South Chatham, NH------Jean Olfene Curtis, of South Chatham, NH, passed away peacefully on February 28, 2011, with her family by her side. Born June 21, 1925, Jean was the daughter of Ralph and Madge Olfene. She grew up and was educated in the town of Auburn, ME and she went on to a higher education at Leslie College in Boston, MA, where she graduated in 1948. In the same year, she married her husband, Raymond Wilson Curtis, Jr. in Poland Springs, ME. Jean began her career as a teacher not long after graduation and spent 30 years teaching in various towns throughout Maine, including Sweden, Hallowell, and her hometown of Auburn.
She was known best for her love of life and the bright smile that she always wore. Among her many interests, she fully enjoyed gardening, reading, traveling, attending church suppers and craft fairs, shopping, and talking with people. Her love for animals was also well known, whether it was parading around with her own dogs, Sissy and Flossy, or sneaking snacks under the table to her family’s various pups, the sight of a loved animal always made her happy.
She was a member of the Chatham Historical Society, the Saco Valley Garden Club, the Greenhill/South Chatham Cemetery Association, and a trustee of Chatham Congregational Church. She also spent many years working at the Fryeburg Fair and skiing at Pleasant Mountain with her family. It is fair to say that Jean’s life was spent well with friends and family and if they weren’t close to her physically, she kept in constant contact through phone calls and warm letters.
Jean is predeceased by her husband Raymond Curtis, and survived by her daughter Sarah Curtis and her husband Dr. Alan Awrich of Gilford NH, her son Stephen Curtis and his wife Catherine of Winthrop, ME, and her granddaughter Stephanie Thomson and her husband Sean of Greensboro Bend, VT, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Jean was one of the rare few who touched so many, if only with a smile and a kind word. She remembered everyone and everything, and was always the first to ask how your day was going. She will be wholeheartedly missed, not just among close friends and family, but anyone who was blessed to know her.
A Graveside Service will be held at the family lot at the Chatham Cemetery, Greenhill Road, Chatham on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 10:00AM. A Funeral Service will follow at 11:00AM at the Chatham Congregational Church, Rte 113B, Chatham, Center. Immediately following the service a reception will be held at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds, 1154 Main Street, Fryeburg, ME.
For those who wish, the family suggests that memorial donations in Jean’s name be made to the Chatham Congregational Church, C/O: Donald McPherson, 1267 Main Road, Chatham, NH 03813.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH, is in charge of the arrangements. For more information and to view an on line memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.