Joy W Bakke

Scarborough- Joy W. Bakke, 79, died peacefully surrounded by her family after a brief illness. The daughter of Robert and Marion (Buell) Williams, she was born in Portland ME. She attended Portland schools graduating from Deering High School, class of 1950. In 1935 Joy occasionally had a teenage babysitter by the name of Eleanor Bakke. Eleanor had to drag her little brother “Dicky” along, as their own mother worked. Unbeknownst to either Dicky or Joy, they would marry in 1954. Dick and Joy lived in Portland until recently, where they raised their three daughters, Betsy, Sue, and Heidi. To her family Joy was known as a “Domestic Diva”. In early years she was an interior designer for Sherwin-Williams, while balancing home, family and community involvement, such as the PTO, girl scouts, the Red Cross, and serving as the president of the Women’s Woodfords Club. Through the many national/global associations Joy was involved in with her husband Dick, she was known as “the girl from Maine”. She hosted many events reaching across the U.S. and as far away as North Africa. Joy’s top priority was her family. Holidays were festive and full of love and humor. She enjoyed making Halloween costumes for her children and grandchildren ranging from gorillas to crazy birds, “whatever the kids wanted”. Joy was a staunch conservative republican evident by her collection of metal and porcelain elephants, all with raised trunks signifying good luck to the G.O.P. She volunteered for various senate, congressional, and gubernatorial races, and loved the days of the “bullet voting”. She was predeceased by her sister, Martha Farnsworth, and her brother Jay Williams. She is survived by her husband, Richard (Dick) Bakke, three daughters, Betsy Earls Mohr of Falmouth and her husband Cliff Mohr, Sue Bakke Doyon of Portland and her husband Dan, and Heidi Bakke Hall of Yarmouth and her husband Reg, eight grandchildren Ryan Earls and his wife Danielle, Caroline Earls, Patrick Mohr, Hayden Mohr, Max Doyon, Syd Doyon, Stefanie Hall, and Tyler Hall, and two great grandchildren Morgan Joy Earls, and Kayden Earls. Joy’s family would like to thank SKU 3 at Maine Medical Center, and Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, for their exceptional care. Family and friends are invited to a time of visitation on Thursday December 22, 2011 from 4:00-7:00 PM at Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home 199 Woodford Street, Portland. Funeral services will be held on Friday December 23, 2011 at 9:30 AM at Central Square Baptist Church 466 Stevens Ave Portland, interment will follow at Brooklawn Memorial Park 2002 Congress Street Portland. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Joy’s memory to Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, 11 Hunnewell Rd. Scarborough ME 04074 . Please visit www.jonesrichandhutchins.com for additional information and to sign Joy’s guestbook.