SOUTH PORTLAND – Family and friends will gather Monday at Hobbs Funeral Home to celebrate the life of Roberta Cavanaugh, a loving wife and mother of eight children who died Tuesday. She was 81.

Mrs. Cavanaugh’s children remembered her Thursday as a strong and courageous woman who stood by her family.

Daughter Mary Ann Harris of Gray recalled that her mother volunteered for their drum and bugle corps competitions, making the team uniforms and running the concession stand.

“She was involved in everything that (we) did,” her daughter said. “She was a hands-on participant in our lives. She was very encouraging and supportive.”

Daughter Jane Cavanaugh of South Portland said her mother loved camping — about 40 family members attended a weekend outing in July at Kokatosi Campground in Raymond.

“It rained that day, but we were under the tarp,” Jane Cavanaugh said. “The great-grandkids were running in the puddles, and some adults were, too. She enjoyed watching the kids play and holding the younger ones.”

Mrs. Cavanaugh lived on Angell Avenue in South Portland with Philip Cavanaugh, her husband of 55 years. The couple met on a blind date at the former Woodfords Pizza in Portland.

“They were soul mates,” Harris said. “He’s heartbroken. They had a wonderful life. They stuck together through hard times. We weren’t rich by any means, but they pulled it together for us.”

She was a homemaker in her early years and later held secretarial jobs at Bath Iron Works, Maine Fisherman Newspaper, Emery Waterhouse and Mercy Hospital. She most recently worked at Hannaford Bros. Co.

“She was a very strong person and a hard worker,” Jane Cavanaugh said.

Mrs. Cavanaugh was a devoted member of Holy Cross Church in South Portland.

In their later years, the Cavanaughs enjoyed taking cruises. The couple visited many countries, their children said.

“She loved being on the ocean,” Harris said. “She loved traveling and seeing the world. She was able to (experience) so many cultures. She sent postcards from every port they went to.”

Mrs. Cavanaugh was a three-time survivor of breast cancer. Her family asks that donations be made in her memory to the Maine Cancer Foundation, 970 Baxter Blvd., Suite 204 in Portland.

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:

mcreamer@pressherald.com

 

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