Carolyn Frances Morrill Litchfield
1919 – 2009
NORWAY — Carolyn Frances Morrill Litchfield died Wednesday, Sept. 16, at Stephens Memorial Hospital, surrounded by the love of her family.
The daughter of Alfred and Una Chandler Morrill, she was born on Feb. 2, 1919, on the family farm in Sumner, in the same house where her father had been born. The family moved to Weymouth, Mass., 1931, but always maintained their ties to Maine. She began her education at the one-room Morrill School in Sumner and graduated with honors from Weymouth High School in 1937.
In 1939, she married Walter H. Litchfield of Norwell, Mass. They lived in Weymouth, where they raised six children. In 1962, they moved to the Red Barn Farm in Sumner, where they raised beef cattle and sheep. For several years the Red Barn was also the site of popular weekly barn dances during the summer months, drawing people from all over Oxford County. Walter and Carolyn owned Litchfield Plumbing and Heating and the Litchfield General Store in West Sumner village. They celebrated 52 years of marriage before Walter’s death in 1991.
She was always active in civic affairs, a tireless worker and organizer for numerous fundraisers and benefits. The 1997 Sumner Town Report was dedicated to her in recognition of her years of dedication and service to her community. She was honored for having a hand in or being the driving force behind much of Sumner’s life.
She worked at the polls on election days; she was a charter member of the Sumner Fire Department Auxiliary, and a member of Tri-Town Auxiliary and the West Sumner Universalist Church. She served as an SAD 39 school board member, as a school secretary, and as assistant postmistress in the West Sumner post office. She loved any gathering with her family and her wide circle of friends and neighbors, and enjoyed dancing, playing bingo, and regular trips to Foxwoods. She was an avid Red Sox fan. She was the matriarch of a large extended family.
She leaves her children, Larry and his wife, Susan, Linda and her husband, Donald Richardson Jr., Allan Sr., Wally and his wife, Lorraine, all of Sumner; two daughters-in-law, Deborah Litchfield of Sumner and Gloria Litchfield of South Paris; her brother, Robert and his wife, Virginia, of Florida; 16 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; seven great-great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and her beloved cat, Max.
She was predeceased by her husband; her sister, Margaret Simmons; her sons, Wayne and Kevin; and her grandson, Joseph Allen.