LEWISTON – A Bethel woman believed to have suffered a heart attack while swimming at the Bethel Inn on Wednesday passed away over the weekend, according to a friend.

Pauline Ouellette, a 58-year-old waitress at the inn, died on Saturday according to Deb Brown, who said she had known Ouellette for 15 years.

“She’s going to be missed,” Brown said. “She was a really nice lady.”

Ouellette was swimming with friends on Wednesday morning when she was discovered unconscious and face-down in the water. The call was reported as a possible drowning, but medics from Bethel Rescue were able to restore a pulse. Ouellette was then taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

According to the Maine Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause of Ouellette’s death has not been determined and is pending further studies.


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