WEST MINOT – Mildred Merrill Whittemore, 86, of West Minot died unexpectedly at her home on March 3.

She was born on May 1, 1920, in Manchester, the daughter of Elmer and Gladys Smith Merrill.

She attended local schools and graduated from Hallowell High School in 1938.

She married John B. Whittemore on July 5, 1941, and he predeceased her after 59 years of marriage in 2001.

She was a member of the West Minot Union Church, which she attended faithfully for over 60 years. She enjoyed sewing, cooking, gardening, bird watching, and in later life, studied her family ancestry.

She was able to trace her family lineage back to the Mayflower.

She was very family-oriented and especially enjoyed time spent with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, Samuel Whittemore and his wife, Carol, of Auburn; granddaughters Jonna W. Klaiber and her husband, Steven, of Attleboro, Mass., and Bethany W. Bilodeau and her husband, Daniel, of Temple; two great grandchildren, Sophia and Lucien Bilodeau of Temple; a sister, Charlotte Harrison of Lewiston; and a sister-in-law, Stella Irish of West Minot.

She was predeceased by her husband, John; a sister, Vivian Cyr Boyd; and two brothers, Richard Merrill and Lloyd Frank Merrill, who died in infancy.