MARGARET W. PERKINS

CHELSEA – Margaret W. Perkins, 90, died March 25, 2009, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, Augusta, after a brief illness. She was born Feb. 20, 1919, in Saco, the daughter of George R. West Sr. and Ruth (Dow) West. Mrs. Perkins was raised in Saco and was a graduate of Thornton Academy. She met, fell in love with and married Oliver Wendell Perkins, and after the war, happily settled down to a life as wife, mother and homemaker. They built a family and a life in Orland, where she worked in the family store and later in Bucksport, where she worked in the school district and watched her daughters grow and where she eventually embraced her grandchildren. After retirement, she and Wendell enjoyed years of retirement together at their Florida home, welcoming their family on vacations. They held hands as they walked the beaches and enjoyed the sunshine until moving back to Maine to share the rest of their lives with those who loved and cherished them. For the past 15 years, Mrs. Perkins volunteered for Senior Spectrum’s Meals on Wheels program. She was an active member of Grace Community Chapel of West Gardiner. Her husband, Oliver W. Perkins, died in 1997. She was also predeceased by a brother, George West Jr. She is survived by two daughters, Cheryl Pettingill and her husband, Daniel, of Falmouth, and Deborah Rolfe and her husband, Allen, of Cherryfield; two brothers, Ralph T. West of Augusta and Neil D. West of Freemont, N.H.; one sister, Gene West of Chelsea; six grandchildren and their spouses, several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. There will be no public visiting hours. A funeral service will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, March 29, at Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta. Friends and family are invited to her home after the service for a gathering. Burial will be at a later date at the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, Augusta. Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Community Chapel, Missionary Fund, West Gardiner, ME 04345 or HealthReach Hospice & Volunteers of Kennebec Valley, 150 Dresden Ave., Gardiner, ME 04345. Condolences to the family may be expressed through the funeral home at www.plummerfh.com.