FALMOUTH – Marian Hodgkins Reed, 67, left from her home in Falmouth to be with God on March 6, after her second battle with cancer. She faced her final illness with a calm resolve that served as an example to all of us who loved her. Her strength and courage, while confronting this last challenge, were an inspiration to her family and friends that helped them all in this difficult time in their lives.

She was born in Lewiston, on Aug. 19, 1939, the daughter of Merle and Verna Akerley Hodgkins. She grew up on her father’s farm in what was then the outskirts of Auburn, and often said that she was the only one in her class at Lake Street School who lived on a farm. She attended Auburn schools and graduated from Edward Little High School in 1957. She met her husband, Gary, when they were both members of the Edward Little High marching band.

Following graduation, she worked for a time at Depositor’s Trust Company, in Lewiston, until their marriage on Sept. 24, 1960, at which time they moved to the Portland area, where they have lived since. After their marriage, she made a home for their three children and spent countless hours reading to them and teaching them coloring, cutting, pasting, cooking and how to love and respect one another, and friends and family members.

After her children were all in school, she began a career in the insurance industry. She worked at Insurance Counselors, in Falmouth, and later for Anderson Watkins Associates, in Portland and Westbrook. She enrolled in various educational studies and earned the designation of certified professional insurance woman. For many years she was a member of the Greater Portland Chapter of the National Association of Insurance Women, and held several offices in that organization, including chapter president. She attended many state and regional conferences as well as one national convention of NAIW while a member.

For many years she belonged to the Falmouth Jaycee Wives and the Maine Jaycee Wives. She held many local chapter offices including chapter president, and was named to the Maine Jaycee Wives honor roll for her many contributions to that organization.

She loved to work in her garden and had begun to create a new garden just this past summer and fall. She enjoyed traveling with her husband and visited England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Budapest, and they spent their 40th anniversary traveling through Italy.

She developed a great interest in genealogy and spent many hours on her computer researching the family histories of her husband and herself. She made several trips to her mother’s home country of Canada to do research there. The New Brunswick Provincial Archives as well as a great many burial grounds throughout the province provided her with extensive information which she incorporated into her computer data base.

She is survived by her husband of over 46 years, Gary Reed, of Falmouth; a daughter, Jennifer Reed, of New Gloucester; sons, James Reed and his partner, David Cowan, of Lisbon Falls; and Jeffrey Reed and his wife, Cheryl, and their daughter, Alison Reed, of Indianapolis, Ind.; and is also survived by a sister, Methyl Sturtevant and her husband, Roger, of Winthrop; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Alison visited “Grammie” at the hospital and left her with much love and beautiful memories of her only grandchild.