CALAIS – Barbara Abercrombie, 95, daughter of the late Maine Chief Justice Harold Hale and Jessie Ross Murchie of Calais, died April 24, 2012, at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, Scarborough, after a stroke.
Born and raised in Calais, Barbara lived “away” with her husband, Bob for 35 years, but they returned each summer and then moved back home upon their retirement. They had two children, David and Susan; and one grandchild, David Jr. Barb was a person of many interests and talents. A graduate of Wellesley College with a degree in music, she was a singer in various choirs and choral groups, including concert tours in England and Europe and the Soviet Union. She served as the organist at St. Anne’s from 1977 to 2003. Toward the end of her tenure at the organ console, she brought in a student assistant, who learned much from her and received the same compensation when he played as she did on her Sundays. She was a silversmith in Boston before her marriage, a potter, an artist with glazes and with ink and with stencils for silk screening. She braided rugs, and taught others the craft. She knitted and sewed, and shared her knowledge of those skills. She could use virtually any tool, equally well with either hand, and helped to build several structures, including her mother’s garage. Jessie Murchie was a member of Calais Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, and Barb more or less inherited her mother’s chair. Barb took up that position enthusiastically, and served as the secretary to the trustees, and on the quality assurance committee, and on the committee to recruit physicians to come to Calais. She volunteered – among others! – to spend time each week to microfilm the hospital’s mountains of old paper patient files, years before the move to digital records. She also donated gallons of blood, of a rare and much wanted type, at the quarterly blood drives at the hospital. Always happy on the water, whether fresh or salt, Barb was introduced to sailing five years after her retirement, on a windjammer schooner, which is a member of Maine Windjammer Association fleet. Embracing this experience with her usual zest, Barb sailed with her daughter at least one week each summer for 25 years. She helped to raise the sails, and to tack the headsails, and also to “crank anchor” in the first 10 years or so. She made friends and gained respect and love on Penobscot Bay as she did everywhere. Her shipmates have missed her since increasing infirmity forced her to give up those adventures at 90. Barb loved the young, and the old, and those in between. She taught children to swim, at the municipal pool. She led a water aerobics group at Motor Inn’s indoor pool for several years because she needed it and so did others in Calais and St. Stephen. She reached out to welcome those “from away” who were trying to find their roots in Calais. And to anyone who seemed to be looking for assistance. Whenever she saw a need, Barb was there. When anyone asked for her help, whether for a small favor or the need to move mountains, she was there. Rest in peace, Barb. You will be missed by many, who will try to live by your example.
She is survived by her daughter, who enjoyed the privilege of caring for her in Portland for the last few years when she could no longer live alone; several nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and by yet another expanding generation.
A memorial service, to celebrate her life and her love of life is scheduled 2 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 30, at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Calais. In lieu of flowers, Barb’s family suggests donations to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, Church Street, Calais, ME 04619; Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, 11 Hunnewell Road, Scarborough, ME 04074; or Station Maine, 75 Mechanic St., Rockland, ME 04841 – a no-charge rowing program for all ages, but particularly for young people, in the midcoast region.