PORTLAND – Martha Woods Briggs died peacefully at Maine Medical Center in Portland on June 14, 2022, just two weeks short of her 89th birthday. She lived a vibrant and happy life and was known to many family and friends as “Oma.”

She was born in Newton, Mass. on June 25, 1933. Her family moved to Brookfield, Mass. when her father bought the wire mill there. Martha graduated from the Bancroft School in Worcester, Mass. where she was the tallest girl at 5 foot 10 inches, and therefore the captain of all the sports teams. She attended Wheaton College for two years before marrying her husband, Frank Lincoln Briggs who was studying to be an electrical engineer at Worcester Polytechnical Institute. When they moved to Maine from Bethany, Conn. in 1977, she returned to college to finish her bachelor’s degree at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Her lifelong profession and love was teaching. She always loved children and children loved her. She taught and directed the Bethany (Connecticut) Preschool and the Kennebec Valley YMCA Preschool in Augusta. An accomplished swimmer, she was the director of many waterfront programs including Peck Pond in Bethany, Conn. and Damariscotta Lake State Park in Jefferson. She was also an accomplished sailor and taught sailing at Camp Asquam in New Hampshire and enjoyed many boating expeditions on salt and freshwater.

Together with her husband Frank, they enjoyed a lifetime of adventures, including designing and building the family cottage on Damariscotta Lake, going on many boat camping trips on Moosehead Lake and on Warren Island in Penobscot Bay, and ski trips to Jay Peak, Saddleback and Sugarloaf. She was always in charge of the food, and she made delicious and beautiful meals whether at her home or on the road.

Known to all as “Oma”, which is German for Grandma, she loved to entertain and cook delicious meals for family and friends. She would put together elaborate menus to serve either in one of her beautiful homes or on board a boat, or at a ski lodge. She thought not only of the taste but also of the aesthetics of food. One of her favorite sayings was “we will make a party.” She loved the song “Red Solo Cup.” On Halloween Day, one of the students at Kingfield Elementary School where she volunteered for many years said, “Oma, you’re just a little kid dressed up like an old lady.” She loved hearing that, and always had a great sense of humor.

In the dictionary next to the word “selfless,” there should be a photo of Oma. She always thought of others before herself even in the last moments of her life.

She is survived by her three children, son, Walter George Briggs and his wife Sarah of The Villages, Fla. and their children Rachel Obomsawin and husband Adam of Oxford, Conn. and their sons Lucas and Clay; Emily Pirc and husband Christo of Woodbridge, Conn.; son, Donald Woods Briggs of Madison, Conn.; and daughter Nancy Briggs Marshall of Portland and her sons Craig Marshall of South Boston, Mass. and James Marshall of South Portland. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews who all knew and loved her as “Auntie.”

At the time of her death, she was a resident of the Heron House in Cumberland Foreside. She loved the staff there and was always grateful for their wonderful care. She was also grateful to the doctors and nurses at Maine Medical Center, where she passed.

Martha was predeceased by her husband of 54 years, Frank Lincoln Briggs; as well as her parents, Bessie and Lawrence “Dutch” Woods; her sister, Phyllis McCarthy and her brother, Lawrence Woods.

The family will hold a private graveside service at Lakeview Cemetery in Wilton and a celebration of life at a later date.

Memories may be shared in her Book of Memories at http://www.wilesrc.com. Funeral services are being cared for by the Wiles Remembrance Center of Farmington.

In her memory, the family asks that you consider making a donation in her memory to one of these nonprofits that were meaningful to the family:

American Lung Association’s Trek Across Maine

122 State St.

Augusta, ME 04330;

King’s Kids,

Sugarloaf Ski Club

9008 Main St.

Carrabassett Valley, ME 04947; or

Dirigo Reads, c/o The United Way of Bangor

700 Main St., Suite 1

Bangor, ME 04401