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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
    February 1, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Cody Buzzell, 9, easygoing and ‘a fighter … for sure’

    BUXTON — Cody Buzzell was a typical 9-year-old boy, who liked playing video games, watching movies, and playing with Legos and Army figurines. At the same time, he was fighting an extraordinary battle with cancer. Cody, a third-grader at Buxton Center Elementary School, died Saturday. Donald Gnecco, the school principal, said Monday that Cody was […]

  • Published
    January 29, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Barbara Crummett, 82, bookkeeper and loving wife

    WINDHAM — Barbara Crummett, a longtime bookkeeper and co-owner of a bookbinding business on Route 115, died on Wednesday. She was 82. Mrs. Crummett managed the financial records and repaired books for her husband’s business, Clayton C. Crummett Bookbinder, which they operated for nearly 50 years. The business, formerly known as Service Book Bindery, was […]

  • Published
    January 27, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Richard Googins, 81, longtime volunteer firefighter

    SCARBOROUGH – Richard Googins, who was a machinist at Saco Defense and volunteered for the Scarborough Fire Department for more than 25 years, died on Monday. He was 81. Mr. Googins worked for Saco Defense, now General Dynamics, for 36 years before retiring. He made machine guns for the Army. Stan Googins, the oldest of […]

  • Published
    January 25, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Laura Wolfahrt, 58, teacher at Thornton Academy

    Officials at Thornton Academy have canceled today’s classes in honor of Laura Wolfahrt, a popular English teacher who died Friday. She was 58. The school’s students and faculty will gather this morning to celebrate and remember Mrs. Wolfahrt, who taught at the academy in Saco for the past 24 years. She taught English to nearly […]

  • Published
    January 22, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Allen Jackson, 71, loved history, antiques, genealogy

    PORTLAND – Allen Jackson, a dedicated volunteer at the Victoria Mansion who taught young students about the landmark’s history, died on Thursday. He was 71. Mr. Jackson volunteered as a docent, giving tours of the mansion for nearly 10 years. He also gave presentations about the history of the mansion to groups of senior citizens […]

  • Published
    January 21, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Eleanor Downes, 92, lived a creative and spiritual life

    PORTLAND – We all could learn something from Eleanor Downes, a loving homemaker and artist who used her creativity to overcome hardships in life. Mrs. Downes, who died Thursday at age 92, was the wife of the late John Downes Jr. and an active member of Christ Church in Portland. She was remembered by her […]

  • Published
    January 20, 2011

    Feature obituary: Barbara Jordan, 68, passionate educator, program leader, singer

    Barbara Jordan dedicated her life to providing educational opportunities to kids in Augusta’s public schools. Ms. Jordan, a Freeport resident who died Sunday at age 68, was a co-founder and director of the Augusta 21st Century Community Learning Center, a program of the Augusta Boys & Girls Clubs for Teens and the Augusta School Department. […]

  • Published
    January 19, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Mary Handlen, 98, a ‘delightful’ and artistic free spirit

    KENNEBUNKPORT — Mary Handlen, who was active with Kennebunkport’s library and in the arts community, died on Jan. 11. She was 98. Mrs. Handlen was married for 41 years to Frank Handlen, a well-known artist. He said they met through her sister, who was an artist and owned a gallery next to his art gallery. […]

  • Published
    January 13, 2011

    Feature Obituary: Charles Sanford, 86, ‘icon in Maine broadcasting’

    Mr. Sanford began his broadcast career at WJOR in Bangor in 1947,

  • Published
    January 12, 2011

    Route 1 upgrade causing traffic jams in Scarborough

    The installation of utility poles is part of a long-term expansion of the Haigis Parkway intersection.