RAYMOND – Caroline J. Gardiner, Esq., 55, of Mailman Road in Raymond, died on Wednesday, May 18.

She was born on Nov. 23, 1949, in Boston, Mass., the daughter of Thomas and Judy Gardiner.

After attending the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pa., she earned a bachelor’s of science degree in biology from the University of Chicago, 1972, a master of science degree from Loyola University, 1974, did advanced work in pharmacology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and earned a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law in 1989.

She practiced law in Portland and was admitted to the Maine Bar in 1989 to practice before the U.S. District Court in 1990, and before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1996. The Maine Bar Foundation presented special recognition awards for her outstanding volunteer service in 1992, 1993 and 1994. She was honored in 2002 by the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, with an award recognizing her many years of distinguished legal advocacy on behalf of Maine’s children, families and accused.

In 2003, she received the Annual Family Law Achievement Award from the family law section of the Maine State Bar Association for her extraordinary leadership, professionalism and service to Maine families. She was also a member of the Cumberland County Bar Association, the American Bar Association and Resources for Divorcing Families.

A granddaughter of former Maine Gov. William Tudor Gardiner, she was active in community affairs. She volunteered on the legal panel of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, the Maine Town Democratic Committee, and was a three-time delegate to the Maine State Democratic Convention. She belonged to the grange, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, and was one of the founding members of the North American Figure Skating Club in Falmouth.

She became a tireless activist in the fight against Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), after being diagnosed with ALS in 2001. She rallied significant support for ALS research and patient services, and was named the national spokesperson for the Hike 4 ALS in 2004. She continued her advocacy, fundraising, outreach and support activities through the use of assistive communication devices.

Known for her deadpan, incisive, no-holds-barred wit, she was unafraid to speak her mind with humor and caring, for justice. She was also known for her love of wearing colorful sneakers in the courtroom, enjoying the unofficial title of “Maine’s sneaker queen.”

She enjoyed living on a small farm in Maine, “fantasy farm,” with a menagerie of cats, horses, geese, sheep and a dog.

Creative as well as pragmatic, she pursued numerous interests. She produced woolen goods from her own sheep, including shearing, carding, spinning, dyeing and weaving the wool on a loom. Her writing continued with children’s stories for her extended family, and her most recent poem, “Becoming She,” chronicled her campaign to live with ALS.

A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, she enjoyed sailing with family, including voyages from New York to Bermuda and the Caribbean in 2000, and across the Atlantic in a 57′ sloop in 2001. In 2003, she cruised in the Caribbean, with her wheelchair aboard. She was determined not to permit her illness to change her zest for life, which had always included hiking, camping, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, and traveling with friends and family. She was determined to spend her time living with ALS, not dying from it.

She leaves her husband, David T. Brook; her two daughters, Allison Gardiner Sanchez and Erica Margaret Sanchez; sisters, Cory and Margaret of Woolwich; brothers, William of Philadelphia, Pa., and Timothy of Brunswick; and aunt, Margaret Gardiner of Woolwich.

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