Loraine Spenciner

BRIDGTON — Loraine Moody Jones Spenciner, 71, passed away at her home in Bridgton after a long illness on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015. She experienced little pain and enjoyed life to the very end.

She was born in Farmington on Feb. 21, 1944, the daughter of Ruth Moody Jones and John D. Jones. A graduate of Farmington High School, she went on to get her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine at Orono. It was there that she met her soulmate, Jay. Loraine later received her Master’s degree and PhD from Boston College.

Loraine was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, but she had a special place in her heart for the field of Special Education. One of her passions was to create a more inclusive world for children with disabilities. She spent more than 25 years as a professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, and additionally spent time teaching at the Beijing Institute of Technology (China) and the National Institute of Education (Singapore). She coauthored multiple textbooks on this subject, but it was the day-to-day interaction with special needs children and her students that brought her the most joy. Loraine also spent 25 years on the board of the Bridgton Public Library. She and her husband co-directed the Bridgton Four on the Fourth Road Race for 20 years, and early on changed the focus of the race so that the primary beneficiary would be the Bridgton Public Library.

She also loved to read and was a longtime member of a local book club. Loraine had a great love for the outdoors and was an avid hiker, downhill skier, and cross-country skier.

She is survived by her two children, daughter Amy Spenciner of Ithaca, N.Y., and son David Spenciner and wife Dina of North Attleboro, Mass.; two grandchildren, Marina and Benjamin; half-sister Reidun Jones-Elliott; her loving husband of 48 years, Jay; and many, many dear friends.

A funeral will be held at Bridgton’s St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 10:30 a.m., on Saturday, Oct. 31. A graveside service will be held on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m., at Riverside Cemetery on Rt. 2/Farmington Falls Road in Farmington.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either: Bridgton Public Library Endowment Fund, 1 Church Street, Bridgton ME 04009 or to the Loraine Spenciner Scholarship Fund, UMF c/o Seth Taylor, 224 Main Street, Farmington, ME 04938.

Arrangements are under the care and direction of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, Farmington Falls Road, Farmington, ME 04938.