NORWAY – Madora “Dode” Marie Strong, 90, of Norway, died Nov. 25, at Stephens Memorial Hospital, following a brief illness.

Dode was born the last of 14 children in Eagle Lake on Oct. 14, 1918, the daughter of David and Marie (Blais) Gagnon. She attended schools in Howland.

She was the widow of Vivan E. Strong, whom she married on March 5, 1938 and who died in 1986.

She and her husband moved to the Lewiston area during World War II, and they worked in the mills for the war effort. After the war, they moved to Hebron and raised their family, which included several foster children. She worked at Hebron Academy, Western Maine Sanitorium in Hebron and Pineland Center in New Gloucester. She later lived in Mechanic Falls and Norway.

Dode’s father died when she was an infant and her mother died when she was 12 and she bravely made her own way in life from then on.

Her many interests in life included collecting and reading books, raising dogs and raising birds for fun and profit. She lived a long successful life and remains a loving inspiration to her sons and to all the people whose lives she touched.

She is survived by her sons, David and his wife, Nancy, of Hebron; Michael and his companion, Rosalie, of Union and South Portland; and Jack and his companion, Annette, of Auburn; her grandchildren, Melissa, David, Carrie, Jason, Tiffany, Tamara Madora and Stephanie; and her great-grandchildren, Amanda, Andrew, Katlyn, Marin, Kylin, Michael, Elizabeth, Joanna, Jordan, Spencer, Charlotte, Michael and Macy. She is also survived by her special friends, Anita and Roger of Mechanic Falls, Till of Gray and Muriel of Norway.

She was predeceased by her infant son and by 13 brothers and sisters.