MONSON – Alice Marie (Willey) Crabtree, left us on Wednesday, March 16, 2005, surrounded by her family after an amazing struggle with lymphoma. She was born Sept. 2, 1926, in Guilford, the daughter of John and Myra Willey. Alice attended Guilford High School, where she played basketball with her dear friend Dot (Lewis) Holmbom who left us last month. Alice attended Husson College, where she also played women’s basketball and was an avid follower of that sport ever since. She married having six children and followed her husband through the navy, coming back to her hometown in 1964. Mama later purchased us a farm, working three jobs to do so. She always wanted all of us to have our own bedrooms and she made dreams come true. We had the good fortune of meeting the Ruksznis families of Leroy and Ginny, and dear friends Jackie and Clair (Mr. Ruk). Mama was a unique and wonderful mother. She read to us, sang with us, and played with us our whole lives. She taught us to swim and fish and really enjoy the beauty of the woods and told us that there was nothing in this world we couldn’t accomplish if we truly wanted it. She was remarried in 1971, to our wonderful stepfather, Bernard Crabtree, who made our farm a cozy place to live. We couldn’t have asked for a better father. Together they traveled the U. S. in their camper trailer and also throughout Eastern Canada. They worked at Baxter State Park for 23 years, half of that time being seasonal and the other half of the time year round. They spent a number of winters in Apache Junction, Arizona and many summers in the beautiful Maine woods. Mama and Bernard really had a dream job. She was predeceased by a brother, Jack Willey; her daughter, Joy Marie Gilbert; two granddaughters, Gwen Vivian Geiger and Robin Alice Gilbert. She is survived by her husband and friend of 34 years, Bernard Crabtree; a brother, Rod Willey and his friend, Nancy; a son, Michael and his wife, Debra; daughters, Patricia Harrington and her husband, Floyd, Kathleen Geiger, Bonnie Page and her husband, Stephen, and Julie Harrington and her husband, Kennedy; grandchildren, Christian Gilbert, Laurel (Gilbert) Burt, Kyle Harrington, Robert Harrington, Stacey (Geiger) Turgeon, Casey Geiger, Jessica (Page) Chambers, Chani (Page) Cochran, and Alia Page; great grandchildren, Marshal, Chameron, Addison, Collin, Nolan, Coral, Kacey, Julia, Kyeana, Cole, Adella and Lawrence. At her request, no funeral will be held, but a celebration of her life will take place 2-4 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at her daughter, Pat’s home, on Bates Street in Guilford. Family and friends are invited to attend. We would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Cancer Care of Maine and also the wonderful staff at C.A. Dean hospital in Greenville, especially to you Kim. Arrangements by Crosby & Neal Funeral Home, Guilford.
ALICE MARIE (WILLEY) CRABTREE
