Stella M. (Gagne) Roberts

Stella G. Roberts, 89, of North Berwick, ME, formerly of Concord, NH, died peacefully on Sunday, August 26, 2018, at the Bellamy Fields Assisted Living Facility in Dover, NH, with her children by her side.

Born in Sanford, ME, on February 19, 1929, Stella Marie was the fourth of five children of Amedee and Imelda (Ross) Gagne. A child of the Great Depression, Stella assisted from an early age in the operation of the family business, Gagne’s Supermarket. She graduated Saint Ignatius High School and attended Saint Joseph College in Standish, ME. During a summer outing to Wells Beach she met the love of her life, Harland Roberts, of North Berwick, whom she married in 1950. Following Harland’s military service at Fort Bragg, NC, and Korea, they settled in Concord and raised their family.

Stella worked for the NH Department of Health & Human Services as a statistician and welfare fraud investigator. Upon retiring to North Berwick in 1987, she enjoyed the company of nearby siblings and extended family. She also found pleasure in traveling Europe and Central America, visiting Canadian cousins, and researching the Gagne-Ross family genealogy. She delighted in preparing holiday feasts for her family, attending her grandchildren’s activities, hosting fall leave-raking parties at the farm, and sharing her Bauneg Beg Lake camp with friends and family. Stella particularly treasured her late night book reads, and a succession of faithful dogs.

She will be greatly missed by her son, Stephen (Paula) Roberts of Concord, NH; her daughters, Susan (Kenneth) Craigue of Concord, NH, and Martha Roberts (Merrell Clarke) of Springvale, ME; and 12 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren. She is survived by a brother, Roger (Aline) Gagne, of Sanford, ME, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Stella was predeceased by Harland, her devoted husband of 66 years, who died in 2017, and by siblings Donald Gagne, Doris Camire and Ruth Smith.

The family expresses heartfelt thanks to the Bellamy Fields staff for its skillful care and kind support.

An hour of visitation will be held at 12pm followed by a funeral service at 1pm on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at the Johnson Funeral Home, 26 Market Street, North Berwick, ME.  A reception and refreshments will follow at the Bethel Christian Church, 129 Lower Main Street, North Berwick. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Stella’s name to the Great Works Regional Land Trust, P.O. Box 151, South Berwick, ME, 03908, or to the Alzheimer’s Association of Maine, 383 US Route One #2C, Scarborough, ME, 04074.

For additional information, or to share fond memories and expressions of sympathy, please visit the funeral home’s website at www.JohnsonFuneralHomeME.com.

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