BANGOR – Phyllis Catherine (Turcotte) Coffin, 105, passed away peacefully Saturday, March 5, 2011, at Eastside Rehabilitation and Living Center, Bangor, where she had comfortably resided for the last year. Born Jan. 3, 1906, in Boston, Phyllis grew up in what was then the predominantly French-Canadian community of Mattapan, Mass.
A determined young woman, Phyllis graduated from Massachusetts Homeopathic Hospital of Nursing in 1927. She was later employed at Evans Memorial Department of Clinical Research, where she advanced to the position of assistant superintendent. It was in the course of her work that she met her future husband, Dr. Silas Allen Coffin. They married in Maine in 1933 and settled in Bar Harbor, where Phyllis managed Dr. Coffin’s practice on High Street and raised their two daughters, Nancy and Susan, as well as a nephew, Richard McFarland. Proud of her Quebecois heritage, Phyllis was the last member of her family to speak French and she was an active member of the Catholic Church. Her love of singing was lifelong and it was not uncommon for Phyllis to break into song and encourage a sing-a-long. After her husband’s death in 1963, Phyllis moved to Bangor, where she lived an independent and full life, participating in many senior groups, traveling with friends, and closely monitoring the progress of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In summer, she lived on her farm in Milbridge where she enjoyed gardening, landscaping and spending time with family. Thanks to a dedicated team of home healthcare workers that were as close to her as family, Phyllis was able to stay in her home until last year.
She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. Silas Coffin; daughters, Nancy Libby and Susan De Roma; a nephew, Richard McFarland; as well her siblings, Gertrude, Adrienne and Edwin Turcotte. She is survived by her sons-in-law, Richard Libby and Joseph DeRoma Jr.; grandchildren, Joseph DeRoma III and his wife, Virginia, Silas DeRoma and his wife, Edie, Tristram DeRoma, Seth Libby III and his wife, Simonette, Selina McGlauflin and her husband, Keith; as well as 10 great-grandchildren.
Private services will be held for the family. Burial will be in the springtime at Burr Cemetery, Freeport. Memorial contributions may be made in her memory to Jesup Memorial Library, 34 Mount Desert St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609. Arrangements are by Demers-Desmond Funeral Home, 34 Cushing St., Brunswick. Condolences to the family may be expressed by visiting
www.desmondfuneralhomes.com.