AGNES LOUISE (GOODWIN) DAVIS

MEDWAY – Agnes Louise (Goodwin) Davis passed away quietly on April 23, 2005 at her home after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Although the illness robbed Louise of her vitality, her kind and gentle spirit remained until the end. Louise was born Aug. 16, 1914, in North East Point, Nova Scotia, to Bertha (Thompson) and Clinton Goodwin. In 1919, Louise lost her father in the great flu epidemic. Her mother moved to the United States to seek employment, settled in the beautiful seacoast town of Cohasset, Mass., and married Louise’s stepfather, George Mulhern. After graduating from Cohasset High School and the Ballard School of Cooking in New York City, Louise returned to Cohasset to open Goodwin’s Bakery. Louise and her mother ran the bakery until rationing in WW II made it impossible to get the supplies they needed. Louise moved to Bridgeport, Conn., where she contributed to the war effort by working in a defense factory. It was during this time that she met, fell in love with, and married a young Army man from Maine named Lloyd Davis. Louise and Lloyd moved to Maine and briefly ran the Lake View Tea Room and Cabins on Gardner’s Lake in East Machias before moving North and settling on the small farm at the end of Powersville Road in Medway to raise their three boys. For more than 50 years, Ma did the things she loved – gardening and preserving, cooking and baking, and generously sharing the fruits of her labor and her talents in the kitchen with both family and friends. Over the years, numerous people were the recipients of Louise’s thoughtful gifts of bouquets of gladioli, baskets of fresh vegetables, trays of handmade candies and boxes of cookies. Ma also had a passion for animals and the gift of caring for them. Over the years, she lovingly cared for everything that her husband and boys brought home from farm animals and domestic pets to snakes and turtles and, occasionally, orphaned wild animals such as skunks, foxes, raccoons, and woodchucks. Many times she commented about how lucky the family was to live in a place where they could look out their windows and see moose, deer, bear and other wild creatures roaming freely on the farm. However, Louise’s greatest joy was truly her family. While the boys were growing up, Louise and Lloyd traveled throughout the state to see almost every basketball and baseball game or cross-country meet in which the boys competed. Whether the boys were involved in athletics or academics, Louise’s one expectation was for them to do their best and enjoy themselves. She personally sacrificed a great deal to ensure that all three boys attended and graduated from college. As the boys’ families grew, she took tremendous pride in the accomplishments of her entire family while serving as an inspiration to each and every one of them. Louise is survived by her beloved sons and their wives, Frank and Ann Davis of Medway, with whom she shared the last eleven years of her life; Dr. Harry and Jeudi Davis of Marlborough, N.H.; Lloyd and Marie Davis of Gainesville, Fla.; her granddaughters and their husbands, Kelly Davis and Don White of Casco and their children, Robert and Isabelle; Sara Davis and Hayes Heath of New Gloucester; and Amber and George Hanna of Walpole, N.H.; her grandson Phillip Davis and his friend. Rachel Bon.e of Baltimore; her brother. George Mulhern and his wife Dottie of Palo Alto, Calif.; daughter-in-law, Sally Lou Patterson of Raymond; sister-in-law, Ruth Goodwin of Cohasset; brother-in-law Gardner Pope of Brunswick; and several nieces and nephews. She will also be greatly missed by her watchful companions, her dog, Misty and her cat, Midas. In addition to her parents, Louise was predeceased by her husband, Lloyd Davis; her dear friend, Herbert Derr; her sisters, Thelma Patten, Kathleen MacDonald, and Irma James; and her brothers, Harry Goodwin and Bradford Mulhern. The family would like to thank all of the caregivers who made it possible for Louise to remain in her home, especially Connie and Sharon, who were with Louise faithfully throughout the length of her illness. The family would also like to thank all of Louise’s friends who remembered her with cards, flowers and prayers throughout her illness. As was her wish, Louise will be cremated and her ashes scattered on the farm she loved. The family invites Louise’s friends to join them in a memorial service and celebration of her life that will take place 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11th on the family farm at the end of Powersville Road in Medway. In lieu of flowers, friends may make donations in Louise’s memory to the Hospice Program at Community Health and Counseling Services, PO Box 208, Lincoln, ME 04457.