SWEDEN – Beverly Jean (Finnemore) Forbus passed away on August 17, 2022 at her home in Sweden, Maine. She was born on Nov. 4, 1937 to Harry and Thera (Gardiner) Finnemore at the home of her maternal grandparents in South Solon.

As she grew up, her family lived in several locations in Maine including the Gardiner homestead in Solon; in Springvale and Old Orchard, which were close to the shipyards where her father worked; and Athens, where her mother was a school teacher and her father was a farmer. The family lived on a dairy farm on Stickney Hill in Athens from 1946 until 1952 when the buildings caught fire in the night. No one was injured, but the family lost everything. For many years, she enjoyed visiting the homestead with her children, passing down stories of her family and childhood.

Beverly graduated from Somerset Academy in Athens in 1955 and was a long time resident of central Maine, especially the towns of Hartland and St. Albans. She worked many jobs to support her family, including hand stitching moccasins at Medwed and Norwalk in Skowhegan and office work at the Irving Tanning in Hartland. She also worked as a local reporter for the Morning Sentinel, a bank teller at Maine National Bank, and as a certified nursing assistant in Hartland and Dover. These jobs provided the necessary income, but her creative talents were best employed as a florist, a ceramics instructor, and an excellent baker. She owned her own floral and craft shops and was the proprietor of the Park House restaurant in Hartland. Beverly was devoted to her five children and six grandchildren, and to her surviving husband, Earl Forbus, to whom she was married for nearly 40 years.

After retiring, Bev and Earl relocated to the town of Sweden in southwestern Maine where she was active in the local community, especially as a volunteer in the Bridgton Hospital Cafe. Her favorite pastimes included playing contract rummy, sewing and crocheting, shopping for vintage items at flea markets, and cooking meals for family. She was also interested in state and local history, belonging to several historical societies in the towns where she resided.

Beverly will be dearly missed by her family and many friends. While married to Elwood Prouty from 1955 to 1976, Beverly had five children. She is survived by her husband Earl Forbus of Sweden; her children, Karen Prouty (Mark Rollins) of Scarborough, Karla Prouty of Portland, Kevin Prouty (Marie Lagman) of Lynnfield, Mass., Karole Clark (Lucky) of Sweden, and Ken Prouty of Lansing, Mich.; her grandchildren, Sean Rollins of Mukilteo, Wash., Ryan and Kyle Prouty of Lynnfield, Mass., Kaden Clark of Sweden, and Allison and Simon Prouty of Lansing, Mich.; her siblings, Norman Finnemore (Joan), George Finnemore (Barbara), Sandra Peterson (Ron), and Harry Finnemore, Jr. She was predeceased by her parents; her sister Barbara Finnemore, and her sister-in-law Donnice (Downs) Finnemore.

A graveside service will be held for Beverly Forbus on Saturday Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. at Mount Rest cemetery located at the intersection of Academy Street and the Back Road in Athens. Immediately after the service, her family will welcome all at a luncheon in her honor at the Somerset Academy.

The family requests that

in honor of Beverly’s

memory, monetary donations be made to:

Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice

Attn. Development Office

15 Strawberry Ave.

Lewiston, ME 04240

To honor Beverly’s spirit of volunteerism, please consider donating time to volunteer for a worthy cause

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