ELLEN (MARTIN) SAFFORD

BOOTHBAY HARBOR – Ellen (Martin) Safford, 88, died April 9, 2005, at the Gregory Wing in Boothbay Harbor. Ellen (Martin) Safford was born in Dexter, in 1915. She grew up on a certified seed growing potato farm on the outskirts of town and graduated from NH Fay High School. She dreamed of becoming a nurse when she was growing up and attended a nursing school in Biddeford for a short time. Homesickness prevented her from achieving that goal but she liked to tell family members that she would have been an excellent nurse if she had stuck it out. She married Henry Safford in 1939. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1989, and were married for 61 years before his death in 2000. She and Henry moved to Boothbay Harbor in 1943. She had several jobs including housecleaning for summer residents on Squirrel Island. She opened Ellen’s Dress Shop in the early 50’s and it became an almost overnight success, attracting local people and tourists. Ellen always walked to work with her poodle Mimi for company. Friends and neighbors stopped by frequently to catch up on local news and Mimi got a lot of attention. The shop was a real local landmark in Boothbay Harbor for more than 30 years. After Ellen retired, she and Henry traveled a lot, usually planning trips that included visits with relatives or some of the many, many friends she had made through the years. Ellen and Henry were members of the Southport Methodist Church and sang in the church choir for many years. They both sang in a community chorus, the Choralaires for many years. Ellen Safford always had a positive attitude. She looked for the good in people and liked everyone. She will be sorely missed by everyone who knew her. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry; and her sister, Evelyn Pearl. She is survived by her sister, Maxine Lynch of Fairfax, Va.; nieces, Dayle Ashby and husband, Robert, of Winthrop, and Deanne Brown and husband, Jim, of Shapleigh, and several grandnieces and grandnephews. A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday April 13, at Simmons, Harrington, & Hall Funeral Home in Boothbay. Al Roberts will officiate. Contributions may be made to the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, 4 Oak St., Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538. Arrangements are entrusted to Simmons, Harrington, & Hall Funeral and Cremation Service in Boothbay.