Blue Hill
Jacqueline Fern (Pinney) Dunbar, 99, of Blue Hill, passed away on July 14, 2022, at Parker Ridge Retirement Community after a short period of declining health. Jackie was born in Springfield, Mass., on April 19, 1923, the elder daughter of the late Mildred Fern (Clark) and Alonzo Raymond Pinney. She grew up on Edgewood Avenue in Longmeadow. She attended the Northfield School for Girls, matriculating with the Class of 1940.
Jackie was a polite, modest, kind woman. She attended Connecticut College in New London. During World War II, women were encouraged by the War Department to shift their degree paths to science and technology in order to free up men for the war effort. She switched her major from music and went on to earn a degree in math and chemistry, graduating early in 1944.
After graduation, Jackie was employed in a New Jersey-based laboratory making desalination kits for the U.S. military during the later stages of World War II. In subsequent years, she worked in local government, schools and volunteered for various charitable groups.
She was married to Norman C. Dunbar in Longmeadow on Jan. 11, 1947. They lived their married life in Mount Holly, N.J., North Tonawanda, N.Y., and Princeton, Mass., before retiring to Deer Isle in 1991 and, after Norman’s passing, to Blue Hill in 2013.
Jackie’s love of music was lifelong. She particularly enjoyed singing in church choirs through much of her adult life. She spent much family time traveling around New England with Norman (a piper) and her sons at Highland Games, parades and other Scottish events. She and Norman enjoyed several trips overseas. She was an avid bridge player all of her adult life and enjoyed daily games of “Hand and Foot” with several good friends at Parker Ridge.
Jackie leaves her sons, Bruce Dunbar and wife, Sue, of New Salem, Mass., and John Dunbar and wife, Cynthia, of Sargentville; two grandsons, Gregory Dunbar (Aubrey) of Los Angeles, Calif., and Cameron Dunbar of New Salem, Mass., as well as her niece Jenny McGregor (Brent) of Nashua, N.H., nephews Tim Shea (Barbara) of Amherst, N.H., Matt Shea (Margaret) of Ellington, Conn., Peter (Robin) Samson of Portland, Ore., and Andre Samson of Shoreline, Wash., and their families.
She was predeceased by her husband after over 65 years together; her sister, Janet (Pinney) Shea recently, and niece Debbie Samson Fouse.
A short celebration of life and fellowship will be held Monday, Aug. 15, at 1 p.m. in the community room at Parker Ridge. A private interment will be held at Hillside Cemetery in Sunset.
In lieu of flowers, gifts are welcome to Maine Public Radio, 1450 Lisbon St., Lewiston, ME 04240.