Grace Belle Crone

1927-2021

Freeport - Grace Belle (Noyes) Crone, 93, of Freeport died peacefully in her sleep on February 7, 2021 after a brief illness. She was born on November 2, 1927, the daughter of Gilbert H. and Lydia Verrill Noyes.

Grace graduated from Freeport High School in 1946. She was married to Marvin Crone for 28 years until they divorced in 1975. Grace worked as a secretary, as a stitcher at Eastland shoe, baked pies for a Yarmouth restaurant, held other jobs, and then worked for L.L. Bean repairing Bean Boots until she retired.

Grace was a wonderful seamstress and taught all her daughters to sew, a skill they have used throughout their lives. She made many quilts and afghans, including baby quilts and afghans for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She could sew anything from a child’s winter coat to leather marble bags for her children and grandchildren. She also loved to knit and crochet, embroider, do counted cross stitch and make scrapbooks. Her thoughtful gifts of hand-made baby clothes, toys, quilts, afghans, framed cross stitch, Christmas ornaments, and scrapbooks were a beautiful expression of love for her family.

She loved to swim and frequently took her children swimming. Her many interests also included vegetable and flower gardening, antiques, and researching family genealogy She gave each of her adult children detailed photo albums depicting their ancestry and the history of the Noyes farm where she grew up and raised her family, a true legacy. In her later years she became very proficient at jigsaw puzzles and always had one in progress for visitors to enjoy.

Grace loved animals, and had many pets in her long life, including horses, a pet crow, rabbits, chickens, and many cats and dogs. She liked to tell the story of riding her horse Bonnie up Bradbury Mountain when she was a teenager. Bonnie was a former race horse, and when they turned around to go home, Bonnie started down the mountain at full speed. Grace hadn’t told anyone where she was going riding and was afraid that if she fell off and was injured no one would know where to find her. She held on for dear life and made it down the mountain safely. She would end her story by saying, “After that I always told my mother where I was going.”

Grace was predeceased by her parents, her brothers Gilbert and Lewis Noyes, her stillborn son, and her beloved son Dennis.

She is survived by her daughters Diane Lee and her husband Peter, Gail Daigle and her husband Marty, Joyce Breslosky and her husband Michael, her son Gary Crone and his partner Tracy Brooks, thirteen grandchildren, thirteen great grandchildren, several cousins, and her beloved cat Ethel.

Services will be private.