Longtime AJ employee dies at 91

Florence B. Wing of Westbrook, died at age 91 on Sept. 19 surrounded by her family.

Wing worked at the American Journal in Westbrook for a number of years and was widely known in the city. She had served as office manager and also wrote the Westbrook local news column for the paper.

She was married 59 years to Marshall E. Wing, who predeceased her in 2008. He worked for the American Journal in advertising.

Wing, who was born in Rumford in 1924, leaves two children and their spouses, Marshalyn and Richard Baker of Belgrade, and Marland and Schonen Wing of Westbrook; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m., on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015, at the Maine Veterans Cemetery, 163 Mount Vernon Road, Augusta.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her honor to a charity of one’s choosing.

Animal Refuge League groundbreaking

The Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland will hold an official groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Sept. 25, at 3:30 pm. for its new state-of-the-art shelter facility.

??Located on Stroudwater Street in Westbrook, the new facility will be a destination location for adoption, community programs and services, events and more. The facility will be named the Arthur P. Girard Adoption Center after the longtime supporter who made a $1 million gift to the new facility.

??The 25,000-square-foot facility will include a modern surgical center for care and spay/neuter services, isolation rooms for sick and injured animals, outdoor play areas, community walking trails, and a welcoming adoption center. The new space will allow the organization to expand its humane education programming, hold training classes and workshops onsite, and serve as a gathering space for the community.??

Those attending the groundbreaking will explore the work site, see visuals of the new facility’s layout and speak with key members of the project.

Westbrook Mayor Colleen Hilton will speak about the project and its significance to the Westbrook and Greater Portland community.?? Patsy Murphy, executive director, said in a press release that the event is a milestone for both the organization and community.

“I’m excited to see construction finally begin,” Murphy said in a statement. “The ARLGP will soon be a national leader in sheltering practices and services. This new facility will give us the ability to provide the highest level of care to animals in our community, our state, and beyond. We could not be more thankful to our supporters for this opportunity to better serve animals in need.”??

Other key supporters include the Doree Taylor Charitable Foundation and the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation. The ARLGP has raised $5.2 million. The organization has $1.3 million more to meet the $6.5 million fundraising goal.

??The new facility is designed by Blue Sky Animal Care Architecture, specializing in animal shelters. Other key project members include Sebago Technics, RJ Grondin & Sons, and Allied Cook Construction.?

Library book sale set

The Friends of Walker Memorial Library, 800 Main St., is organizing a library book sale to be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. The group is accepting donations of books and DVDs.

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