Marjorie Francis Wilkins Pannell

    Pannell, Marjorie F., 85, October 15, 2011.  Arrangements by Bowers Funeral Home.  Interment to be held at a later date.
    HOULTON – Marjorie Francis Wilkins Pannell, 85, passed away Oct. 15, 2011. Marjorie was born Sept. 14, 1926, in Richmond, Va., the daughter of Mary and James Wilkins.
    Marge spent the majority of her early years on a tobacco farm in rural Virginia, raised by her beloved grandparents, John and Daisy Brown. Her uncles, Jim, Julian and Tom Brown were her playmates, tormentors and lifelong best friends. Sadly, they all predeceased her.
    Marjorie attended college in Bluefield, Va., where she met her husband, Charles Pannell. Charles’ career as an engineer took the family to West Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois and California. Although Marge left Virginia in her 20s, she tenaciously clung to her southern drawl all 85 years of her life. Marge became a widow at age 40, when her husband was killed in an auto accident. After being a homemaker for 16 years, Marge promptly pulled herself up by her bootstraps, and enrolled in a community college. She graduated as a registered nurse the same year her two children graduated from high school. Marge spent 26 years welcoming babies into the world as a labor and delivery nurse. She loved her work, her co-workers and the families that she worked with.
    Marge loved to travel. She visited almost all of the United States. She traveled extensively in Europe, the Mediterranean and China. One of her favorite pastimes was to gather a car full of friends and to set out for who-knows-where. Marge always said, “Every road has to go somewhere.” She enjoyed the trip wherever it took her.
    Unafraid of change, Marge moved to Maine shortly before her 80th  birthday in order to be close to her daughter. She became active in United Methodist Church, Red Hats Club and a Monday afternoon card group. She participated in a book club, and she was always ready to go just about anywhere.
    Marge loved the natural beauty of Maine. She embraced the changing seasons. She was charmed by the community of Houlton and she was welcomed by many new friends.
    After she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Marge often reminisced about the creek on the farm where she was raised. As a young child she would climb up on a favorite rock in the creek and pretend it was a ship taking her all around the world. As her life unfolded, Marge traveled to more places and had more varied experiences than that young farm girl could have ever imagined. Marge felt that her life was blessed. She continued to be interested in big things and happy in small ways all of her life.
    Marge is survived by her daughter, Mary Pannell of Houlton; her son, Charles Pannell of Ripon, Calif; and two grandsons, Brandon Miller and Aaron Paul. If friends are truly the family we choose for ourselves, Marge is survived by a large extended family in Virginia, California and Maine.
    A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Houlton United Methodist Church. A private interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate in Marjorie’s memory to your local hospice. For an online memory book and to send condolences, please visit www.bowersfuneral.com.
    “In spite of illness, in spite of even the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things and happy in small ways …” -Edith Wharton