Nov. 19, 1922 - September 14, 2013
Marian Garrand, 90, a resident of the Osher Inn in Portland, Maine passed away peacefully in the dawn hours of September 14 following a brief illness.
A daughter of Perley and F. Katherine (Robie) Amidon, Marian was born in Hanover, NH in 1922. She lived much of her early life in Hanover and Monroe, NH graduating in 1941 from McIndoes Academy in McIndoes Falls, Vt.
At McIndoes, Marian was a star basketball point guard and trumpet-playing member of the marching band. Following graduation, Marian worked in Windsor, VT as a secretary to executives at Goodyear and later the Cone Automatic Machine Co. It was said her typing speed was so fast that she would frequently outpace the teletype system when entering text.
After a brief courtship in Vermont, Marian married then Army Air Force Cadet and Windsor native, Roy Garrand in 1943 in East Lansing, Michigan where he was a student at Michigan State University. Throughout Roy's training, Marian was his companion at bases around the nation from Enid, OK to Tampa, FL. Following the war, they returned to New England, settling in Plainfield, NH.
Beginning in 1965, Marian began a successful 20 - year career in real estate as a partner in Rural Realty at a time when few women were engaged in the field. During her career, she sold many distinguished properties including a number in the renowned Cornish artist's Colony in New Hampshire.
An avid collector of art and antiques, Marian and her husband bought and renovated several properties including "Northcote," in Cornish, NH summer home of Philadelphia etcher and painter, Stephen Parrish. She was actively engaged in historic preservation and served as a docent at the Saint Gaudens Memorial in Cornish.
In retirement, Marian and Roy lived overlooking Mt. Ascutney in Brownsville, VT. They spent many happy winters on the Gulf of Mexico in Orange Beach, AL.
After moving to Maine in 2002 residing in Westbrook and ultimately Portland, Marian was predeceased in 2010 by her husband of 67 years, brothers Paul, Richard and Ellsworth and a sister, Marguerite. She is survived by a daughter, Brenda Garrand; son-in-law, David Pierson; grandson, Charles Pierson; a loving family and many friends.
A memorial service will be held this Thursday, September 19 at 11AM at the Woodfords Congregational Church, 202 Woodford St. Portland. In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory may be given to The Cedars in Portland, Maine or the Saint Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH. A gravesite gathering will be held on Saturday, September 28th at 12:00 PM at the Sheddsville Cemetery in Brownsville, VT.
Care for Marian and her family has been entrusted to the Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home of Portland, Maine.
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