Margarey "Marge" Brown Hanson

Yarmouth - Mrs. Margarey Brown Hanson died peacefully at her home in Yarmouth, Maine on July 30th surrounded by family. She was 97 years old.

Margarey, or Marge as she was known, was born on April 3, 1918 in Augusta, Maine to Herbert Clark Brown and Margaret Sibley Brown. She had one brother, Herbert Brown, Jr. Raised in Augusta, she graduated from Cony High School. In her childhood, she frequently visited Augusta’s Togus Pond, which led to a lifetime love of lakes and loons.

Marge married Elliott Campbell Hanson, also of Augusta, in 1935. They raised six children together, first settling in Bath, Maine where Elliott, or “Buster” as he was known, worked for the Central Maine Power Company. They moved to Yarmouth, Maine in 1961, where she lived in the same house on East Elm Street until her passing. They enjoyed a long, happy marriage of over 50 years together.

As a young mother, Marge worked for the American Red Cross. When her youngest child entered high school, Marge began working at Portland Savings Bank in Yarmouth. In addition, she was Treasurer of the Senior Citizen Organization, a volunteer driver for the Yarmouth Health Council, and an active member of her church.

Known affectionately as Mom, Nana, and Nanie, Marge was the matriarch of a large, close knit family. She was a beloved sister, sister-in-law, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. Her passing leaves a large hole in the lives of all those who were honored to know and love her. She set an example for everyone who knew her of the importance of family, and each year remembered to send a birthday card to every single member of her family.

In addition to her love of family, Marge was also an avid reader, belonging to a book club until her early nineties; a diehard sports fan, supporting the Patriots and Red Sox through every season; and an animal lover, leaving behind her constant companion and beloved cat, Emma. She was a wonderful cook and a fabulous seamstress and enjoyed knitting. She made clothes for herself and her daughters throughout the years, and always found time to knit something for the latest baby to join the family. She was also an enthusiastic gardener, and every year looked forward to planting a beautiful garden in her front yard.

Marge was predeceased in death by her parents, her brother, her husband Elliott, her son-in-law Dr. Peter E. Barry, and her son Dr. Graeme Hanson. She is survived by her children: Margaret Carmichael and her husband Robert of Bucksport, ME; James Hanson and his wife Joni of Whitsett, NC; Pamelia Barry of Cumberland Foreside, ME; Cynthia Loomis of Yarmouth, ME; and Deborah Roux and her husband Thomas of Yarmouth, ME. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, and 10 great-great grandchildren.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Casco Bay Home Care in Yarmouth, Hospice of Southern Maine, and the dispatchers at the Reassurance Program in Yarmouth for all of the care and comfort they provided to Marge throughout the years.

Funeral services will be held at the First Parish Congregational Church, 116 Main Street in Yarmouth at 2 pm on Saturday, August 15, 2015. Burial will follow in Riverside Cemetery, 78 Smith Street, Yarmouth. Please visit www.lindquistfuneralhome.com to view a video collage or Marge’s life and to share condolences, memories and tributes with her family.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to YCAN, P.O. Box 553, Yarmouth, Maine 04096, or the American Lung Association, 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601.