LEWISTON – Erlene (Hagan-Allen) Salldin passed away peacefully on July 18, 2023. She was born Feb. 26, 1948, and grew up on Munjoy Hill in Portland, Maine. She took pride in her roots and was always quick to share the stories of where she grew up. She loved to share her Polish ancestry by cooking borscht and potato pancakes at family gatherings.

Her career included over 40 years in education; mostly as a business educator at Oak Hill High School. She was a cherished local and state Future Business Leaders of America advisor, where she was known for helping her chapter win several state championships, instilling strong work ethics and confidence in her students, pushing them to do their best and making sure they were proud of who they were. She loved her students as if they were own children and continued to keep tabs on them and have frequent lunch dates with students years after graduation.

She was an active member of the Androscoggin Retired Education Association (AREA) and Delta Kappa Gamma, an international organization for women teachers.

She enjoyed binge watching shows and movies on Netflix with a bowl of popcorn with her husband John. She loved spending summer days on Maine beaches. She and John were always up for a traveling adventure. She loved shopping, always on the hunt for the perfect little gift for the next birthday or finding a good bargain. She loved decorating for the holidays, especially her grinches. In her rare downtime, she could often be found curled up with a good book or listening to Elvis. She was always looking for an opportunity to host a family gathering at her house, where it was known that you better come hungry and you wouldn’t leave empty handed.

Above all else, she cherished and adored being a Mimi to her 12 grandchildren: Madison, Emily, Anna, Dean, Lukas, Klara, Elsie, Jackson, Norah, Arthur, Ben, and Christopher. She never missed a birthday, graduation, extracurricular activity, a milestone, or an opportunity to make breakfast sandwiches with bacon for her children and grandchildren. How she managed to find gifts that no one else would ever think of or mail packages loaded with treats for any occasion, we will never know. She was the ultimate Mimi and will be missed immensely by her grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband John Salldin and her cat Brooklyn. Her children Jason and Ryan Lynn Allen, Eric and Heather Allen, Erin and Marco Cloutier, Jenny and Vimal Varughese, Tris and John Junkins, JC Salldin, and Will and Jaclyn Salldin. Her siblings Tina and John Cook and Leslie and Ray Cote. Dear friends Roger and Gina Fuller, Judy Rizk, Richard and Lorraine Mullins, Marc and Claudette Rodrigue, Oak Hill retired teachers, the Martel girls and many others. When in Erlene’s presence, one always felt loved and welcomed.

The family would like to extend a warm thank you to Dr. Jason Lachance and all of the staff associated with Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice. We are forever grateful.

Celebration of life will be at Marco’s Restaurant in Lewiston on Thursday, July 27, at 12 p.m.

Condolences and fond memories may be shared online at http://www.albert-burpee.com.

Arrangements under the care of the Albert & Burpee Funeral Home, 253 Pine Street, Lewiston, ME 04240.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in Erlene’s name be made to Androscoggin Retired Education Association (AREA) scholarship fund 36 Elliott Ave Lewiston, ME 04240 or to Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice 15 Strawberry Ave

Lewiston, ME 04240

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