CORINNA – Esther A. (Reynolds) Littlefield, 89, died peacefully Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, comforted by her family and her beloved dog, Chrissy, at her home. She was born Oct. 9, 1921, in Burnham, to Fred and Inez (Hodgkins) Reynolds. She graduated from Maine Central Institute, Pittsfield, and married Donald C. Littlefield in Paris, Tenn., in 1943. When speaking about her childhood growing up on a dairy farm, Esther would often say, “I had hands that fit just right.” She was proud of her cow-milking prowess. But her hands were not built for milking alone, she welded on the Liberty ships at the South Portland shipyards during World War II. She went on to weave at Corinna Eastland Woolen Mill and during that same time helped her husband, Donald, manage Littlefield’s Garage, Corinna. She worked in the lunch program at Nokomis Regional High School. After she left that job, she and her husband, Donald, wintered in Kissimmee, Fla., for 14 years. She continued to bake bread almost daily, massaging the yeasty dough with the same mixture of strength and gentleness with which she had coerced milk from those dairy cows. That strength of will and devotion to the daily tasks were part of who she was. Esther Littlefield was not afraid of hard work. She instilled that dedication to work and getting the job done in all of her children and grandchildren. Nightly summer trips to the much beloved “God’s country” – the camp that she and her husband, Donald, built on Big Indian Lake in St. Albans – Esther could be heard saying, “Don’t go down that hill empty handed.” Everyone was expected to pull their fair share of the load, but Esther never expected more of anyone else than she expected of herself. As dedicated as she was to work, she was equally devoted to play. She shared her boundless enthusiasm for games, practical jokes and “wicked good storytelling” during a vicious game of cards. The game was never over until it was over. No encouragement was needed to play a good game of cards until midnight or later. She never gave up. Esther perpetually outlived every end of life prediction that doctors put before her. This past fall she made her family turkey dinner. She had one more bird to stuff, a few more Christmas gifts to wrap and too many games yet to be played, always playing to win – right up until the end. She was predeceased by her husband of 61 years, Donald, in 2004; her daughter, Sharon; her brothers Ivan and Millard; and her sisters, Beatrice, Elizabeth and Phyllis. Esther is survived by a daughter, Muriel Littlefield and husband, Ken Toner, of Freeport; a son, Kerbon “Kerby” Littlefield and wife, Gail, of Corinna; grandchildren, Mark Irish and partner, David Schmittou, of New Jersey, Hillary Carter and husband, Jason, and great-grandchildren, Reese and Whitney, of Ellsworth, Zeke Toner and son, Corbin, of Guilford, and Tracy Farnham and husband, Steve, and their children, Emma, Belen and Frank, of Winslow; siblings, Jennie Thompson of Pittsfield, Phillip Reynolds of Lebanon, Winnifred Ahlquist of Gorham and Evan Reynolds of Arizona; many beloved nieces and nephews. In addition to acknowledging the routine check-ins by family and close friends, the family thanks the following for their support of Esther during her recent health struggles: Dr. Michael MacDonald and his wonderful support staff at Sebasticook Family Doctors, Sebasticook Valley Hospital staff, Tessa Clukey, her personal care attendant, and the nurses from Community Health and Counseling. Family and friends are invited to visiting hours 1-3 and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, at Crosby & Neal Chapel, 68 Exeter Road, Corinna. A celebration of life will be held in the spring with burial afterward at Corinna Center Cemetery. A committal notice and service time will be announced in the spring. The family asks for those who wish to remember Esther in a special way to make donations in her memory to Downeast Family YMCA Swim Program, care of Jean Wood, P.O. Box 25, Ellsworth, ME 04605 or American Legion Post No. 73, P.O. Box 1, Corinna, ME 04928. Condolences may be left at www.CrosbyNeal.com.
ESTHER A. LITTLEFIELD
