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Carole Chamberlain
April 25, 2022

Obituary

CAPE PORPOISE- Carole Ann (Bigelow) Chamberlain of Cape Porpoise, Maine, formerly of Still River, Massachusetts and Hills Beach, Maine, died peacefully at Cape Memory Care in Cape Elizabeth, Maine surrounded by family on April 25, 2022.

Carole was born in Still River, Massachusetts on July 31, 1933, daughter of Lawrence and Ena (Hamilton) Bigelow. She grew up on the Bigelow Dairy Farm and attended Bromfield High School and Becker Junior College where she studied to be a medical secretary. She married Harley Chamberlain of Spencer, Iowa in 1954 and together they founded Harvard Glass and Auto Body on Ayer Road in Harvard in 1959. Carole and Harley lived in Still River for 30 memorable years where they ran their business and raised their three children, Chad, Bart, and Holly.

Carole had an elegant, commanding presence and raucous laugh. She enjoyed entertaining, and over the years hosted countless dinner parties and celebrations for friends and family. She was a phenomenal cook, and many of her recipes live on with her loved ones. She loved to decorate for the holidays and was always proud of her home. Carole believed in hard work and elbow grease, and expected the same of those around her.

Carole loved the ocean. Carole and Harley vacationed for years on Cape Cod and later purchased property on Hills Beach in Southern Maine, where they spent many summers sailing around Basket Island and walking on the beach. They retired to Channel Cove in Biddeford, Maine and more recently to Kennebunk, Maine, where Harley passed away in 2011. In the final years of her life, Carole resided in Cape Porpoise, where she watched the tides and the lobster boats from her window.

In retirement, Carole dedicated much of her time to helping others, selflessly taking care of neighbors and friends in need. She had a special friendship with Cal Mahoney of Kennebunk, and cherished the hours she spent as his companion, meeting him at the school bus stop and helping him read after school.

Carole loved her family unconditionally, and was a strong presence in the lives of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is survived by her brother, John Bigelow and his wife Carla of Shirley, Massachusetts; son Chad and wife Fernanda Canales of Goshen, Vermont; son Bart and partner Joyce Sawtelle of Hollis, Maine; and daughter Holly and her husband Stephen Ross of Kennebunkport, Maine. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Emily Chamberlain Adams and husband Morgan of Duxbury, Vermont; Ben Chamberlain and wife Gabrielle (Raymond) of Medford, Massachusetts; and Ella Ross and James Ross, both of Montreal. She also leaves behind two great grandchildren, Owen and Eliza Adams, as well as many extended family members and friends whom she loved dearly.

The family would like to give a heartfelt thank you to Marge Smith and Cynthia Doolittle who cared for Carole in her later years, and for the management and staff at Cape Memory Care and Beacon Hospice who cared for Carole in the final week of her life.

A Celebration of Life service is planned at the Church on the Cape, 3 Langsford Road, Cape Porpoise, Maine, on June 25, 2022, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Kennebunkport Public Health Nursing Services, 101A Main Street, Kennebunkport, Maine, 04046 (please ensure checks indicate the donation is for nursing services). Donations may also be sent to the Church on the Cape, PO Box 2740, Kennebunkport, Maine 04046.





Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com

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Chad E. Poitras Cremation & Funeral Service
498 Long Plains Road
Buxton, ME 04093
207-929-3723