Shirley Jean (Stedman) Whittemore

SKOWHEGAN – It is with great sadness, mixed with joy, that my husband John and I announce the passing of my mother Shirley at her home on Thursday, February 10, 2022. Sadness, because she is physically gone from us; joy, because she is now healed and has joined my dad, her beloved Henry J., whom she has been missing these past 8 years.

She was a warm, inviting, and kind person who would help anyone, without hesitation or reservation, whenever she could, going the extra mile for many and often done in a quiet way without others knowing. She touched many lives in a variety of ways in her 94 years.

Shirley Jean Stedman was born at home in Hartland, Maine, on January 28, 1928, to Vernard Vaille Stedman and Jean Emery Aseneth Corson Stedman. It was a frigid day, and Dr. Charles Moulton arrived on his Model T snowmobile to aid in her delivery. She was the middle child of five: Arland, Charlene, Shirley, Vaughn, and Dolores (Dodie.) She grew up in a loving family where everyone had a certain task regardless of his or her age. She remembered lots of laughs and togetherness. Roller skating at the Blue Moon in Hartland was one of her favorite activities as a young person, and it was there that she first met Henry who took a shine to the shy girl with the chocolate, twinkling eyes. She also enjoyed artwork and writing poetry.

Music played a big role in her family. She always enjoyed family get-togethers which often would include singing with folks playing various instruments such as a banjo, an accordion, a fiddle, and a piano. Music continued to be a vital part of her life.

In her teenage years, during summers and falls, she worked afternoons and evenings in the packing room at Baxter’s Canning Factory in Hartland and later in Corinna, as well. On one occasion, the Corinna plant closed early, and she had to walk all the way back home to Hartland. In the spring, the Hartland factory’s nearby field was loaded with field strawberries, and people from all over town, including her own family, would take their lard buckets and fill them to the brim with the tasty berries. Once home, a large pan of strawberry shortcake was baked and topped with hand-whipped cream. Strawberry shortcake was a favorite dessert her entire life. Shirley also waitressed after school some days at a local restaurant and hated it, but it gave her some spending money. Lawyer, Perry Furbush hired her for various jobs and taught her how to do bookkeeping when she was around the age of twelve. That was the start of her love for bookkeeping.

Shirley attended Hartland Academy where she was active in drama, glee club, band (playing the trombone), various sports, and was elected to the National Honor Society. She graduated in 1946 as Valedictorian of her class. She attended the University of Maine at Orono for one year and was elected to the N’ai Mathai Honor Society.

She then married the love of her life, Henry James Whittemore, on September 5, 1947 and moved to Skowhegan where she began working at Skow Moccasins Shoe Factory. In 1956, she and Henry had a daughter named Toni Jo. Shirley attended Skowhegan Business School and the American Institute of Banking. In 1949, she went to work at Depositor’s Trust Co. which later became Key Bank. She started as a Bookkeeper, then advanced to Teller, Loan Officer, Personnel & Office Manager and finally became Assistant Vice President. She loved nothing better than to reconcile a customer’s messed up account. She loved the challenge of figuring it out. She retired in 1990 after 41 years of service. Early on in her career she enrolled in the Dorothy Carnegie course, which changed that shy girl Henry married into someone who got involved in everything, thus causing him to get involved in many of her projects. Thankfully, he did it all in good humor.

Some of the organizations that she was affiliated with were: Skowhegan Bi-Centennial Committee, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Mary Holland Advisory Board, Treasurer of Holland School Building Committee, Girl Scout Troop Leader, Board Member and Treasurer of Skowhegan Chamber of Commerce, Board Member and Treasurer of Skowhegan Community Action Group (SCAG), Co-Organizer of “Getting To Know You Fair”, Community Chorus, Community Band, Charter Member and Treasurer of Dollars for Scholars program for which she was elected to the Skowhegan Area High School National Honor Society for her Dollars for Scholars work, American Institute of Banking instructor for Thomas College, Co-Founder of Skowhegan Log Days and Bean-Hole-Bean Dinners, March of Dimes Walk-a-thon, volunteer for Somerset County United Way, and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program and committee member of the Margaret Chase Smith Day programs.

Town committees she served on were: Wage Compensation Board, Traffic Committee, Second Bridge Committee, Heritage Council, Charter Commission Committee Chairperson, Citizen Review Board, Charter Member and Treasurer of Operation T. P., Inc., and the Shirley J. Stedman Whittemore 100-year Certificate of Deposit.

Community Service involved her family trio entertainment for several organizations, the Just Us music group performing for nursing homes, etc., Cast Member of the “Carpenter’s Son” production and the Lion’s Club’s “Paint Your Wagon” production. She performed as the Clown Cop for the Chamber Christmas parades and drew hundreds of caricatures for Chamber “celebrities.” She was an Executive Board Member and Secretary of Skowhegan Woman’s Aid Society, and Choir Director for the clients (her “kids”) at the Lorna C. Dill Center. Some of the awards she received for her service were: Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge #2531 1982 Citizen of the Year Award, dedication of the 1990 Skowhegan Annual Report, 1994 Jefferson Award, 1999 “This is Your Life” Ceremony, 2014 Alton W. Whittemore Award for her lifetime of service to the Skowhegan region, and 2014 Somerset County Spirit of America Award.

As a member of Centenary United Methodist Church, she served as Trustee, Building Committee, Finance Chair, Choir member and Director, pianist, working on and organizing community dinners, and co-manager and treasurer of the Diner at the Skowhegan State Fairgrounds. She volunteered at Camp Mechuwana in Winthrop on the annual work weekends and during those times doubled as the worship director. She was a member of the Skowhegan Ecumenical Council, a local Lay Speaker, Conference Lay Leader, and a Stephen’s Minister.

She made numerous banners, designed and helped produce several parade floats, and sewed and constructed embellishments for costumes for the drive-thru Nativity production. Shirley was a chicken pie crust-roller extraordinaire, rolling out thousands of pie crusts over the years.

Her hobbies included making music, reading, doing crosswords, painting ceramics, drawing and painting with oil pastels, writing poetry, watching the clouds, writing, riding in the countryside (anywhere!), riding to Jackman, going on picnics, doing crafts, bookkeeping, camping and spending summers at the camp in Hartland which she and Henry built (another learning experience) when they first got married, and singing with her family. Summer at camp was when her sister Dodie and brother-in-law Phil came to Maine to visit for a few weeks, always an enjoyable time. She was self-taught in many things – playing the piano and other instruments, drawing and painting, sewing costumes without patterns, and carpentering, to name a few.

Nothing daunted her; she would tackle any job. If she didn’t know how to do it, she would figure it out as she went. She had a determination to finish jobs when others might give them up.

Following a couple of strokes, Shirley was not able to participate fully in the organizations to which she belonged, but her heart was with them, and she still kept abreast of their activities. Rest was not in her vocabulary! Being an independent person, she reluctantly accepted help at home for a time from caregiver Dawn Bersani, who took it all in stride.

She celebrated her 94th birthday on Jan. 28th with several bouquets of flowers, phone calls, and visits from family, friends, and one puppy! She hoped that in her lifetime, she might, perhaps, have inspired folks to get involved in the community, join an organization or a church, or do a kind deed for someone.

Shirley is survived by her daughter Toni Jo and her husband John Blaisdell of Skowhegan and her sister-in-law Janet Stedman of Hartland as well as many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Henry J. Whittemore of Skowhegan, her parents, Vernard and Jean Stedman of Hartland, her siblings Arland Vernard Stedman and his wife Adele of Hartland, Charlene Clara Stedman Bartley and her husband Lewie of Shawmut, Vaughn Adair Stedman of Hartland, and Florence Dolores (Dodie) Stedman Gardner and her husband Philip of Lexington, Ohio, all of Henry’s siblings and their spouses, several nieces, nephews and friends.

Thanks go out to the caring folks at Beacon Hospice for their loving treatment of Mom. Also, a heartfelt thank you to Cyndie Pierce who treated Mom with love, respect, and kindness in her final days.You were a blessing.

Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at Smart & Edwards Funeral Home, 183 Madison Ave. in Skowhegan. Visitation will be from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Masks are required, please.

Burial at Pine Grove Cemetery in Hartland, and a Celebration of Life at Centenary United Methodist Church will take place later in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Centenary United Methodist Church, PO Box 630, Skowhegan, Maine 04976.