NORTH WATERBORO — Doris Martineau was a kind, unassuming woman who had a profound impact on the people she cared for in her roles as a nurse and social worker.

She also had a major impact on the seven children she raised as a single mother, supporting them through hard work and keeping them laughing with her sense of humor.

Mrs. Martineau was 81 when she died Friday at Goodall Hospital in Sanford.

On Monday, she was remembered by her children as a positive, compassionate and hard-working woman who had a gift for taking care of the elderly.

For more than 15 years, Mrs. Martineau was a nurse’s aide in hospitals and nursing homes throughout the Biddeford area. Then in her late 40s, she enrolled in the University of Southern Maine and earned a degree in social work.

She was a social worker at Truslow Adult Day Health Center in Saco in the early 1980s, then became director of a private adult day care facility in Kennebunk.

A daughter, Elaine Martineau of North Waterboro, said her mother loved working with people. “She had a passion for working with the elderly,” her daughter said. “Helping people get through difficult times made her feel really good.”

Mrs. Martineau made it look easy. And she did so while also raising seven children and overcoming many hardships in life.

Her daughter remembered the years that her mother used a wringer washer and hung their clothes outside or on a radiator to dry. She said her mother made all of their clothes, and also got creative in the kitchen.

“We had extremely interesting food,” her daughter said. “She would get surplus food (and) make scalloped potatoes with Spam and a canned vegetable. It was unbelievably good. We used to laugh about it. She could whip up something out of nothing.”

Even with her busy career and family life, Mrs. Martineau still found time to help those in need.

Another daughter, Kim Bryant of New Hampshire, remembered the many times she accompanied her mother to a nursing home so she could paint some elderly residents’ fingernails and do their hair.

In her later years, her mother donated food and other items to the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk. She had an affection for animals, especially cats.

“She inspired me to start giving time to the shelter,” Elaine Martineau said.

She said her mother had lived with her for the past 17 years, and that she was healthy and active until the day she died.

Mrs. Martineau called her daughter early Friday afternoon, complaining of shortness of breath. She was rushed to Goodall Hospital, where she later died.

“We all just still can’t believe it,” her daughter said. “I’ll miss her sense of humor. She was the kindest, sweetest person you could ever meet. She could also look you in the face and tell you what’s what.

“She had a great sense of humor. The kids loved her.”

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at: mcreamer@pressherald.com

 

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