ORONO – Jean Harrison Elsemore, 78, died peacefully at home on Dec. 14, 2003. She was born Dec. 29, 1924, in Bucksport, the daughter of Sydney and Janet (Dow) Harrison. Jean was a graduate of Bucksport High School in 1943 and Fisher Secretarial School in 1945. After graduating, she worked for the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1946, Jean and Vernon Elsemore married and made their home in Orono where they raised their family and became active members of the community. Jean was employed by the University of Maine for more than 20 years, working in the Admissions Office and Data Processing Department. She was an active member of the Church of Universal Fellowship, served as a board member of the Orono Health Association and volunteered many hours delivering Meals for ME. Jean will be remembered for her years of leadership with the Girl Scout Troops in Orono. With her family she enjoyed all kinds of outdoor activities including canoeing, camping and hiking. Jean also devoted lots of her time to researching the Harrison and Elsemore family trees. This passion for genealogy resulted in volumes of stories and family records that will be passed down for generations to come. Prior to her illness Jean devoted hours of her time at the Maine Veterans Home in Bangor. She took great pleasure in planning a special garden for the residents and their families. She was predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Vernon C. Elsemore, in 2002. She will be greatly missed by her four children, Kathryn and her husband, Richard Kawana, of Honolulu, Hawaii, Sidney and her husband, Kenneth Salvatore, of Southwest Harbor, Patricia and her husband, William Weatherbee, of Orono and William and his wife, Candice, of Orono; 11 grand-children, three great-grandchildren, one brother, Millard Harrison of Readfield; four sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brothers, Oliver, Frank and Sydney Harrison; and her sisters, Elinor Brown and Janet (Johnny) Crosson. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at the Church of Universal Fellowship, 82 Main St., Orono, with the Rev. Stephen St. Claire, pastor, officiating. Gifts in her memory may be sent to the Garden Project, Maine Veterans Home, B Unit, 44 Hogan Road, Bangor, ME 04401. A service of Brookings-Smith, LaBeau Chapel, Orono.
JEAN HARRISON ELSEMORE
