MEXICO – Grace “Roberta” (Edgecomb) Strout, 85, peacefully left her earthly home on Tuesday, Feb. 28, surrounded by her loving “family” and was immediately welcomed to her heavenly mansion prepared for her by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

She was born in West Buxton, on March 13, 1920, to Robert R. and Marion (Peabbles) Edgecomb. She graduated from Cape Elizabeth High School in the Class of 1937. She received her teaching degree from Farmington State Normal School in 1941, and later earned her master’s degree in 1963.

She taught school in Madison and Cape Elizabeth until 1946. She married Leon R. Strout on June 22, 1946, in South Portland. They then attended Providence Bible Institute in Rhode Island. After graduation, they were missionaries with Africa Inland Mission in Kenya, Africa, as teachers for several years in the early ’50s. Upon returning to Maine, she taught for 24 years at Rumford High School from 1954 to 1978. She was a wonderful home economics teacher. She also designed the new home economics room at Rumford High School.

She, like her late husband, Leon, was a member of many community, church and civic organizations: Dixfield Common Baptist Church, where she served as Sunday school teacher, choir member and treasurer for many years, and First Baptist Church of Mexico were her two most recent church homes. She taught many youth groups, Sunday school classes, vacation Bible schools and children’s clubs through out the area.

She was very involved with Camp Berea – a Christian camp for teens – in North Turner and also served as camp cook for several years. Other organizations she was a part of included: Dixfield Neighborly Senior Citizens, WOWs, Extension, OCARC, state and local teacher organizations, Oxford County Retired Teachers, Child Evangelism Fellowship of Western Maine and Child Evangelism Fellowship of Maine (as a lifetime state board member).

She traveled extensively with her husband and later with friends, both nationally and internationally. She especially enjoyed traveling with her husband and mother to the Holy Land to see where her Lord walked. She traveled to many Child Evangelism National Conferences throughout the country.

She used her God-given gift of hospitality and enjoyed entertaining family and friends at her summer cottage on Worthly Pond and in her home. Hobbies included reading, sewing, knitting, crocheting, building puzzles and stamp collecting. She was a very gifted, generous, loving Christian lady and was loved by many people. She had no children of her own, but had many “adopted nieces and nephews” who lovingly called her “Aunt Roberta!”

She leaves three special friends she called “my girls,” Ruth (Powell) Perry, Judy (Tripp) Keezer and Rosalie (Bailey) Holliday.

She is survived by her sister-in-law, Priscilla Edgecomb Nicholson of Cape Elizabeth; a niece, Debby Fleurant and husband, John, of Concord, N.H.; a niece, Patty Retus and husband, Charlie, of West Buxton; three grandnieces, Erin Fleurant and Lisa and Missy Retus; and a grandnephew, CJ Retus.

She was predeceased by her parents; her loving husband, Leon in October 1981; and her brother, Perley Edgecomb in May 1987.

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