NORWAY – Rena S. (Tikkanen) Towne, 92, of Norway, died Dec. 10, at Norway Rehabilitation and Living Center.

She was born on Jan. 26, 1916, to Joseph and Eva (Arsenault) St. Pierre in St. John. She married Henry J. Tikkanen, of Otisfield, on Oct. 16, 1939. After Henry’s tragic death in the European Theater of World War II, she married Osmond A. Towne of Norway on June 18, 1947. She worked at the Norway Shoe Shop and Cornwall Wood Products for many years prior to retirement.

She was a member and a communicant of St. Catherine’s of Sienna Catholic Church in Norway. After retirement, she moved to Orlando, Fla., where she enjoyed the sunshine and the many family members who lived in the area. While in Orlando, Fla., she also worked for a period with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

She will always be remembered for her love of family and people (especially babies and small children), for her wonderful sense of humor, her generous spirit and her willingness to make great sacrifices for her children and grandchildren. She will also be remembered for her strength, perseverance and deep rooted faith which carried her through many difficult times of tragedy and loss.

She is survived by two sons, Glenn Tikkanen and his wife, Pamela, of Norway and their children, Nisa Noble of Norway, Eric Tikkanen and wife, Melissa, of Columbus, Ga., Krista Clay and husband, Gary, of Sterling, Va., and Alyssa Morrison and husband, Peter, of Oxford; Robert Tikkanen and his wife, Patricia, of Joplin, Mo., and children, Michelle Liliedahl and husband, David, of Burlington, Vt., Troy Tikkanen and wife, Linda, of Laconia, N.H., and Christopher (Tikkanen) Kokkola and wife, Heidi, of Helsinki, Finland; a niece, Monica Uwajeh of South Paris; 16 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; sisters, Regina Goslee of Orlando, Fla., Jean Willy of Wethersfield, Conn., and Rowena Longfellow and husband, Steve, of Bridgeport, Conn.; brothers, Romeo St. Pierre and wife, Marjorie, of Lady Lake, Fla., and Roland St. Pierre and wife, Betty, of Orlando, Fla.; sisters-in-law, Geneva St. Pierre, Mary St. Pierre and Marie St. Pierre; many nieces and nephews; and a special cousin, the Rev. Norman Cormier.

She was predeceased by two children, Peter and Catherine Towne; two sisters, Rella and Berdina; five brothers, Roderick, Reginald, Ronald, Ted, and Rena’s older brother, Rene St. Pierre, killed in action in the Pacific Theater WWII; sister-in-law, Mary St. Pierre; and brothers-in-law, Philip Goslee and Andy Willy.

Special thanks to Norway Rehabilitation and Living Center and Androscoggin Home health and Hospice Care for all their work to make Rena comfortable in her final days.