Susan E. Sweet

Susan Ellen Taylor Sweet, 66, of Auburn, passed peacefully at the Hospice House in Auburn, after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer, surrounded by the love of her family. She was born November 10, 1944, in Lewiston, Maine, the daughter of Clayton and Bertha Taylor, and sister to Joan Chandler and Robert Taylor. Susan graduated from ELHS in 1963 and went on to attend Otterbein College in Ohio; however, she left before the completion of her studies due to the unexpected death of her father. She returned to Auburn and was employed as an EEG/EKG technician at Maine Medical Center, Portland, and then at CMG in Lewiston. Susan met her soul mate, Gordon, on a blind date in 1965; they were married in 1967, and enjoyed 43 wonderful years together. They lived in Auburn and raised 4 children, Kellie, Kimberlie, Kirsten and Karrie. She was a devoted mother who spent endless hours attending and supporting her children’s activities. Susan was employed by the Sun Journal for over a decade, initially as a typist, then as the Community News Editor. She also worked for several years at the Lewiston campus of the University of Maine, Augusta. Among a vast variety of hobbies and interests, her favorite was sewing and quilting. For years she created coordinating special occasion outfits for her daughters, including Easter dresses, Halloween costumes, and prom gowns. She was a member of the ”Church Mice” quilters, a group that made countless personal as well as charitable items, such as chemo-caps and quilts for Habitat for Humanity homes. Susan organized and delighted in weekend retreats by the ocean for her quilter friends from Maine and Vermont. She was also a member of the Women’s Literary Union and enjoyed participating in their fairs and other events. Susan, Gordon and their girls attended the Park Avenue United Methodist Church for many years, during which she was an active member of the Abigail Circle. She spent many hours making crafts and working at the church’s annual holiday fair. She formed lifelong friendships through the church and enjoyed volleyball, summer get-togethers and more recently dinner parties with this group. Sue was also a wordsmith, and eagerly took on the challenge of a game of Scrabble, Boggle, or the newspaper Jumble. Susan had many wonderful childhood memories of visiting her grandparents at their cottage on the water in Bay Point. She had a lifelong love of the ocean, spending many hours picking up sea glass and sea shells, and taking drives along the coast to view lighthouses. She spent summers at her camp in Oxford on Hogan “Hogie Pogie” Pond, playing volleyball, kayaking, and playing catch. In recent years she enjoyed watching her long-awaited grandchildren swim and play there, and she will be dearly missed but lovingly remembered by all eight of them: Alina, Ander, and Anya Ciesielski of Kalamzoo, MI; Taylor, Connor, and Camden Lewis of Bedford, MA; and Ava and Sadie Sweet-Richardson of Natick, MA. She will also be missed by her son-in-laws Matt Ciesielski, Jamie Lewis, Jesse Richardson, and Charlie Mollo. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to either the Hospice House, Auburn (ahch.org) or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org) to support pancreatic cancer research. Special thanks to Dr. Chase and the oncology staff at CMMC, the Dempsey Center, the staff at the Hospice House, and all of her friends and family who expressed their love and support during her battle with pancreatic cancer. You are invited to share your thoughts, condolences and fond memories with the Sweet family by visiting their guest book at www.thefortingroupauburn.com.

Sweet, Susan E. 11/21/2010 Visiting hours will be held at the Auburn Methodist Church on Park Avenue in Auburn Friday, November 26, from noon to 2:00 p.m. The funeral service, also at the church, will begin at 2:00, and will be immediately followed by a reception. A service of The Fortin Group / Plummer & Merrill Funeral Home, Cremation and Monument Services 217 Turner St. Auburn, ME 04210 (207) 783-8545.