Sargentville, Va.
Virginia Simmons passed away at the age of 92 at the Island Nursing Home in Deer Isle on Feb. 22, 2021, with many health issues. She was born on April 14, 1928, the daughter of Fred Saunders and Olive (Nevell) Saunders.
She graduated from Sedgwick High School in 1946, the last class to graduate from that high school. Soon after graduation she married her first husband, Lawrence E. Torrey Sr., and they had five children together and lived in Brooklin, Bucksport and Addison. At the time Virginia was in Addison, she worked at packing sardines in Jonesport and Addison while raising their five children. They then moved to Bangor for a short period of time, where she worked in the cafeteria on the Bangor Campus of UM. They eventually moved back to Sedgwick to run a farm that was left to Lawrence by his father. They stayed at the farm for just a few years working the farm, raking blueberry grounds and raising vegetable gardens.
In 1980, Lawrence passed away suddenly. A few years following, she had met Herbert Simmons and they married in 1984. She moved to Sargentville with Herbert and he later passed away.
While living in Sargentville, Virginia worked for the U.S. Postal Service filling in for other postal employees in a number of post offices in the area. She continued to be very active in the community, belonging to a number of clubs and committees. She was a lifelong member of the Rebekahs Lodge No. 87; Arbutus Grange No. 24 and the Sedgwick Historical Society. She was also involved with maintaining the Sargentville Chapel making reservations, keeping it clean and getting it ready for the next event to be held there. Being very passionate about flowers, she always kept the flower boxes filled at the chapel. She was also a member of the Thursday Club and the treasurer of the Pine Grove Cemetery. Because she was so active in the community people often thought of her as being the “Mother of Sargentville.” She was a big collector of dolls and coins. You could find dolls all over her house. She loved her home and her flower gardens. She enjoyed doing the Word Jumbles in the BDN every day, playing dominoes and putting puzzles together. She was a member of the North Sedgwick Baptist Church.
Those who predeceased Virginia besides her parents were her first husband, Lawrence E. Torrey Sr., second husband Herbert N. Simmons; daughter Rena M. Ames, son-in-law Gene Ames and son-in-law Peter Thompson. She also had four siblings predecease her: Granville Saunders, Kay Owen, Mary Owen and Fred Saunders. She leaves behind her four remaining children: Julia A. Comeau (Herbert) of Addison and Deland, Fla., Elizabeth (Betty) Thompson in Addison, Lawrence E. Torrey Jr. (Glenda) in Blue Hill and Timmy L. Torrey (Joan) in Hancock. She has nine grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews. She also leaves behind many special friends such as Judy Herrick and daughter Lori, who prepared many meals and canned jams, jellies and pickles for her, and her only remaining member of the “Rosebuddy Group” was Deb Marshall of Little Deer Isle, who spent many hours with her putting puzzles together and playing dominoes.
For those who wish to make donations in Virginia’s memory, they can be made to the Sargentville Chapel Circle, 502 Reach Road, Sargentville, ME 04673; or At Home, P.O. Box 1107, Blue Hill, ME 04614; or one of your own choice.
A celebration of life will be held in the spring.
Arrangements by Acadia Burial and Cremation Direct, Ellsworth. Condolences may be expressed at www.acadiacremation.com