Margaret Lois (Chandler) Bragdon

PORTLAND – Margaret passed away peacefully on June 5, 2024, in the loving company of her children.

Survived by her partner of 67 years, Frederick F. Bragdon; and children, Frederick (Mari) Bragdon, Jennifer (Jennifer) Bragdon, Aymes (Cameron) Bragdon and Chris (Megan) Bragdon. She was a loving grandmother to Amatullah (Mohammed), Emmett, Marah, Chandler, Matthias, Greyson and Harper; and great-grandmother to Sandra, Nox and Aoife.

She was preceded in death by her parents Frederick and Gladys Chandler; and sister, Elizabeth Morse

Margaret grew up in Marion, Mass. and graduated from Wareham High School in 1955. She attended Bates College for two years where she met and began her relationship with Fred. In 1957, they welcomed their first child while living in Connecticut and working to finish their degrees. Having the fortunate experience to travel with Fred as he began his career in geology, the young family spent time in Wyoming and Alaska before settling down in Orono.

An adoptee herself, she and Fred soon after adopted 9-month-old Chris. In 2002, the family grew to include Chris’s biological mother, Kathy Harris and her husband Zan and sons Shawn and Kerry.

After earning degrees from Western Connecticut State College and University of Maine at Orono, Margaret dedicated her professional life to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, where she focused her work on assisting and supporting young women. She retired in 1995, and after a brief stint living in Florida, the couple fled to the shores of Maine, specifically their much-beloved Peaks Island.

While in retirement she embraced a Maine rite of passage and spent several years working at L.L.Bean as a packer. She left Bean to provide childcare for her grandson Matthias, a young and active boy. This brought much joy to her heart.

In her personal life, Margaret was a voracious reader and constant scholar. When not reading, her hands were busy with knitting. She and Fred could also be found exploring the Maine coast on their sailboat, The Lucky Duck.

In her retirement she found faith and support in the United Methodist Church where she became a certified lay minister in 2018. The New Brackett Church offered her more than just a cherished community, but a space to forge together her passion for learning and fellowship. She continued to serve others in the best way that she knew by making prayer shawls, hats and scarfs to benefit the island community.

Margaret will be missed for her sharp storytelling, compassion for others, knowledge of history and its impact on our world. She loved exploring the past through genealogy. She took comfort in a cup of coffee or tea, a sweet treat of anything chocolate or Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and CNN at the end of the night. She loved her island life and her family.

The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to the Peaks Island community and the staff at Fallbrook Woods who provided outstanding care during recent years to support Fred and Margaret as they both journeyed into the path of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The family will host a remembrance service on Saturday, June 15 at 11 a.m. at the New Brackett Church on Peaks Island. A gathering with light refreshments will immediately follow the service.