HOULTON – Erma R. Allen Sylvester, died Monday, March 20, 2006, three months from her 95th birthday. She died as she had lived, quietly and with dignity. Erma Sylvester was born June 19, 1911, at Allendale Farm in Bridgewater, the daughter of Lulu Belle Kimball and Guy E. Allen. Family members experiencing this sad departure are Torrey and Jennifer Sylvester of New Limerick, Kim (Sandra) Sylvester and Robert Rinfret of Duncan, British Columbia, and Rachel and Tom Good of Monticello. She will also be lovingly remembered by her grandchildren, Steven, Susannah and Stephen Trudeau, Linda, Aimee Good and Josh Margolis, Eric and Jolene Good and Paige; as well as eight great-grandchildren, Max and Madeline Good, Jacob, Ethan and Adam Trudeau, Mathilda Margolis and Sam Sylvester’s daughters, Lyra and Willow. In addition, an esteemed sister-in-law, Vella Dawn Wasson; and two special nieces, Carolyn Cumming and Sandra Auer will mourn her loss. Erma was predeceased by her husband, Fred A. Sylvester Jr. in 1974; by her grandson, Sam Sylvester in 2004; and by two brothers and one sister. She attended the old Bunker Hill Grammar School and graduated from Bridgewater Classical Academy in 1929. She developed her love of music as a saxophonist in high school and college. After two and one half years at Farmington State Normal School as a home economics major and employment at the Central Maine Power Company, she met Fred Sylvester of Mars Hill and they were married in July 1935. After some years in central Maine, Erma and Fred lived and raised their family in Mars Hill, Houlton and New Limerick. Home and family were of primary importance to her and she rejoiced in and supported her children and grandchildren to the end. She was a generous and active member of the First Baptist Church and a Girl Scout leader. She deeply loved her friends, spending time with them, traveling with them, skiing with them. Carrie Elizabeth McConnell was a faithful travel companion throughout Maine and even to California and the Deep South. Erma loved nature, and outdoor activities with friends Ruth and Don Ellis were highlights every year. Skiing was her winter passion, enjoyed for years with Billie Peabody and Blanche Cyr. A favorite family anecdote is the story of Erma’s last climb up Mt. Katahdin at age 80; she was resting at Chimney Pond while Torrey went up and over Baxter Peak, when a hiker approached her and asked, “Excuse me, Ma’am, but how did you get here?” Erma’s triumphant response was, “I walked!” Her skiing exploits were the stuff of legends, as she stopped downhill skiing only at age 80 and cross-country at age 85. She became an accomplished seamstress, enjoyed other activities such as gardening, reading poetry and Maine nature writers, and maintained a great correspondence with family and friends for years. Erma was a pioneer, graced with a strong and independent spirit, to the point of living alone for years in New Limerick at her beloved “High Hopes” and plowing snow in her old Scout. She had the gift of hospitality and delighted in sharing her home with many. Blessed and surrounded by love from family and friends, she will be remembered at a Memorial Service 2 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at the First Baptist Church of Houlton with reception following in Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church Memorial Fund, or the Sylvester Family Fund at Cary Library, both of Houlton.
ERMA R. ALLEN SYLVESTER
