Jean Fogg found joy in every part of her life and loved to help others, but she also loved to win, even during family cribbage games.
Fogg, 82, died March 19 in a house fire in the Penobscot County town of Winn, family members told the Bangor Daily News. Two adults and three children escaped the fire.
Fogg’s name has not been released by officials because identification is still pending through the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire, spokesperson Shannon Moss said.
“She’s just a pillar in our life,” her great-niece Stephanie Thurlow-Shain said.
No matter the situation, Fogg could make people laugh and she was always in good spirits, Thurlow-Shain said.
Fogg was known as “Moo Moo” to her grandchildren. That title was earned because of the love, care and laughter she gave to those who love her, grandson Shawn Scott said.
For more than 50 years Fogg worked in masonry and cement. Multiple family members described Fogg as one of the toughest women they’ve ever met. She would lead work crews and could outwork the young men on the crews, Thurlow-Shain said.
Fogg’s nephew, Eric Thurlow, credited her with turning him into one of the best workers possible. She had a great sense of humor but also didn’t hesitate to set someone straight, including her husband, Thurlow said.
“She didn’t just help build structures, she helped build a life, a legacy, and a family foundation that will stand just as strong,” Scott said. “She didn’t do it alone. By her side was her loving husband, Ray Fogg. The two of them [were] a true team in every sense of the word.”
Ray Fogg died in 2024, after 40 years of marriage.
After a long day at work, Jean Fogg would go home and cook dinner. She also knit countless socks, hats and mittens and donated them to people and kids in need, her family said.
“She was rarely still — if she sat down, it was only to knit,” grandson Gary Scott said. “I remember the soft clicking of her needles, the way she could talk and laugh without ever losing her place, and how she always seemed to know exactly who needed something warm before winter even arrived.”
Fogg was a prolific canner, and she’d fill jars with fiddleheads, tomatoes and green beans, Gary Scott said. Her garden was full of vegetables she loved to share with others.
“She put care and effort into everything she did, never cutting corners and always making sure others were taken care of first,” Shawn Scott said. “Her generosity showed in both big and small ways — whether it was giving her time, sharing what she had, or simply offering kindness when someone needed it most.”
The Winn community has donated lots of clothes to the family who lost their house, as well as money to help, Thurlow-Shain said. They hope to schedule a funeral once Fogg’s body is released from the medical examiner.
“Once we’re able to actually mourn her it’ll be a little bit better,” Thurlow-Shain said. “Right now it is tough, and I think everybody’s just trying to push through each day.”