1921 – 2003

LEWISTON – Clara Lillian Philbrick, 81, of Kingfield, died Sunday, June 29, at St. Mary’s Hospital following a long illness.

She was born Dec. 4, 1921, in Freeman, a daughter of John H. and Olive (Dolbier) Thompson.

She spent her youth with her loving grandparents on Freeman Ridge, where she was educated in the one-room school house and later in Kingfield schools.

In May of 1938, she married Byron Philbrick in Kingfield, where she worked and they raised their family together until his death in 1994.

Most of her working life she was employed by H.G. Winter and Sons as a supervisor of the Finishing Department, retiring after 41 years of service.

She and her husband also operated the Riverside Theatre for several years in the 1960s.

Mrs. Philbrick was a wonderful cook and homemaker, who was an acclaimed baker of yeast rolls and pies.

She was a past member of the Carrabassett Rebekah Lodge, the Methodist Women Willing Workers, the Sno Wanderers Snowmobile Club and was more recently a member of the Kingfield Senior Citizens.

She took pride in serving as a volunteer in the Civil Air Patrol during the 1950s in the Cold War.

In 2000, she was very pleased to be chosen as, “Mrs. Kingfield” during the annual Kingfield Days celebration.

Survivors include five children, Louise E. Lovejoy and Joseph Baris of Kingfield and Providence, R.I., Byron “Bud” Philbrick Jr. of Kingfield, Verna J. Sepe and her husband, Luke A. of Cranston, R.I., and Sanford, Fla., Sandra L. Niemi and her fiancé of Kingfield and Mexico Beach, Fla., and Rodney L. Philbrick and his wife, June of St. Augustine, Fla.; 12 grandchildren, Rhonda E. Lovejoy of Truckee, Calif., Stephen A. Sepe of Sanford, Fla., Luke A. Sepe Jr. and his wife, Trish of Clermont, Fla., Matthew J. Sepe of Cranston, R.I., Stephanie J. Philbrick and her husband, Maurice Dubriel of Portland, Rosemarie A. Myers and her husband, Ronald of Cranston, R.I., Jeffrey L. Niemi of Salem, Byron “Bud” Philbrick III and his wife, Kim of Coplin, Christina V. Sepe of Clermont, Fla., Lance N. Niemi and his wife, Anne of Newport, Loren J. Niemi of Augusta and Casey J. Philbrick of Portland; three great-grandchildren, Christina Myers of Cranston, R.I., Alexander J. Sepe of Sanford, Fla., and Luke Alexander Sepe III of Clermont, Fla.

She was predeceased by a daughter, Carol Ann; two sisters, Evelyn B. Wood and Hilda T. Arsenault; and a son-in-law, Richard E. Lovejoy.