MOUNT VERNON – Grete Pilhkjaer Lobley, 81, died at her home in Mount Vernon on Monday, April 30.

She was born on Jamaica Island, N.Y., on Aug. 24, 1925, shortly after her parents, Peter and Camma (Christiansen) Hansen, arrived from Denmark.

She always said that she had lived a good life in interesting times. She often marveled at the new things that were invented to make life easier and was equally astonished with the exploration of space and medicine. She spoke fondly of the 26 times she was able to cross the turbulent ocean to be with her grandparents in Denmark and the fun times she had in Copenhagen growing up and how, as a child, she was able to walk the streets of New York City alone when going to the movies, all the while reading the subtitles and learning to speak English.

She remembered and often spoke about the good times at the USO posts; talking and dancing with the servicemen before they deployed to Europe during World War II. She also mentioned that she even had a plane named after her. Reflecting back on her life she would say, “Times were hard, but they were truly the good old days.”

At the age of 52, she got her motorcycle license. She and her husband, Calvin, each had their own bikes and traveled together on them throughout New England.

She worked at Farmington Shoe and spoke fondly of “the gals” in the sewing room at Carleton Woolen Mill, where she was employed until her retirement. After retirement, she and Calvin took to the Searsport Flea Market, where she continued to frequent with her dog, Thor, even after her husband passed.

She was a past matron of Vernon Valley O.E.S. and her husband served as her worthy patron.

She is survived by her daughters, Kim Lobley, and her companion, Robert Walsh, of Mt. Vernon and Heidi Hollingsworth, and her husband, Kyle and their son, Philip, of Acton, Mass.; and her little companion, Thor.