Mr. Helie died Tuesday after a 5-month battle with brain cancer.
Melanie Creamer
Melanie Creamer is a news assistant, who's worked at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram for nearly 16 years. She oversees various responsibilities from monitoring the news and business email addresses – to fetching old newspaper articles and photos from the archive.
She’s the face behind the popular business “On the Move” column, which appears in Tuesdays and Thursdays newspapers.
A compassionate and soft-spoken woman, Melanie is also the writer of the newspaper’s feature obituary. Many of her colleagues say she has one of the toughest jobs in the newsroom. She tells heart-breaking stories of love and loss. She listens as parents sob uncontrollably over the tragic death of their child. She writes touching stories about couples who have been married for 60 plus years, and then die within days or weeks from each other.
Melanie was the recipient of the Maine Press Association’s Unsung Hero Award in 2015.
A native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she graduated from Fitchburg State College in 2000 with a degree in professional writing. She lives in Scarborough with her fiancée and is a co-parent to two daughters.
Sanford High football team’s first female player dies in crash at 45
Kerry Kiernan also played fullback on the Maine Freeze women’s football team.
Feature obituary: Steven Berry, 50, advocated for youths struggling with addiction
His own effort to stay sober helped him earn their respect.
Gerard Conley Sr., former Portland mayor, House member, senator, dies at 88
He was a Maine Senate president and chairman of the Maine Turnpike Authority.
Feature obituary: Clarence Pinette, former teacher at Cape Elizabeth High School, dies at 92
‘Clancy’ Pinette, a chemistry teacher, had a soft spot for students who struggled with science, his son says.
Feature obituary: Walter Stump, 83, retired USM theater professor and author
He directed more than 120 plays during his career and coached numerous national champions in reader’s theater.
Feature obituary: Bernard Devine, 92, retired chief judge, known for compassion
The Maine District Court in Portland was named for him after he retired.
Brunswick woman writes unconventional obituary to capture poetic life of her brother
Doug ‘Digs’ McLaughlin is honored with a fitting tribute to his life.
Press Herald Toy Fund gets underway for the holidays
Last year, the fund raised $159,998, which provided gifts to 3,603 Maine children. This year, organizers hope to raise $200,000.
Feature obituary: Davis McFadden, 87, outdoorsman, ambulance driver, family man
The skier and fisherman with boat-building skills was heartbroken by the passing of his wife, and died 53 days later.