MIRIAM I. MORRELL

BANGOR – Mim Morrell, 80, died peacefully Friday, June 25, 2010, surrounded by her loving family at her son’s home in Brunswick, after a long and graceful struggle with cancer. She was born, Miriam Irene Olson June 7, 1930, in Boston, the daughter of Gordon and Gladys Olson. She was raised in Arlington, Mass., with her brothers, Donald and Philip, who predeceased her early in childhood. Growing up Mim loved to dance, swim at Cape Cod, Mass., ski and play the piano. She graduated from Bates College in 1952, with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in chemistry. While at Bates College she was a member of the dance program. Mim returned to school later in life and obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in education. She later received her master’s degree in education, specializing in reading, from the University of Maine, Orono. Mim worked as a reading specialist in the Bangor school system for 15 years. She pursued her passion for education and reading in all aspects of her life. She also served on Maine Reading Association Executive Board, with the assignment of coordinator for the international reading association in Maine, 1982-1986. She retired from teaching in 1986, as she prepared for the arrival of her first three grandchildren. Mim married Malcolm E. Morrell Jr. in 1952, and they raised three children in Bangor. Mim served her community in many ways. She was an active member of Shakespeare Club, a sustaining member of Bangor Junior League, the YWCA and P.E.O., Chapter B, Bangor. Mim was also a devoted member of All Souls Congregational Church, Bangor, throughout her life, recently serving as a trustee. Mim was always busy with an activity or a project. Mim began every morning with a swim at the YWCA with her many friends, and recently enjoyed weekly Pilates workouts with Val’s gals. During their sailing years, Mal and Mim were members of Buck’s Harbor Yacht Club, Blue Water Sailing Club and Mount Desert Island Yacht Club. They cruised the Maine coast every summer and Mim always watched for whales and osprey. Mim especially loved skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain, where she held a season pass for 45 years. Her greatest joy was bringing her family together at Sugarloaf Mountain, sailing in Penobscot Bay, and at the beach in Harwich Port on Cape Cod, Mass., where she had summered as a child. Mim is survived by her loving and devoted family: three children, Stephen G. Morrell of Brunswick and his wife, Nancy, Catherine E. Morrell of Brunswick and Susan G. Morrell of Amherst, N.H.; and six grandchildren, Lauren and Meghan Morrell of Brunswick, Lindsay Russell of Biddeford, Caitlin Ambo of Greenfield, Mass., Dominic Ouellette of Washington, D.C., and Nathan Ouellette of Amherst, N.H. She is also survived by her cousins, Herbert G. Olson of Baton Rouge, La., and his wife, Moe, and Hazel Olson Brown of Seminole, Fla. In addition, she is survived by her three loving nieces, Sarah, Jane and Carolyn. Mim was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Malcolm E. Morrell Jr. A memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 29, at All Souls Congregational Church, 10 Broadway, Bangor, with the Rev. Dr. James L. Haddix, pastor and teacher, and the Rev. Renee U. Garrett, Minister of Christian Nurture, officiating. The family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments immediately after the service in the church vestry. Those who wish to remember Mim in a special way may make gifts in her memory to the Mal Morrell Fund, care of Healthcare Charities, P.O. Box 931, Bangor, ME 04402-0931, or support All Souls Congregational Church, 10 Broadway, Bangor, ME 04401. A service of Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.BrookingsSmith.com.