WINDHAM – As a pastor’s wife, Elaine Briggs was her husband’s “right hand girl.” “She definitely filled in not just the gaps,” but roles such as secretary, treasurer, choir director and church pianist, said her husband, Michael Briggs. Together, they established the Windham Christian Life Center. She played an integral role in the ministry. Mrs. Briggs […]

BRUNSWICK – Everything in James Melcher’s life revolved around sailboats. “He just always wanted to keep sailing,” his son Charles Melcher said. When asked why, Mr. Melcher said it was rooted in his childhood on Cape Cod. “All my dreaming revolved around boats,” he told his son. Mr. Melcher died April 2 at age 88. […]

FALMOUTH – In Charlotte Cote’s opinion, an education was one of the most valuable things a person could have. When her granddaughter Cassandra Cote Grantham asked why Mrs. Cote wanted to return to school and earn her master’s degree in education at age 53, her response was simple. “I can take my learning and have […]

PORTLAND – Even after he retired from fishing when he turned 62, Joseph Hopkins continued waking up at 4 a.m. each day and going to bed by 7 each night. “He kept up that fishing lifestyle,” said his son-in-law Mark Monaghan. “He hung out with a lot of fishermen and a lot of other people […]

SACO – Robert Warner was a pioneer who established the state’s first private physical-therapy practice in the early 1950s. After falling in love with Maine, he and his wife, Vera, moved here from New York City. He warned his wife before their move that they might not be able to afford much. “Nobody knows when […]