PARSONSFIELD- Cynthia Lee (Carter) Mellen, age 72, passed away unexpectedly on June 20, 2026, in Portland.
She was born in Portland, Maine on December 12, 1953, to Leslie William Carter Jr and Margaret Eleanor (Andrews) Carter. She spoke fondly of summers as a child at her grandparents farm in Bethel. After attending South Portland schools, she lived in Biddeford and Old Orchard Beach where she would spend summer days at the beach with her children, friends and family. She would later live in Cornish and then Parsonsfield, where she was “The nice lady on the phone” while doing billing, administration and many other duties to help Steve build their family business, Mellen and Son Disposal.
Cynthia was a devoted daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, wife and friend and was loved by many. She made many sacrifices for her family and worked hard with Steve to make a good life for them. She was generous, honest, eccentric and funny.
She had many interests and hobbies throughout her life, including extraterrestrial, paranormal and cryptozoology theory and research. She liked making beautiful silver jewelry, rock hounding, collecting crystals and especially enjoyed some time panning for gold in the Swift River. She kept up on world events and politics and was an activist at heart. She loved music and could regularly be found singing and dancing to the likes of The Doobie Brothers and Tina Turner.
Cynthia especially loved plants and gardening. With Steve’s help she transformed their yard in Parsonsfield into a beautiful garden full of flowers, edible plants, fruits, vegetables and a greenhouse. She always looked forward to the first signs of spring and would spend months planning her vegetable garden.
She was also an excellent cook. She was known to lovingly prepare elaborate holiday meals for family gatherings in her home during her younger years. She continued to prepare many delectable desserts, notably her lemon squares and pecan pie, and usually the ham, for holidays at her children’s houses, in her later years. We will miss her lobster bisque, spaghetti and meatballs, baked stuffed haddock and other seafood dishes she was known for.
Cynthia is predeceased by her parents, a sister, Lori Carter who passed away in 2005, and a brother, Lonnie Carter who passed away in 1962.
Cynthia is survived by her devoted husband Steve Mellen; her children Melissa Conner and fiancé Jeff Levesque of Lyman, Michael Mellen and his wife Corin (Hall) Mellen of Hollis, and Stephanie and her husband David of California; brother Robert Carter and his wife Heike Carter of Florida; grandchildren Taylor, River, Carter, and Lawson; great-grandchildren Weston and Remington; and several nieces and nephews.
She also sadly leaves behind her good good puppy dog, Ziggy.
Visiting hours will be held on Sunday July 12th from 1-3 PM at the Poitras, Neal & York Funeral Home, 71 Maple St., Cornish. Burial will follow at Murch Cemetery at a later date. Online condolence messages can be submitted at www.mainefuneral.com.