CASCO – Beatrice “Bea” L. Kimball, 75, of Quaker Ridge Road, passed away peacefully at her home after a long and courageous battle with cancer, on Thursday, June 17.

She was born March 25, 1929, in St. Albans, and was the only daughter of David A. and Mabel A. Hunt Burns.

She attended grade schools in St. Albans and Hartland, and then attended Deering High School after her family moved to Portland in 1942. She dropped out of school in 1944 to marry and start a family. When the city of Portland refused to give her a marriage license because she was only 15, she returned to Hartland to marry her late husband, Lemuel C. Kimball, on Sept. 15, 1944. She was his loving and devoted wife for 52 years until he passed away Jan. 21, 1997. Together they raised six children.

Bea worked at various jobs during her lifetime, including as an independent house cleaner; first with her oldest daughter, Maria, and then on her own, until 2002 when she was 73.

She went back to finish high school at the Casco Learning Center. She received her diploma in 1999 where, at the age of 70, she was the valedictorian of her graduating class from Lake Region High School. Her favorite subject was math, although she also loved the computer classes she took in which she learned the basics and beyond of common computer software programs, and also about the internet. One of her favorite computer pastimes was playing FreeCell, a game at which she was incredibly good, winning the game the majority of the time.

Bea had many interests and hobbies. She was an avid reader; her favorite reading material was the Bible, mystery novels and the Portland newspaper, which she read every day. Bea’s other interests included traveling, gardening, bird watching and feeding, walking, crocheting, cooking and canning foods from her garden, and raising goats.

For many years, her husband and she owned a camp on Center Pond in Sangerville, where they spent many happy summer months there with family and friends, playing cards and watching the loons on the lake.

She was a devout Christian and was a member of the Casco Alliance Church. Her faith remained true, helping her with her fight against the cancer that took her from this world.

She is survived by daughter Maria B. Marden and her husband Adrian of Greene; son, Lemuel P. Kimball and his wife Cindy of Starks; son, Brian C. Kimball of Slidell, La.; daughter, May (Mabelle) L. Hegarty and her husband Richard of Gray; son, Homer L. Kimball of Livermore Falls; and son, John W. Kimball and his wife Tracy of Casco.

She is also survived by former son-in-law and good friend Donal C. Durgin of Winthrop; 20 grandchildren; and many great-grandchildren, nephews and nieces; and one younger brother, Homer Burns and his wife Mary of Jacksonville, N.C.

She was predeceased by three older brothers, David Burns in 1998, Stanley Burns in 1999, and Gerald Burns in 2001.

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