SOUTH PORTLAND - Sandra Paul, age 76, passed away on October 1st, 2024 in the company of loved ones after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Sandra was born in Biddeford, Maine on February 12, 1948, the daughter of the late Gerard & Pauline (Thibault) Paul.
Sandra attended St. Andres School in Biddeford and Biddeford High School (class of 65’). She graduated from Bliss College in Lewiston with an associate’s degree in medical records and also received her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Southern Maine.
Sandra started her career working at her father’s diner, Paul’s Diner, in Biddeford. She thoroughly enjoyed her days at the diner and the time spent there with her dad and uncle. She would frequently recount stories of those days fondly. She worked as the director of medical records for Goodall Hospital until she left to pursue building and managing a joint business of the Racquetball Club in Sanford. In 1983 she began work at Verrill Dana Law Firm in Portland, where she worked as the Account Manager until her retirement in 2010.
Sandra lived life to the fullest. Though a woman of many talents and interests, she would likely consider her daughter her greatest accomplishment. As a single mom, she devoted most of her life and time to her daughter Sarah, and son-in-law, Jeremy. Raising her daughter as a single mom created a very special mother – daughter bond. Their extreme closeness was evident by the amount of time they spent enjoying every moment no matter what they did together.
She adored gathering with family and friends and loved to laugh. She enjoyed many friendships and loved spending time with those close to her with walks, visits, entertainment and meals out. She always appreciated meals at her parents’ home and playing cribbage. Sandra also enjoyed speaking French (which was her first language) and always had a good French saying or cuss word at the ready. Sandra was a phenomenal cook and baker. She loved baking glorious cakes and other favorite baked goods such as her famous lemon squares and banana cream pie. She even catered her sister’s wedding to great fanfare. Sandra loved going to camp with her daughter and son-in-law, and enjoyed many a days swimming, kayaking, searching for moose and water skiing. A voracious reader, Sandra was never far from a book. She loved frequenting the South Portland Library for reading material, conversation and recommendations. She also enjoyed crafting, knitting, quilting and making puzzles.
It would be difficult to calculate how many miles she walked in her lifetime! She walked daily and enjoyed walking and hiking in the greater Portland area and beyond with her daughter and son-in-law, the family pets, and other close friends. Friends and family was a major part of her life. She loved to be outdoors and found enjoyment cleaning up her yard and gardening.
As an avid environmentalist, she was always seeking ways to reduce waste and single use items. Saddened by how much there was, she picked up trash on most every walk that she did as a way to try and prevent it from reaching our precious oceans. She had a huge love for animals and animal advocacy. Sandra rescued many companion animals in her lifetime, helped care for numerous strays, and regularly opened her home to fostering. She loved volunteering for the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook in a variety of ways from cleaning cages, socializing with the cats, painting and even fundraising for metal reusable litter pans.
She was extremely passionate about the welfare of circus elephants and wished to see the elimination of their use for entertainment and road side attractions. She was an avid supporter of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Sandra loved to volunteer her time to causes she cared about - she volunteered for Bruce Roberts, Strive, Southern Maine Agency on Aging’s Money Minders and Partners for World Health. She loved the theater and the arts and was a season ticket holder of Good Theater and a volunteer for Portland Stage.
Sandra was a hard worker! She also loved to keep busy! She was an excellent interior painter and would frequently be asked by family and friends to assist with their projects. She was handy in every sense of things and could help with anything from painting, tiling repairs and beyond. She was especially proud of the work she did on both her daughter, Sarah, and son-in law, Jeremy’s home, and her niece, Merrilee’s restaurant at 50 Local in Kennebunk.
Babysitting her daughter’s half-sisters, as well as her great nieces and nephews was an important part of hers as well as their young lives. She will be fondly remembered sitting in a little automated car with her great niece, Olivia, whom she spent a great deal of time with.
She was predeceased, by a son, Peter, who passed away in 1977. She will forever be deeply missed by her beloved daughter, Sarah Ashe, and son-in-law, Jeremy (Jerome) Ashe of South Portland, her sister Gale Bellew of Lady Lakes, Florida, and brother Frank Paul of Kennebunk. She also leaves behind three nieces and six great nieces and nephews and several very close friends. They will all have lasting loving memories of her as being an important part of their lives.
Her family would like to thank, Alex Velez, and the entire care team of Avita of Stroudwater for their top-notch level of care that they provided for Sandra. The compassion and love that they exhibited for Sandra and her family was such a gift in a most difficult time of life.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Elephant Sanctuary, P.O. Box 393 Hohenwald, TN 38462. In memory of Sandra, please consider picking up that piece of trash that you see on the ground. You can’t get every piece, but you can get that piece.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com