SACO — Grace E. Stoddard, 99, of Saco, died peacefully on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in her home at Wardwell Gardens in Saco, surrounded by family.
She was fondly known by family and friends as “Nana.”
The daughter of Luther B. and Gladys Stoddard, she was born on Dec. 7, 1914 in Brookline, Mass., and she attended grade school and Edward Little High School in Auburn.
Nana’s home was Saco, where she resided for the past 65 years.
She was a friend and teacher to many and worked in the Thornton Academy Home Economics Department until she retired in the late 1980s.
A longtime member of First Parish Congregational Church in Saco, she volunteered with several church groups, including her favorite, the weekly Ladies Sewing Circle.
Nana was a remarkable seamstress and knitter. She made hundreds of fisherman knit sweaters, hats and mittens for everyone, even babies. She will also be remembered for her delicious, homemade apple pie. In her final years, she became lovingly known by all as “Amazing Grace” for her strength and endurance. She left this world the same way she lived in it, with dignity and grace.
Nana was a wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
She is survived by: three children, Betsy Mixer and husband Donald of Leesburg, Fla., Sally Dearborn and husband Jere of Biddeford and Clermont, Fla., and James Stoddard and wife Sandy Miller of Biddeford.
She leaves: three grandchildren, Susan Gajewski and husband Charles and James Dearborn and wife Lisa, all of Biddeford, and Donald Eric Mixer of San Francisco, Calif.; as well as five great-grandchildren, Hannah, Emily and Libby Gajewski, Matthew Dearborn, and Hannah Grace Burkle.
A family graveside service will be held in the spring with burial at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Auburn. Donations in her memory may be made to Wardwell Gardens, 43 Spring St., Saco, ME 04072. Arrangements are by Dennett, Craig & Pate, 365 Main St., Saco.
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