Marion S. Farabee, 99

Marion Surrency Farabee, 99, passed away on Monday, March 5, 2018, at her home in Bridgton, with family by her side.

Born on October 25, 1918, in Bryceville, Fla., Marion was the oldest of five children and spent her childhood near Gainesville, Fla., in a rural community where her father worked in the turpentine industry and her mother cared for the family and home. After becoming valedictorian of her high school, Marion was the first in her family to attend college, a privilege she credited with changing her life's journey. Marion excelled while at Florida Southern College, both academically and as a leader in various campus and statewide student organizations, graduating summa cum laude in 1941. Also, while in college, Marion met A. Waldo Farabee and the two were married two weeks after Marion's graduation. Marion was raised with faith and family, and she and Waldo raised their five children with those same values. While Waldo worked as a Methodist minister, Marion supported the family as a mother and homemaker. She was active in community and church, teaching Sunday School, volunteering in the Women's Society of Christian Service, and supporting her children in their activities and interests. Their home was filled with love, laughter, and conversation as they moved throughout Florida while Waldo ministered to various parishes. When their oldest children entered college, Marion began a new career, this time outside of the home as a sixth-grade teacher. Teaching was a joy for Marion as she met the responsibility of molding the lives of growing children.

After 18 years of the challenges and rewards of teaching, Marion retired with Waldo to Fort Myers, Fla., where they were active in Fort Myers' First United Methodist Church. Retirement provided Marion with time again to take on leadership roles with her church and community, including mission work, and with United Methodist Women and Church Women United. Retirement also brought the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally, including leading groups as part of their Travel Ministry to all continents except Antarctica. After a full and active retirement, Marion and Waldo moved to Maine in 2009 to be closer to family, where Marion remained active in church and community, indulged her lifelong love of reading, and relished the proximity to her young great-grandchildren.

Marion's devotion to family took many forms, including lengthy conversations around the dinner table, endless worry and concern for the health, happiness, and safety of others, and quiet, patient support for her children and grandchildren as they each made their way through life. Humble, selfless, funny, kind, and always able to laugh, Marion was blessed to be surrounded with love of family and God, and her family was likewise blessed to know and feel her love for them. Marion was predeceased by her great love and husband of 70 years, A. Waldo Farabee; daughter Ruth Clark; grandson Jeremy; brothers Gordon and Allen Surrency; sister Mildred Harper; and parents Hampton Haven and Hazel Surrency.

Marion is survived by her children, Judith Terra (Tali), Allen Farabee (Galen), Rita Bush (Thomas), and David Farabee (Robin), sister Eleanor Anderson; grandchildren Andrew, Daniel, John, Bryan, Jacqueline, Michelle, David, Nathan, and Aaron; and great-grandchildren Audrey, Emily, Claire, Liam, Cooper, Ike, Cora, Colin, Avery, Jarrett, and Trevor.

A service and reception will be held on Saturday, March 24, at 11 a.m., at Thomas A. Edison Congregational Church, 1619 Llewellyn Dr., Fort Myers, Florida, with burial to follow at Fort Myers Cemetery.