BERNARD – Elvira Francis (Babbitt) Banfill of Bernard, 93, died peacefully Friday, Oct. 29, 2004, at an Ellsworth nursing facility. She was born Dec. 31, 1910, in Cambridge, Mass., the daughter of Albert Kelley Babbitt and Clara (Benson) Babbitt. Elvira attended public elementary schools in Southborough, Mass., and also for a few years in Norfolk, Va., returning to graduate from Peters High School in Southborough in 1926. She was a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art. Following this, Elvira entered nursing training in Newton Hospital, Mass., but had to leave that career because of illness. For a time, she taught arts and crafts at Sea Pines School on Cape Cod. Elvira married Elwood Banfill on Aug. 17, 1934, in Albany, N.Y. During World War II, they resided in Bridgeport, Conn. and Elvira worked in the drafting department of the General Electric Company. After the war, she did volunteer work for the American Red Cross in Stratford, Conn., where she lived for 27 years before moving to her beloved Mount Desert Island in 1974. Elvira loved the Lord and lived a Christian life to the best of her ability. In her early years, she attended the Southville, Mass. Federated Church and was involved in the youth movement, “Christian Endeavor.” She was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Stratford, Conn., serving for a while as the church historian. She was a member of the Tremont Congregational Church, representing the congregation at the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ in 1991. Elvira loved poetry and wrote poetry throughout her life. In 1996, she published a book of poems, “Starlight,” which celebrated her love of astronomy, the natural world, and Mount Desert Island. Elvira belonged to the Ladies Aid of the Tremont Congregational Church, the Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society Daughters of the American Colonists, The Planetary Society, The New York Metropolitan Opera Guild, the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, the Poetry Society of New Hampshire and the Academy of American Poets. In August of this year, Elvira celebrated her 70th wedding anniversary. She is survived by her beloved family: husband, Elwood of Bernard; daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Steven Helterman; and granddaughter, Jessica, all of Morristown, N.J. Friends wishing to make a contribution in Elvira’s memory are asked to consider the Tremont Congregational Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 6, Bernard, ME 04612 or Island Connections, 15 Eagle Lake Road, Bar Harbor, ME 04609. Services will be private. Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 1139 Main St., Mt. Desert.