Barbara Hussey

CAPE ELIZABETH ­— Barbara Arlene Blanchard Hussey of Cape Elizabeth died on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, two days before her 90th birthday.

She was born in South Portland on April 29, 1926, the only daughter of Edward Everett and Priscilla May (Newcomb) Blanchard. On Nov. 9, 1945, she married Harry Kendall (Ken) Hussey (1923-2012) at the Central Square Baptist Church in Portland.

She was a graduate of Deering High School in the Class of 1944, and received a PHT Degree (Putting Hubby Through) from the University of Maine at Orono, when her husband graduated in 1950.

After her children were in school, she volunteered in a variety of services at Vassar Hospital, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for nearly 20 years. While living in Pleasant Valley, N.Y., she was a member of the Freedom Plains Presbyterian Church. After the church was struck by lightning and heavily damaged by fire, she devoted considerable time, effort, and talent to the restoration of the 1828 landmark.

She was a lover of birds, and through the years, accumulated an extensive collection of bird figurines. She was also a gardener, and wherever she lived, she maintained and loved the beauty of her flowers as well as the practicality of her vegetable garden. Her home, whether in Virginia, Bangor, Portland, New York, South Hiram or Cape Elizabeth, was a source of great pleasure for her. Her three children; Lynne, Lisa, and Bob, were the true joys of her life. Their wellbeing and happiness came before all else.

When her husband retired from IBM in 1980, they moved to South Hiram, where they built a home on a 25-acre Tree Farm. She was a member of the Order of Job’s Daughters, the 21 Club of Kezar Falls, the United Federation of Women's Clubs, the Charter Oak Grange, the Maine Historical Society, the Hiram Historical Society, the Nobleboro Historical Society, the Damariscotta Historical Society, and the Newcastle Historical Society. She was also a volunteer for Meals-on-Wheels, and contributed to many other projects at the Kezar Falls Methodist Church.

In 1990, the research of family history became a hobby of great interest for her and her husband, and provided an excuse for considerable travel in the eastern part of the country in a never-ending search of County Registry and Probate Records, and church, town, and city records for family information.

Barbara was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Harry Kendall Hussey (2012); and her brother, Donald Blanchard of Scarborough.

Surviving are two daughters, Lynne Rau of Cape Elizabeth and Lisa Holzer of Portland, Ore.; a son, Robert Hussey of Waterville; six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her brother, Edward E. Blanchard of Port Charlotte, Fla.

There will be a family graveside memorial service at the Hussey Cemetery in Newcastle at a later date. Arrangements are under the guidance of Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Road, South Portland.