Elaine M. Gagné

SANFORD – Elaine Gloria Martineau Gagné, 77, passed away peacefully at home in Sanford, on April 30, 2025, after years of persevering with Alzheimer’s disease under the care of her loving husband of 52 years, Thomas Roger Gagne.

She was the third of four children born in Sanford to Edward J. Martineau (1906 – 1976) and Jeannette Normand Martineau (1919-2017). She grew up on Ridgeway Ave. in Sanford, across from the former Edison School, where she would eventually teach for many years. Elaine attended St. Ignatius Grammar School and graduated from St. Ignatius Regional High School in 1966, where she was a singer in the a cappela group the “Inspirations”, cheerleader, member of the National Honor Society. It was there that she met her high-school sweetheart and future husband. She graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a BS in Education in 1970. Her teaching career spanned 38 years and three Sanford elementary schools, enriching hundreds of young lives while inspiring parents, teachers, and so many others in the community. Elaine was a “teacher’s teacher.” After her first 10 years teaching, she was selected by her peers to be the first Sanford Teacher of the Year in 1980. Following her retirement in 2008, Elaine continued her service to the community through numerous volunteer activities. Moreover, she was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, an avid gardener, and an adventurous cook. She is remembered by family, friends, and former students for her warm smile, contagious laugh, silly songs, captivating magic tricks, and unbounded love.

She is survived by her husband Thom and their three sons and families, Christopher Gagné of Alexandria, Va., and his wife Jennifer Landy and their sons Asher and Remy Gagné, Timothy Gagné of Whitefield, and his wife Lila Solomon and their children Eleanor and Ori Gagné and Isaac Gagné of Tokyo, Japan and his wife Nana Okura Gagné and their daughter Mona Gagné. She is also survived by her brother Roger Martineau and his wife Beverly, her Sister Estelle Cote and her three daughters and her sister Patricia Roy and her husband Ronald Roy and their three children.

Visitation will be held from 1-4 p.m., and 6-8 p.m., on Sunday, June 8, at the Black-Heald Walker Funeral Home, located at 580 Main Street in Springvale. Friends and family will gather at 11 a.m., on Monday, June 9, at St. Ignatius Cemetery located on Berwick Road in Sanford. A luncheon will be held at the funeral home immediately following the graveside service.

Arrangements are under the direction of Black-Heald Walker Funeral Home of Sanford-Springvale. To view Elaine’s memorial page or to leave a message of condolence for the family, please visit http://www.blackfuneralhomes.com.