PRESQUE ISLE – It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Margaret C. Grant, March 7, 2010, at the home of her daughter, Martha, in Presque Isle. Margaret was born Marie Marguerite Commeau, March 28, 1912, in Orono, daughter of John Baptiste and Emily Hache Commeau. Margaret graduated from Orono Catholic High School in 1930. She worked hard all her life, beginning as a waitress at age 15 at Samoset Hotel and Mount Kineo House, Moosehead Lake. She became a registered nurse after graduating from Eastern Maine General School of Nursing, Bangor, in 1933. Shortly thereafter she was called home to care for her own mother, who died of cancer five months later. In 1938 Margaret met Theodore Hudson Grant, a young electrical engineering student at the University of Maine, and they were married Jan. 7, 1939, in Orono. Together they raised five children, settling in Presque Isle after the end of World War II. Margaret was a homemaker during the years when her children were growing up and engaged in their activities: reading to them at a very early age, becoming a Girl Scout leader, joining the PTA, attending their plays and other special events, and providing hot lunches for them at home every day at noon. After the children were mostly grown, Margaret returned to nursing, working in the offices of Dr. Helfrich and Dr. Higgins, and as a private duty nurse at A. R. Gould Hospital, as well as volunteering for Red Cross blood drives. During their marriage, Margaret and Ted took many fishing trips and traveled to Hawaii, the Caribbean, Venezuela, the Canary Islands, New Orleans, Alaska and the Grand Canyon. They were most relaxed at their camp on Squapan Lake, where they entertained friends, family and business associates of Ted’s. Camp was a haven and refuge for all where Mom could putter, plant flowers, watch for hummingbirds at the feeders and enjoy the sun on her face. She retained her engaging sense of humor to the end. Margaret was predeceased by her beloved husband, Ted in 1996; and by her eldest son, Richard in 2005. Surviving are her son, Tucker and wife, Anne, of Westlake Village, Calif.; daughter, Pamela and husband, Paul Chenea, of Wayne; daughter, Martha and husband, Rodney Thompson; son, Frank, all of Presque Isle; her daughter-in-law, Christine Grant of Webster, N.Y.; her sister, Evangeline Commeau of Hollywood, Fla.; 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A wonderful wife and mother, she will be sadly missed by all. A service in celebration of her life will be held 11 a.m. Monday, March 15, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, on the corner of Main and Chapman streets, Presque Isle, with a time of fellowship afterward at the Knights of Columbus hall. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Margaret’s memory to the American Red Cross, 111 High St., Suite 2, Caribou, ME 04736 or to a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be expressed at www.duncan-graves.com.
MARGARET C. GRANT
