Carol Marie (Whitten) Lemay

She was born in Portland on February 12, 1959 a daughter of the late Lawrence & Mary Eleanor (Dyer) Whitten and step daughter of the late Rodney Scoville. She attended schools in Milford, CT, Portland, Bangor, and Biddeford, ME.

She and her husband John have been married for the past 30 years, making their home in Scarborough, Maine

She was a stitcher for Joseph Herman Shoe Co. and for L.L.Bean Inc., and a CNA for various nursing homes.

Carol was a communicant of various Catholic and non-denominational churches.

She was active in a Writing Club at the Preble Street Resource Center.

She also acted in a play in support of the homeless, through the Preble Street Resource Center.

Carol was special in more ways to count or tell about, and she was also a person with special challenges.

Besides her husband John, she is survived by her daughter Sarah Lemay, sister Linda Knowlton and brother Richard Dyer, and eight nieces and nephews

Among her special needs, she suffered from a life-long illness called Bi-polar Disorder on a daily basis, of which, she often had no control of.  This was one of the many crosses Carol had to bear, but she remained a warrior right to the end.

Carol was a free spirit, so much that, in her earlier years, she carried the name “free.” She did have a way about her that she surely liked to exercise her independence, but in the end, her heart was true to her family. Through many times of breakup, a permanent time apart was not an option and her dogged stubbornness to keep the family together is something I will be thankful for and cherish until eternity.

She loved to be loved and loved to love. When she could, one of her passions was to immerse herself in the homeless community and share her experiences with the people there. She would then come home and share this with her husband, which was a lot to take in, but this was her bread of life, and she just had to share it with those she loved. She touched countless hearts and was equally comforted by their love and support for her.

She had a heart as pure as the driven snow. She had a childlike innocence to her that was reflected in her outgoing nature. I often called her “my little girl.” She loved everyone and everything. She was completely blind to a person’s faults or failures. She was a purely generous spirit who would literally give her last dime to someone if they needed it. Pomp and circumstance were not part of her. She did not have much, and she did not ask for much, only people who were willing to recognize her as a person without judging. What little she did have, she was willing to give.

She was of Native American/French descent, part of the Micmac and Maliseet Tribes, and loved to collect Indian trinkets, music, and meet people who shared similar ethnicities. She was my “Indian Princess.”

Carol brought uniqueness and personality to a whole new level, in how she was so open to anyone, friendly, and playful. If she saw a person walking in front of the house –whether she knew them or not - she would open the door and customarily say “Hi. How are you?”  

Her heart was overflowing with love and kindness. She loved her family and gave everything she had to it. She enjoyed knitting and crotcheting, photography, playing scrabble online and connecting with family and friends on Facebook, tending to her four cats, and doing for her family and friends. She loved to work on crafts and give them to people; anything from baby blankets to mittens and doll dresses.

She also loved to cook scrambled eggs and her mother’s famous red flannel hash. She loved country music and reciting poems or words to old songs she was particularly fond of. She had a peculiar melancholy sentimentality to when she would sing her favorite “oldies” ballads or melodies that were touching. She appreciated photography, art, looking at the clouds, and babies – oh! Babies! Each baby was special and beautiful.

Carol taught me many things; how to match colors and styles in my clothes, how to love everyone, how not to take life so seriously, and what is truly important in life and what isn’t. She was my Resident Mother Theresa.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a visitation at the Lost Coin Café, on 40 Portland Street, Portland from 4 – 6 PM on Saturday, May 12, 2012, including a period of sharing and a eulogy from 5:00 to 6:00PM.

Special Thanks to the Preble Street Resource Center, Homeless Health, Amistad, the Trauma Intervention Program, Mary-Beth Sullivan, Peggy Paine, Peggy Akers, and Dan Wolfman.

Arrangements are under the care of Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services, 981 Forest Ave, Portland. Please visit www.advantageportland.com to sign Carol’s guestbook.