SANFORD – More than 125 people are expected to attend Monday’s funeral service for Ward T. Hanscom, a prominent attorney and family man who practiced law in Sanford for about 60 years. Mr. Hanscom died on June 8 at age 91. In 1948, he joined the law firm Willard & Willard, which later became Willard, […]
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.
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Feature obituary: Ezra Milliken, 88, successful electrical contractor, loved golf
CUMBERLAND – For nearly 62 years, Dorothy Milliken would look to her left for her husband’s opinion or reaction to some television show they were watching together. Today, his favorite chair is empty. “I’ll look over to his chair and he’s not there,” his wife said. “It’s a weird feeling. He was always on the […]
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Feature Obituary: Francine Currier, 73, strong, vibrant, she made life an adventure
RAYMOND — Francine Currier’s life changed at 40 years old when she decided on a whim to start running. Within weeks, she began training for a marathon. Soon after, she began running ultra-marathons, 50-mile and 100-mile races. Then, she began competing in triathlons – an endurance event that usually combines cycling, running and swimming. Over […]
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Feature Obituary: Mary Kahl, 59, lawyer, animal-rights activist, festival organizer
SOUTH PORTLAND – Mary Kahl, a prominent lawyer who served as corporation counsel for the City of South Portland for 17 years and was active in organizing the city’s annual Art in the Park event, died unexpectedly Saturday. She was 59. Kahl served as South Portland’s city attorney from 1991 to 2008. There, she took […]
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Feature Obituary: Elaine Barry, 68, well-loved as a nurse, then as a schoolteacher
PORTLAND – Elaine Barry was a respected pediatric nurse at Maine Medical Center who had a passion for reading with her patients and helping them with their homework. Toward the end of her 25-year nursing career, she took a leap of faith and enrolled in the University of Southern Maine to become a teacher. Ms. […]
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Obituary: David Ward, 73, retired trucker, town’s beloved ‘wood guy’
BALDWIN — If you live in Baldwin, you probably knew David Ward. He was a retired truck driver for Hannaford Bros. who was known in town as the “wood guy.” Surrounded by his family, Mr. Ward died Saturday in the same home on Pequawket Trail in which he’d been born. He was 73. He was […]
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Feature Obituary: Wildreth Burnell, 77, retired secretary, dedicated life to family
PACE, Fla. — As a longtime secretary at Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland, Wildreth Burnell organized meetings and travel plans for company executives and pretty much ran the office like a well-oiled machine. It was a very different story at home. Mrs. Burnell, formerly of Anderson Cove Road in north Sebago, was the mother of […]
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Feature Obituary: ‘Maddie’ Simpson, 59, store co-owner, ‘awesome’ friend and mom
CAPE ELIZABETH – Madeleine Simpson learned nearly two years ago that she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The fatal neurological disorder attacks the brain and spinal cord until the simplest acts of speaking, swallowing and even breathing become impossible. Mrs. Simpson, known by most people as “Maddie,” had every reason […]
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Feature Obituary: Dianna Wilcox, 57, brought out the best in others
LIMINGTON – Family and friends of Dianna Wilcox expressed overwhelming grief and sadness on Thursday as they struggled to accept how a woman who had such a profound impact on so many people could have her life cut so short. “In the two days before she died, she must have had 200 people stop by […]
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Feature obituary: Ronald Robinson, 80, owner of Yankeeland Campground
KENNEBUNK – Ronald Robinson, a retired owner of the popular Yankeeland Campground in Kennebunk who was known for his smile, humor and zest for life, died on Monday. He was 80. Mr. Robinson gave up a high-level position at Key Bank in Portland in 1976 to fulfill his dream of owning his own business. He […]