BELGRADE/WATERVILLE – Phronie Arline (Guptill) Hammond, 97, a native and long-time resident of Belgrade, passed peacefully at Lakewood Continuing Care in Waterville on Jan. 7, 2021.

Phronie was born on the Guptill Farm in Belgrade on Nov. 27, 1923, the daughter of the late Rosselle Nat and Maude Susan (Yeaton) Guptill.

She graduated from Belgrade High School in 1942 and married her beloved husband, Reginald Thompson Hammond, on Feb. 13, 1943 in Gardiner. Reggie and Phronie enjoyed 61 years of marriage until his passing on April 2, 2004.

As a dedicated homemaker, wife, mother, and grandmother, she and Reggie raised their two daughters, Cheryl and Jan, and grandson Randy at their home in Belgrade Depot.

Through the years, Phronie was active as a volunteer with several community organizations. Whether it was donating her time and energy with Girl Scouting, serving on the Board of the Belgrade Regional Health Center during its formative years, as an active member of the KVM Club, or as an ever-willing volunteer at countless public suppers in Belgrade, Phronie always gave back to the local community which she loved and valued.

Be it touring California, Baltimore, Washington D.C., or the Canadian Maritimes with her husband, Phronie had a keen interest in the world and enjoyed the life experiences that travel afforded her. At the age of 81, she embraced the opportunity to travel to Europe. In visiting the Netherlands and Switzerland, she experienced both the beauty of the Dutch tulip fields in full bloom and the snows of the Alps. But she could not be more content to simply visit locales throughout her beloved State of Maine.

After living in Belgrade for 87 years, Phronie moved to Granite Hill Estates in Hallowell in April 2010, where she became an active member of the Granite Hill community, serving on the Welcome, Library, and Garden Committees. She enjoyed her daily walks, swimming in the pool, and exercise classes. In 2014 she moved to the Granite Hills’ Martha Ballard Assisted Living facility for increased care. Due to a second hip-break in December 2017, Phronie relocated to Lakewood Continuing Care in Waterville.

Some of her fondest memories would be fishing for hours on Rangeley or Moosehead Lake, perch fishing on Great Pond, tending her beautiful flower and vegetable gardens, and those moments of simply surrounding herself with family at the dining table. She was a wonderful, classic Maine cook and well known for her cookies and pies. Her grandchildren were particularly fond of her whoopie pies and chocolate chip cookies.

She had a positive outlook on life and always considered herself fortunate for the life she led, the husband she married, the loving family which surrounded her, and the countless friends who enriched her life.

She is survived by two daughters, Cheryl Susan Hammond of Baltimore, Md., and Janice Elaine Porter and husband Eric of Oakland; three grandsons, Peter John Perry of Auburn, Randall Alan Hammond and husband Andrew Thomas of Westport, Conn., and Justin Eric Porter and wife Sarah Kilbourne of Richmond, Va., two granddaughters, Monica Jo Bordick and husband Michael of Baltimore, Md., and Chelsi Kate Boiardi and husband Michael of Cumberland, R.I. She is also survived by 10 great-grandchildren, Chandler, Dylan, Casey, Dawson, Wyatt, and Colton Bordick; Anson and Ella Perry; and Cameron and Julian Boiardi. Phronie is also survived by sister, Verna and husband Clifton “Skip” Hammond, sister-in-law, Janet Austin; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by seven older brothers and sisters, Hazel (Guptill) Mills in 1976, Robert Guptill in 1982, Vivian Guptill in 1910, Dorothy (Guptill) Dolloff in 1979, Orville Guptill in 2002, Lillian (Guptill) Bickford in 1974, and Althea Guptill in 1925.

The family would like to extend a note of gratitude to those family, friends, and staff at Lakewood Continuing Care and Beacon Hospice that made her life as comfortable as possible for past several years.

A graveside service will be held in the spring at Pine Grove Cemetery in Belgrade. Arrangements are by Wheeler Funeral Home of Oakland.

An online guestbook may be signed, and memories shared at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com

Arrangements are by Wheeler Funeral Home and Cremation Care, 26 Church St., Oakland.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make memorial donations to the

Belgrade Fire and Rescue Association,

P.O. Box 404,

Belgrade, ME 04917.