two sons, Brian Hanson of Old Town and Timothy Hanson of Washington State; grandchildren: Paul Perkins, Nick Perkins, Christopher Pelkey, Amber Perry, Nathan Hanson, Tyler and Vincent Hanson, Adam Allen, Jake Dupuis, Evan Roy III, Krystal Whitney; her brothers, Father Wilfred Raymond, C.S.C., Edmund Raymond, Richard Raymond, Gerald Raymond, and Deacon Hector Raymond; and great-grandchildren, Orlando Perkins, Landyn and Madelina Pelkey, Beckham Charles Perry, Caleigh Jane Marsh, Poppy Roy, Markus and Milannah Whitney, Noah Russell, Lukah and Amia Chara, Bentley, Callie and Alana Hanson, Holden Hanson, and Alice and Jaxon Hanson.
As we remember Alfreda, we recall her faith and are consoled by these words: "Lord, for your faithful people, life is changed, not ended; and when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for us in heaven." Alfreda's legacy is a blend of love, service, deep faith, gritty determination, and a lifelong commitment to hard work. In her large multigenerational family, Freda was the glue that held the family together. She is already mourned and missed. May she rest in peace!
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord, Holy Family, 429 Main St. Old Town, on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 11 a.m., with Fr. Wilfred Raymond, C.S.C. as Principal Celebrant, assisted by Deacon Hector Raymond. Immediately following services, burial will take place at St. Joseph Cemetery, Old Town and a reception will take place at The Black Bear Inn, 4 Godfrey Dr., Orono.
The family would like to thank Candace and Tayla of Gentiva Hospice for your excellent care of our mother during this difficult time. A special thank you to granddaughter Amber Perry, for stepping up and bringing positivity to the last few months of her life.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Parish of the Resurrection of the Lord, Holy Family building fund would be appreciated.