She reluctantly left school at the age of fourteen to work on her family’s farm but she remained determined to complete her high school education. She earned a G.E.D. from Mt. Ararat in Topsham when she was in her fifties; an accomplishment Marie and her family were very proud of.
Marie married the love of her life, Ray Albert Miller, and they had two children. She was predeceased by her husband in 1957 while they lived at Loring Air Force Base, Maine, when the B-52 plane he was flying in exploded over Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, during training maneuvers. She lost her son, Gary Ray Miller, an awardwinning photographer and skilled carpenter, in 2008. Her cremated remains will be buried with her husband in the Richmond National Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia, at a later date.
Marie held a variety of waitress and sales clerk positions as she struggled to make ends meet and raise her two young children. Her children were her world. She raised them strictly and surrounded them with a strong Christian faith. She took business courses and acquired a position at Supp-ship, Bath Iron Works, Maine. She was working for the FAA in South Portland when she retired.
Marie returned to Virginia to spend time near her son. While there, she rented a small area inside a flea market, naming it “This Must Be the Place!” She thoroughly enjoyed hunting for and selling her treasures and meeting all different kinds of people.
When Marie returned to Maine in 2005, she resided at the Bowdoinham Estates where she was blessed with good neighbors who watched over her. Years later she was blessed with a room at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Augusta where her caregivers loved and cared for her as if she was one of their own.
Marie is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl and Murray Litchfield, of Bowdoinham; a granddaughter, Jenny Favreau Kaylor, and greatgrandchildren Hannah, Logan, Joshua and Cameron of Idaho; a granddaughter, Jody Miller Ferreira, and great-grandchildren Madelyn and Declan of Massachusetts; a granddaughter, Aimee Favreau Martel and greatgrandchildren Matthew and Melandi of Maine; and a granddaughter and her husband, Kayla Favreau Vachon and Jonathan Vachon, and great-grandchildren Lucy, Abraham and Eliza of Maine; and two sisters, Pauline Hoye of Ohio and Betty Roders of Wisconsin.
A brief memorial service followed by a reception will be held at Stetson’s Funeral Home, 12 Federal St., Brunswick at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 20. Please dress casually and comfortably — suits and ties are not required. In lieu of flowers, kindly make a donation to a charity of your choice.
Memorial condolences may be expressed at stetsonsfuneralhome.com.
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