AMY HUNT MEEK

KENNEBUNKPORT – Amy Hunt Meek died Nov. 28, 2007, after a brief illness at Bradford-on-the-Common, Kennebunk, where she had been a resident for the past two years. She was born May 16, 1903, in South Newfane, Vt., a daughter of Lucian Moore Hunt and Mary (Halladay) Hunt. She grew up in Saxton’s River, Vt., where she attended the local grammar school. When she was ready for high school, the family moved to Bellows Falls, Vt., where her father had worked for many years, commuting by trolley car each day. She attended Middlebury College, Vermont, majoring in mathematics and French. She graduated in 1924 as valedictorian of her class and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After college, she taught mathematics in Connecticut, first in New Milford, then in New Haven. It was here that she met her husband, Frederick M. Meek, who had recently graduated from Yale Divinity School. A blind date at an outdoor ice skating rink led to a marriage that lasted 47 years. The couple was married in 1932 after he was called to be the minister of the Congregational church in Biddeford. Because many states refused to let married women continue teaching, she resorted to tutor-ing on a private basis. In 1936, the young family, now including a daughter, moved to Bangor, where her husband became the minister of All Souls Church. She was active in the Shakespeare Club, YWCA and activities at Bangor Theological Seminary, as well as church groups. In 1943, a son was born and the family soon moved to Des Moines, Iowa, to serve Plymouth Congregational Church. Amy was active in the usual church activities plus the AAUW. After three years in Iowa, the Meek’s moved back to New England, where Amy’s husband was called to be the senior minister of Old South Church, Boston. During the ensuing years, she was involved in leadership capacities in Church Women United, the United Way, the Boston Council of Girl Scouts plus the usual church groups. She was a lifetime member of Wedgewood Society of Boston and Tau Beta Beta. Being familiar with Maine, the Meeks chose to spend their summers in Kennebunkport from 1945 on. In 1947, they rented a house on Crow Hill, Cape Porpoise, which was destroyed that fall during the widespread fires, which ravaged the area. Two years later they began renting the early colonial home they eventually bought in Kennebunkport. The entire family spent two summers painting and papering their old house. During the 1960s and 1970s, the family visited Meek relatives in England and Scotland. After her husband’s death in 1979, Amy and her daughter lived together in Brookline and Newton Centre, Mass. Then in 1991, when her daughter took early retirement, the two of them moved permanently to their Kennebunkport home. Amy became active in South Church and joined the Kennebunkport Historical Society. She enjoyed walking the golf course while her daughter played, attending York County Audubon Society meetings, Portland String Quartet concerts, picking blueberries out behind the old barn and even raking leaves each fall. A minor stroke in 1998 put an end to most outdoor activities, but reading and watching sports on TV were important ways to pass the time. She spent many late nights watching the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004. Amy was predeceased by her parents, her husband; an older sister, Hazel L. Hunt; a younger sister, Elizabeth H. Hunt; and twin infant daughters, Jane and Margaret. She is survived by her daughter, Sheila H. Meek of Kennebunkport; a son, the Rev. Dr. Peter H. Meek and his wife, Bonnie, of Lexington, Mass.; and a granddaughter, Amy E. B. Meek of California. The Meek family thanks Amy’s care-givers from Bradford-on-the-Common and Beacon Hospice for their compassion and kindness these past few years. A memorial service will be held at South Congregational Church, Kennebunkport, on a date to be announced. After cremation, burial will be at Arundel Cemetery, Kennebunk-port. In lieu of flowers, donations in Amy’s memory may be made to South Congregational Church, P.O. Box 414, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, the Arundel Cemetery, P.O. Box 11, Kennebunkport, ME 04046, or a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements by Bibber Memorial Chapel-Kennebunk. www.bibberfuneral.com.