Alice Lilienthal Flagg

WINTHROP – Alice Lilienthal Flagg, of Winthrop, passed away on Sept. 8, 2020. Alice was born on Feb. 3, 1943, in Rockland, Maine, to Rockland Police Chief, George William Lilienthal and Alice Henrietta Brown Lilienthal, the third of four children. She was predeceased by her husband, Lewis Flagg, in the spring of 2020, and her three brothers, Arthur, George, and Frank. Alice grew up on the banks of the Wessaweskeag River in South Thomaston, and began her education there in a one room schoolhouse. She continued on to graduate from Rockland High School in 1961 and then earned a Bachelor’s degree in teaching from Gorham State Teacher’s College in 1966. While working college summer breaks at H. H. Crie’s hardware store in Rockland, she met the love of her life, and in June of 1966, she married Lewis Nelson Flagg of Waldoboro. Shortly after their wedding, Lt Flagg was called to serve at Fort Benning, Ga., where Alice worked as a secretary for the incoming officers while her husband was away in Vietnam. After Lt Flagg returned from the war, he and Alice moved back to Maine and bought a lovely old farmhouse in Winthrop in 1968. Over the next 52 years, in that home and always by Lewis’ side, she would raise a family, take daily walks with her beloved black labs, open a gift shop, turn out numerous delectable (and occasionally disastrous) baked goods, create and tend her many beautiful gardens, and graciously host visitors from all around the world. Alice was active in her Winthrop community as a member of organizations including Eastern Star (50 years), CODA chorus, the United Methodist Church, Cumston Area Quilters, and the Winthrop School Board. Many folks still remember her as “Mrs. Flagg”, having had her as a teacher either in 3-4th grade or at Wonder Awhile Nursery School. Passionate about literacy, she later became the first in the area to be certified in the Wilson Reading System, tutoring adults and children alike. She was especially proud to have taught an older gentleman student of hers how to read for the very first time.Alice was a prolific, humble craftswoman who had a knack for making just about anything. She carefully studied how things were put together and then took a stab at making her own. Her diverse creations ranged from designing and building furniture to sewing ornate quilts and wall hangings, from wiring lamps and assembling lampshades to constructing a grandfather’s clock (from a kit, she would modestly disclaim). She loved music and so made her own through singing and playing the clarinet, piano, and guitar. She often shared her musical gifts in her classrooms, at church, and through CODA chorus. She also loved being on or near the water and so, together with her husband, bought and learned how to sail a 19 foot O’Day sailboat “down home”, off the coast of Spruce Head.Alice was known as a generous and thoughtful mom, grammy, aunt, sister, and friend who always remembered birthdays and special occasions with a card, a phone call, a gift or all three. She was happiest making and giving one of a kind, handmade gifts for her family and close friends, getting her hands dirty, either in her gardens or amidst any number of her painting or home improvement projects, and feeling the wind on a crisp, autumn day. She loved a cup of tea under any circumstances, making biscuits or applesauce in her kitchen in the warmth of her grandmother’s cherished antique wood cook stove on a cold winter’s day, and telling stories of her time growing up on the “Keag”. She especially cherished the time she spent with her children and grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and their children. It was most important to her that they all knew how special they were and how much they were loved. Alice is survived by her two children and their spouses, Laurie Flagg Inacio and husband Bruno of Brunswick, and Gregory Flagg and wife Melissa of Paisley, Fla.; six grandchildren, Lindsey, Joshua, and Benjamin Stevens of St Paul, Minn., Samantha Flagg of Paisley, Fla., and Manuel and Samuel Inacio of Brunswick; along with numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews. A service celebrating and honoring Alice’s life will be held later this year. Arrangements are in the care of Roberts Funeral Home, 62 Bowdoin St., Winthrop. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the funeral home website at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.comIn lieu of flowers,donations can be made to:Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens or:Learning Disabilities Association of Maine

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