In Remembrance~

Sharon Marie (Hanscom) Farnsworth passed on June 19, 2019 at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine with her husband of 44 years holding her hand. Sharon was a beautiful and wonderful wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt and friend. So humble and Kind. With open heart and hands, she provided care and attention to so many others. Sharon was born on February 24, 1956 at Bar Harbor hospital to Albert Raymond Hanscom III and Alice Lilian Fox and attended elementary schools in Ellsworth and then Trenton on the mainland but did graduate from Mount Desert Island High School in 1974 where her favorite subject was Home Economics. After graduating she began work at the Bar Harbor hospital in food services. On April 12, 1975 she married Peter Bion Farnsworth of Bar Harbor. They married at the little white country church in Trenton, Maine that Sharon loved to attend while growing up in Trenton. She then went with Peter up to Clayton Lake-T11 R14, in the North Maine Woods between the Allagash and St. John Rivers where Peter was employed as a Forest Technician for International Paper Co. and set up home in a tiny 8’ X 38’ mobile home. Sharon loved living at Clayton Lake where there were only 7 other permanent residents. She loved going out to Quebec, Canada to eat at the small French-Canadian restaurant in St. Justine. Margo Holden had been living at Clayton Lake for many years and had raised her children there and now took Sharon under her wing and taught her to be a Maine north woods woman. It was here that Sharon assisted Margo at the post office, registered deer and bear, went fishing and rambling the woods roads with her friend Paule, collected bugs for the Maine Forest Service entomology department, learned to fire a shotgun at a partridge, met her first bear and moose, picked fiddleheads, worked on all her sewing and needlepoint and embroidery crafts, and canoed and camped on the Allagash and St. John rivers. It was here at Clayton Lake that Sharon earned her CB radio handle of “Colgate Lady” for her dazzling “Colgate smile”. Sharon took part in establishing the library at Clayton Lake. Sharon and Peter’s first of 3 children- Sarah was born in Presque Isle in 1978 and is their “Clayton Lake/Allagash” baby. In 1980 Sharon supported Peter when he left Clayton Lake to go to Maine Bible Institute and see where life and God’s direction might lead them. It led them to Hartland-St. Albans area where Joshua was born at Waterville, Maine in 1981. In the last year of bible school, they moved to Greenfield, Maine where Peter was a student pastor of a small country church and Katherine was born in 1983 at Bangor, Maine. In August of 1983, after bible school, they moved to Stratton, Maine. It was here that for the next 36 years Sharon continued her work of caring and supporting her community. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes as a young pastor’s wife, raised her children and cared for a host of other children. Her door as well as her hands and heart were always open to anyone in need of care. She was a safe haven for many. She got involved in the local school, assisted in the library, worked as a cued speech assistant, helped with dispatch and support of the fire department. She absolutely loved to travel with Vernon Bean and Scotty Spatcher to help set up fireworks shows. She helped with elder care, literacy volunteers and cooked many a meal for a lot of folks. She became famous for her potato casserole recipe she obtained from her Kansas son-in-law Clinton. While living at Coburn Gore, Maine when Peter was working for the Immigration Service and Customs Service, she became the “Den Mother” to many of the officers stationed at the Port of Entry. Sharon loved to knit and sew and do craft projects. She loved to read and enjoyed being the assistant for her dear friend Wendy who is the Librarian of the Stratton Public Library. Sharon also loved her annual quilt shop hop trips around the state with Peter and her friends Liz and Sandi, and Tony and Frida. She loved going to camp at Donnell Pond, Franklin, Maine. She loved being a grandmother and a favorite aunt to her 4 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews and grandnieces and nephews. She loved friends and family. Picnics and dances. Country music not Classic. Birds and animals especially horses. Wind towers and Peace and quiet. In 2001 Sharon underwent her first heart procedure to correct a misfiring electrical heart impulse. In 2014 she had to undergo major heart surgery to perform a bypass and get a new aortic valve. It was during this operation that the surgeon discovered the aortic artery aneurysm and repaired it-undoubtedly saving her life. But it led to a difficult and dark 11 days in intensive care at Maine Medical Center in Portland and then rehabilitation in Sandy River rehab. in Farmington. But she did return to us in Stratton and picked up her work of care and support of her friends and family. She continued to give her heart unselfishly to others. And then her heart was too weak to fully support her other organs. She was admitted to Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington and received excellent care in attempts to control an onset of Atrial Fibrillation. But a major ventricular tachycardia episode resulted in transport to Maine Medical Center in Portland where the resulting degradation of vital organs could not be reversed to any meaningful quality of life and she now had the difficult courage to give her last bit of heart to her husband and children by sparing them from both hers and their further pain and struggle and quietly holding her husband’s hand allowed her creator God to take her hand from his and usher her into her heavenly home. Sharon is loved and remembered by her husband Peter; her daughter Sarah and husband Robert Sillanpaa and grandsons Wiekko and Bion of New Vineyard; son Joshua and wife Brandi and granddaughters Emma and Brenna of Stratton; daughter Katherine and husband Clinton Phillips of Wichita, Kansas; sister Trisha and husband Bill Howard of Trenton; sister Mary and husband Brian Gordius of Bass Harbor; and all their children, her great nieces and nephews, remaining aunts, uncles, cousins and all their families as well as all of her husbands’ family. She loves you all, each and every one. She is predeceased by her father Albert Raymond Hanscom III and her mother Alice Lilian (Fox)Hanscom. The family wishes to thank all the medical and support people of Franklin Memorial Hospital of Farmington and the entire cardiac care teams and nursing staff of Maine Medical Center in Portland for their devoted medical care and efforts throughout this difficult ordeal. You did not lose her, you merely let a kind and humble soul let go with dignity and courage. In lieu of flowers please donate to your local library or animal or horse rescue organization. Always be humble and kind. A celebration of Sharon’s life will be held on Sunday, July 14 at 11AM at the Stratton School in Stratton, Maine.