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Melanie Creamer is a news assistant, who's worked at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram for nearly 16 years. She oversees various responsibilities from monitoring the news and business email addresses – to fetching old newspaper articles and photos from the archive. She’s the face behind the popular business “On the Move” column, which appears in Tuesdays and Thursdays newspapers. A compassionate and soft-spoken woman, Melanie is also the writer of the newspaper’s feature obituary. Many of her colleagues say she has one of the toughest jobs in the newsroom. She tells heart-breaking stories of love and loss. She listens as parents sob uncontrollably over the tragic death of their child. She writes touching stories about couples who have been married for 60 plus years, and then die within days or weeks from each other. Melanie was the recipient of the Maine Press Association’s Unsung Hero Award in 2015. A native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she graduated from Fitchburg State College in 2000 with a degree in professional writing. She lives in Scarborough with her fiancée and is a co-parent to two daughters.

Latest
  • Published
    August 27, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Soni-Kay Wilson, 5, fun-loving girl who brought joy to many

    WESTBROOK – Soni-Kay Wilson was a typical 5-year-old girl, who loved to play dress-up and pretend to be a princess. “She was crazy . . . she was fun,” said her mother, Shanna-Kay Wright, of Westbrook. “When she smiled, her little eyes lit up. They twinkled when she laughed. She was a happy kid. She left a […]

  • Published
    August 25, 2011

    Feature obituary: Becky Schaffer, 23, humanitarian, ‘gave the world what she had’

    Becky Schaffer was an aspiring humanitarian who traveled the world and immersed herself in the poorest countries to help build a better future for the children she taught and cared for. Ms. Schaffer died on Aug. 6 after she fell while hiking near a waterfall in Pohnpei, Micronesia. She was 23. Ms. Schaffer graduated from […]

  • Published
    August 24, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Robert La Guardia, 65, enforced liquor laws with passion

    FREEPORT — On a Friday night in February 2002, Robert La Guardia, a sergeant with the Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement, walked unannounced into more than 30 bars, restaurants and convenience stores in southern Maine. The news story in the Portland Press Herald said he checked dozens of IDs for underage drinkers and also pulled […]

  • Published
    August 23, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Peter Gregoire, 57, campground co-owner, loved outdoors, hunting

    WELLS — Peter Gregoire, a co-owner of a popular campground in Wells who worked for the Maine Turnpike Authority and had a passion for hunting and fishing, died Sunday. He was 57. He co-owned Gregoire’s Campground on Sanford Road for the past 17 years. He ran the business with his wife, Becky Gregoire, and his […]

  • Published
    August 5, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Stephen Klein, 74, longtime owner of Mermaid Transportation

    KENNEBUNK – Stephen Klein, the longtime owner of Mermaid Transportation Co. Inc. in Scarborough who had a passion for traveling, photography and life, died on Sunday. He was 74. Mr. Klein bought Mermaid in 1995 and operated the business for 16 years. During his tenure, the company provided transportation to more than 100,000 customers traveling […]

  • Published
    August 4, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Robert Young, 80, taught inmates to weld, kids to raise cattle

    GORHAM — Robert Young taught welding and metal fabrication to inmates at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham for 30 years. He also was an accomplished farmer who had a passion for agriculture and taught many young people how to raise and train cattle through a 4-H Club. Though his work at the correctional center […]

  • Published
    August 3, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Gene McDaniels, 76, pop star and Maine music icon

    KITTERY — Gene McDaniels was a pop star in the early 1960s who recorded the million-selling “A Hundred Pounds of Clay” and later wrote the monster hit “Feel Like Makin’ Love” for Roberta Flack. For the past 20 years or so, McDaniels left his mark on Portland’s music scene working as a producer and writer, […]

  • Published
    August 2, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Benjamin York Sr., 83, hard worker, generous, put family first

    WINDHAM — The family of Benjamin York Sr. expressed sadness Monday over the passing of a man they say worked hard his whole life for the good of his family. Mr. York, who died Sunday at age 83, worked two jobs for many years to provide for his wife and four children. He was a […]

  • Published
    July 23, 2011

    Feature Obituary: John Wilbur, 88, businessman, traveler, lived life to its fullest

    KENNEBUNK – Years ago, John Wilbur made a list of some things he wanted to accomplish before he died. First, he wanted to run his own business. Second, he wanted to visit every continent. Third, he wanted to ride the Orient Express. Fourth, he wanted to be fluent in Spanish. Though he fell short of […]

  • Published
    July 22, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Wayne Graffam, 47, retired delivery driver ‘had a gift for life’

    FALMOUTH – Wayne Graffam, a retired delivery driver for the former Charles Chase Co. in South Portland, who had a passion for life and lived it to its fullest, died unexpectedly on Sunday. He was 47. Mr. Graffam was remembered by his family on Thursday as a devoted husband and dedicated father, who always put […]