SCARBOROUGH – Elaine L. Frederick Killelea, 93, died Dec. 11, 2021, at her home here after a short illness. She was born in South Portland on July 17, 1928, the daughter of Walter and Olyve Nason Frederick. She lived in the Prouts Neck section of Scarborough almost all her life, first with her parents and sibling and later with her husband, James.

Elaine graduated from Scarborough High School in 1943. She experienced firsthand the realities of war when, as a teenager, rifle-toting soldiers kept watch for enemy submarines on Scarborough Beach near her home. Her father lent the soldiers tools, and her mother baked brownies with sugar provided by a young enterprising serviceman. When the soldiers left to serve overseas, everyone knew some of them would never return. One did return, though. After serving with the 5th Armored Division in France and Germany, James Killelea returned to marry the beautiful young woman from Scarborough. Jim and Elaine were married in 1945 and lived for a brief time in Leominster, Mass., before returning to Scarborough.

After the birth of their daughter, Jill, Elaine joined the staff at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram in 1964. She initially worked in the newspaper library, where she helped reporters and copy editors find information for the stories they were working on. She then joined the Family Section of the Telegram, where she edited copy and wrote feature stories. Elaine was a skilled and conscientious editor, and her writing had a warmth that drew the reader in, as one of her friends observed. She was among a group of women staff members who helped expand the role of women at the newspaper.

In 1979, Elaine moved to the Press Herald copy desk, where her work included editing stories and writing headlines for the morning paper. Elaine possessed a sharp wit and could find humor even in the direst situations, an attribute which endeared her to the night staff on the Press Herald copy desk. One of her supervisors had a running joke that Elaine only made one mistake in all her years on the deadline-driven, high-pressure copy desk: She once typed “stork price” in a headline when she meant “stock price.” But even then, the mistake never made it into the paper. It was caught and fixed before the paper was printed.

Following Elaine’s retirement in 1995, she and Jim enjoyed traveling and spent many winters in Ft. Meyers, Fla., until Jim’s death in 2011. Elaine cared for Jim with compassion and love during his final two years of life.

She served many organizations as a dedicated volunteer, including a stint as Medicare greeter for Southern Maine Agency on Aging and flower arranger at Maine Medical Center’s Flower Box. But she found her niche in 2015, when she became a phone pal for Vet to Vet Maine, a program that connects peer companions to socially isolated veterans. Known as the “Voice of Vet to Vet,”

An avid baseball fan, Elaine was ecstatic when in 2004 the Boston Red Sox won the World Series for the first time since 1918. She followed the team’s progress on TV and radio and celebrated her 90th birthday by attending a Seadogs game with friends.

Elaine is survived by her daughter, Jill Edmonson; son-in-law, Steven Edmonson; and grandson, Patrick S. Edmonson, all of Scarborough.

Service will be at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 15, at Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Rd., South Portland.

Online condolence messages can be submitted at the funeral home’s website, http://www.hobbsfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Vet to Vet.

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