April 6, 1929 – March 15, 2024

AUBURN — After a full and good long life of 94 years, our dear mother, Nancy L. Holden, passed away on March 15, 2024, in the Memory Care Unit at Clover Health Care in Auburn, with family by her side. Nancy was born in Clifton, New Brunswick, Canada, on April 6, 1929, the first of three children of E. Gerald Flewelling and Edith Paterson Flewelling. Two siblings followed, Gerald and Patricia Flewelling (Dickinson), who predeceased her. To maintain their American citizenship during WWII, her father moved the family to the U.S. in 1943, choosing a home in North Bridgton located across the street from the family home of her future husband, Donald Holden.

Following her high school graduation from Bridgton Academy as salutatorian, Nancy attended the University of Maine at Orono and Northeastern Business College in Portland. She married Don in 1949 and they settled in North Bridgton, where she would live an independent life until her health began to fail in 2022. She was predeceased by Don in 1986.

Nancy was an active homemaker while her three children were in school, and she and Don were devoted sports fans, traveling to many of their children’s games. She then took courses at the University of Southern Maine in Library Science, after which she worked in the middle school libraries of SAD 61, primarily in Bridgton and Casco. She was a dedicated member of the North Bridgton Congregational Church and served as financial secretary for many years until it closed, and then was a member of the United Parish Congregational Church of Harrison and North Bridgton. She was also a member of the North Bridgton Historical Society, North Bridgton Community Club, Friends of the North Bridgton Library, and volunteered at Northern Cumberland Memorial Hospital.

Spending time with friends and family is something Nancy loved most, especially when it involved her grandchildren. She was a wonderful listener who took a keen interest in hearing about what was going on in their lives, bringing her great pride and joy. One thing everyone knew about Nancy is that she was a dedicated swimmer, even into her 90s. In the summer, you could often find her either at the local beach, often accompanied by a grandchild, or working in her beautiful flower gardens that were admired by so many. The outdoors held a special place in her heart, as she spent many camping trips traveling in a fully loaded canoe to Don’s favorite fishing spots, and later camping with her daughter and grandchildren. Nancy was also a gifted pianist who enjoyed playing a variety of music, from old hymns to boogie woogie, and was a lover of books, especially those about American history.

Nancy was a kind and generous person with an easy smile and a genuine, friendly nature. She will be missed by many, including her family, son Don and wife Teresa of Falmouth, son Bob and wife Martha of North Bridgton, and daughter Carol and husband Fred (DiBello) of Greene, along with five grand- children, Mark, Tyler, Ross, Andrea and Kristen, and three great-grandchildren, Maddix, Isaac, and Ellis.

Nancy’s family will be forever grateful for the loving care and support provided by the Memory Care staff at Clover over the past year and more recently by Androscoggin Home Health and Hospice.

A celebration of life will be held on May 4, 2024, at 2 p.m. at the United Parish Congregational Church of Harrison and North Bridgton, 77 Main Street, Harrison, Maine.

In lieu of flowers, Nancy, a cat lover, would be pleased to know that donations were made in her memory to either Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, P.O. Box 82, Norway, ME 04268, or to the United Parish Congregational Church, P.O. Box 95, Harrison, ME 04040.

Arrangements are under the care of Chandler Funeral Homes & Cremation Service, 45 Main Street, South Paris. To make an online condolence, please visit www.chandlerfunerals.com