PHYLLIS D. LORD

PHYLLIS D. LORD PRESQUE ISLE and FORT FAIRFIELD – Phyllis D. Lord, 89, died April 6, 2005, at Presque Isle, after a long period of failing health. She was born June 10, 1915, at Fort Fairfield, the daughter of Perham W. and Priscilla (Guiou) Deane. She was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother and sister to the members of her family and she was a faithful servant to her Lord and Saviour. She will be remembered by her loyal family and many friends as a gentle soul whose life was characterized by her love of music. She attended Fort Fairfield schools, graduating from Fort Fairfield High School in 1933. She graduated from Aroostook State Normal School in 1935. She studied at the Northern Conservatory of Music in Bangor and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Maine in 1957. In 1961, she received a diploma in public school music from the University Extension Conservatory in Chicago. She married Richard N. Lord of Brewer on Sept. 14, 1940. They made their home in Fort Fairfield until 1975, when he retired and they moved to Florida, where they were residents of Pinellas Park and Largo. They moved to Leisure Village in Presque Isle in April 1998. She had a distinguished career as a schoolteacher in Fort Fairfield. From 1935 to 1936, she taught grades 1-8 at the Strickland School. Later she taught grades 5 and 6 at Fort Fairfield Grammar School. From 1943 to 1952, she took time off to raise her family. In 1952, she returned to the Fort Fairfield Grammar School, where she taught math and science for one year and music for four years. In 1957, she was appointed vocal music supervisor for the Fort Fairfield school system, a position she held until her retirement in 1974. She was a member of the Fort Fairfield Teachers Club, the Maine Teachers Association, the National Education Association, the Music Educator’s National Conference and the Aroostook Retired Teachers Association. In 1974, she was awarded an honorary life membership in the Maine Music Educators Association. She was a past member of the Lunar Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, where she served in several offices including Worthy Matron. She was a member of the Nordica Club, where she served as president. She was also a member of the Delta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, a professional organization of women teachers. She was an active member of the Bethel Baptist Church in Fort Fairfield where she served as choir director for 20 years. During the time she lived in Florida, she was active in the Church at Sunset Park in Pinellas Park, where she directed the choir and played the piano at services. After moving to Presque Isle, she had attended the Presque Isle Wesleyan Church. She was well known as a director of musical groups. As music supervisor, she directed the Fort Fairfield High School Chorus as well as various ensemble groups, including the boys’ quartets that performed at numerous school and community events for 20 years. Her Christmas concerts and spring concerts at the elementary and high school level always drew large appreciative crowds. Her students frequently were among the largest delegations to the All-Aroostook and All-State music festivals. She also directed a community chorus for a short time. As choir director at Bethel Baptist Church, she produced many Christmas and Easter cantatas as well as regular and special musical numbers at weekly church services. In Florida, she organized and directed several musical groups and was a member of an organ orchestra. Survivors include two sons, Richard Jr. and his wife, Marcia, and Stephen and his wife, Pamela, all of Presque Isle; three grandchildren, Kimberly Lavigne and her husband, Wesley, of Mapleton, Andrew Lord and his wife, Stephanie, of Gorham, and Lindsay Clairmont and her husband, Stephen, of Laconia, N.H.; a niece, Janet LeVasseur and her husband, Merle, of Spring Hill, Fla.; and two sisters-in-law, Frances Lord of Brewer and Carol White and her husband, Leland, of Warner, NH. She was predeceased by her husband, Richard Lord, in 2000, and her sister, Lillian Bradbury, in 1971. Friends may call 7-9 p.m. Friday, April 8, 2005 at the Dorsey Funeral Home, 144 Main St., Fort Fairfield. A funeral service will be conducted 1 p.m. Saturday, April 9, 2005, at the Dorsey Funeral Home with the Rev. Otto Palmer officiating. Interment will take place at Riverside Cemetery, Fort Fairfield, later in the spring. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may contribute in memory of Mrs. Lord to the Richard and Phyllis Lord Scholarship Fund, care of Key Bank, 279 Main St., Fort Fairfield, 04742. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.