GILEAD — Those closest to Marie Anderson describe her as an outgoing woman who loved nature, laughed and lived life to the fullest, never neglecting a moment, never missing a chance.

And those around the 52-year-old Gilead woman, who died of hypothermia after a late-night ride to look for animal tracks near her home two weeks ago, were usually struggling to keep up with her boundless energy.

“She wasn’t just my mother, she was my best friend,” said Anderson’s daughter, Shena Bourgeois, 25, also of Gilead. “We hung out together everyday. She kept right up with the rest of us. She was 52 going on 17 — seriously.”

Anderson died of hypothermia early Dec. 6 at Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, N.H., after falling into water along a gas pipeline off North Road in Gilead. Anderson and her best friend were driving out along the pipeline around 11 p.m. that night looking for animal tracks in the snow when their vehicle become stuck and she fell in water after getting out of the vehicle.

For Bourgeois, the loss is especially hard because she and her mother spent most days together. She described her mother as a woman who lived life by her own rules, was never afraid to speak her mind and fiercely protected and watched over her family.

“She was such a great grandmother,” Bourgeois said. “She wasn’t like the typical grandmother that you think of sitting around in a rocking chair knitting.”

Bourgeois said her mother shared and passed down her love of the outdoors to her seven grandchildren, often taking them camping, fishing or snowmobiling. She said her children are making it through the sudden loss by remembering all the fun activities they did with Anderson.

In addition to Bourgeois, Anderson leaves behind another daughter, Charmain Gordon, and a son, Noland Godsoe. She will also be missed by three brothers, William, Thomas and Ralph Guthzeit.

  But the person suffering the hardest loss, according to Bourgeois, is Anderson’s longtime domestic partner, Frank Corriveau.

“They were two peas in a pod. They spent the last 12 years together — day in and day out. They didn’t do anything without each other,” Bourgeois said.

Both Bourgeois and her uncle, Anderson’s older brother, Thomas Guthzeit, called Corriveau the “soul mate” of Anderson.

“She was definitely the backbone. She had the mouth to make up for the both of them,” Bourgeois said as she broke into laughter.

Guthzeit said he will most miss sipping coffee with his little sister and laughing until his sides hurt. He said he was especially close to her because they were separated as young kids and put into the state system. He said he would often visit her at the home of the foster family she was placed with despite the long walk there.

“She was just a good-natured person,” Guthzeit said. “We wake up every morning and the first thing that comes to our mind is Marie.”

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