East Bethel – Mary Coolidge Bean, 73, of East Bethel Road, passed peacefully surrounded by her family on the afternoon of Sept. 12, following a two-year courageous battle with cancer. She had been at the Gosnell Hospice in Scarborough for approximately two weeks.

She was born in East Bethel on Aug. 5, 1935, the daughter of the late Almon “Pete” and Edith “Peggy” Coolidge. She grew up, then married, and eventually raised her own family in East Bethel. She was educated in Bethel schools, graduating from Gould Academy in 1953. She enjoyed and excelled in school and cherished the many learning opportunities provided to her as a day student at Gould Academy. She looked forward to the five-year class reunion celebrations with her classmates. Her 55th reunion will be held later this month.

She married Erlon S. Bean of Milton, on Feb. 27, 1954. He also tragically succumbed to cancer on June 13, 1991.

They were most proud of the their three children, Peter, who is employed at the NewPage Paper Mill in Rumford, Pam, who is a registered nurse at Mercy Hospital in Portland and Penny, who is a middle school math teacher in Rumford.

Work ethic, loyalty, and a good sense of humor were character traits Mary and Erlon both shared and instilled in their children.

She enjoyed being around people, attending public suppers, attending dances, traveling and all of the many fall agricultural fairs. She was a lifetime member of the Greenwood Historical Society and was also a member of The East Bethel Cemetery Association.

She worked outside of the home for her entire life. She worked briefly as a payroll clerk for a shoe company in Oxford. The past 42 years, however, were spent as a customer service representative for Casco Northern Bank and then Key Bank, when it acquired Casco Bank in 1991. It was a job she loved and excelled at as she was accurate with figures and enjoyed socializing with the public.

Mary is survived by one son, Peter E. Bean and his friend, Gina Dow, of East Bethel; two daughters, Pamela M. Wojtysiak and her husband of 24 years, Stephen J. Wojtysiak, of Westbrook and Penny S. Kittredge and her husband of 20 years, John S. Kittredge, of East Bethel. She is also survived by two grandchildren, Monica Bean of Portland and Chad Bean of East Bethel; and three great-grandchildren Lukas, Emilea and Issak of Portland. She also is survived by three brothers, Earl, John and Victor Coolidge, all of East Bethel; and many nieces and nephews from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.

She was predeceased by both of her parents; her husband and their infant son, Stanley E. Bean; and both of her sisters, Arlene Wesson of Tennessee and Phyllis Barnhill of Florida.

She will be greatly missed by her special friend, neighbor and companion of 16 years, Arthur Hertell of East Bethel.

The family wishes to publicly thank the Maine Center for Cancer in Scarborough, specifically Dr. Matthew Dugan, Julie, Marcie and Paige.

Also, the family wishes to express their gratitude and appreciation to the entire staff of the Gosnell Hospice of Southern Maine in Scarborough. We will be forever grateful for the extraordinary care, kindness and genuine compassion shown towards both our mother and the family unit as a whole.

Mary will be missed by many.