Ellsworth
Corinne G. Gifford
1927-2019
Corinne Gwendolyn Gifford passed away peacefully on Friday, April 19, 2019, at the age of 92.
Corinne was born on Feb. 22, 1927, in Lewiston, to Charles Wilmot and Zoa (Haynes) Gifford. She lived her childhood on her parents’ farm in Sidney, and looked forward to the arrival every summer of her Gifford cousins from Connecticut — Randall (“Junior”), Joyce and Janet. Her cousin Junior went on to become the founder of Gifford’s Ice Cream.
Corinne received her RN from Sisters of Charity, St. Vincent de Paul in Waterville, and took her nurse anesthetist training at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pa. She joined the staff at Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth in 1956, and was rightfully proud of the fact that she worked as a nurse for 50 years from 1956 until her retirement in 2006.
Corinne was predeceased by her brother, Erwin, in 1981; her father in 1983; her mother in 1994; and her longtime, dear friend and housemate, Alice Kinne in 2017. She will be remembered with a smile, for her contagious giggle and wonderful story telling, by all who knew her and especially her surviving cousins, her cousins’ children and the many friends she made along the way.
At Corinne’s request, there will be no visiting hours. A graveside service will be held for family and friends on Monday, July 22, 2019, at 11 a.m. at Pine Grove Cemetery, Belgrade, with the Rev. Robert Maddocks officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Messalonskee, P.O. Box 532, Oakland, ME 04963, which is dedicated to the preservation of Messalonskee Lake (where Corinne once had a summer camp) and its ecosystem.
An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.
Arrangements are by Wheeler Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 26 Church St., Oakland.