Penny Jerry Alyce Lowell

Windham, ME- Penny Jerry Alyce Lowell, 81 died on March 9, 2025, at Mercy Hospital following a long illness. Penny was born in Millinocket, Maine. She often talked about growing up in Millinocket and its quiet and small-town atmosphere. She would always say they had one bowling alley, a few diners, and a lot of mill jobs.

After graduating from Millinocket High School, Penny moved around briefly but eventually found herself in Portland, Maine where she was a homeowner for 65 years. She was proudly self-employed as a home daycare owner, opening up Roberts Street Home Daycare in the early 80’s (later called Little Kid’s Daycare). She loved her daycare kids, and even twenty years after closing she could remember their names, personalities, and their families. Penny would pride herself in putting together educational plans, doing activities, and always spending time outdoors and taking small field trips. She would always be sure to work with all of their differences, cater to their needs, and never treated any of them differently.

When Penny was not working, she loved spending time in her gardens, famously decorating her whole home top to bottom in Christmas decorations, shopping, playing scrabble, crossword puzzles, and she always was working on a jigsaw puzzle, up until the day she died. You would be hard pressed to not see her with a Diet Pepsi in her hand and she could eat a gallon of ice cream a night.

Penny wanted more than anything to be able to own another dog. She talked about it frequently at the end of her life. She had thousands of pictures of her pride and joys over the years and she treated them like gold. Penny is now reunited with them.

Penny was predeceased by her parents, Alice Genova Lowel and Samuel Thompson Lowell, and her long-term partner, Weldon (Don) Winchester. Penny is also predeceased by her oldest son, who only died three months ago, Lewis DeRoche, while she was by his side. They had an especially close relationship and it is believed she died of a broken heart. She is survived by her three brothers, Fellows Lowell and Ralph Lowell both of Colorado, and Gene Lowell of Maine. She is survived by her son Terry DeRoche and wife Roxane Coron of New Orleans, La. and her daughter, Christian Grygent and husband Edward Grygent of Cataumet, MA. Penny has four grandchildren, Joseph, Jonathan, Julianna, and Camille.

A Funeral Service will be held at 10 am on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St. Portland. Burial will immediately follow at Calvary Cemetery in South Portland.

Please visit www.jonesrichandbarnes.com to sign Penny’s online guest book.