BREWER – Alberta B. Eaton passed on peacefully Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, at 2:15 p.m., in her sleep, at the age of 101. Alberta was born Sept. 12, 1910, in East Millinocket. The daughter of Charles Barker and Lilla Banks Barker, she was the eighth of 11 children.
The family lived on a farm in Brownville, and the kids had to walk several miles to school. Alberta’s sister, Lilla, was one of her teachers. The family moved to Bangor when she was a teenager, where she attended Bangor High School and graduated with honors. She also attended Beal’s College, where she earned an associate degree. She married Louis Vernon Eaton, in 1929, and moved to Brewer, where she lived for 83 years, most of that time at 149 Wilson St. There she raised four children, Louise Eaton of Los Angeles, who predeceased her, Marlene “Toni” Myers of LaVale, Md., Eugene of Long Beach, Calif., and David of Wake Forest, N.C. After Louis, her husband of 43 years, died in 1972, she worked for a number of years as a legal secretary for lawyer Mr. Wesley Archer in Brewer. She was an active member of and served as treasurer for Brewer Historical Society for several years. She was also a longstanding and active member of First Methodist Church of Brewer. For the past eight years she lived a happy and active life at the Ellen Leach Memorial Home, Brewer, where she had many friends and where she was loved and respected. Alberta embraced life with faith and joy, and she set an example that was hard to follow.
In addition to her children, she is also survived by her sister-in-law, Janet Barker; five grandchildren, David Eaton, Julie Knapp, Scott Miller, Andy Rist and Randy Myers; 12 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren; and many loving friends. Alberta will always be near us in our memories and prayers. “How lucky we are to have known someone who is so hard to say goodbye to!”
She will be laid to rest with her husband, Louis, in the spring at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Brewer. Funeral services will be held 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7, at Brookings-Smith, Brewer Chapel, 55 South Main St., Brewer, with the Rev. Dr. Tracy Reeves, pastor, of First United Methodist Church, Brewer, officiating. Relatives and friends are invited to call 2 p.m. until the time of service Saturday. The family invites folks to share conversation and refreshments at Brookings-Smith, Reception Rooms, 55 South Main St., after the service. Gifts in her memory may be made to Friends of Ellen Leach Memorial Home, 58 Colonial Circle, Brewer, ME 04412.