FARMINGTON — Carlene Leora Ames Neil, 86, of Farmington, passed away at home, with her family, on Saturday, Jan. 28, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

She was born July 6, 1925, in West Farmington, the daughter of Carleton W. Ames and Cassie Nile Ames. She graduated from Farmington High School Class of 1943. Following graduation, she traveled to California, where she spent a year with her grandmother painting ceramics in Laguna Beach.

She returned to Maine and joined the Navy Cadet Nurse Corps from 1944 to 1947. Carlene was proud of her service, graduating as a registered nurse from Maine General Hospital in 1947. In 1947, she married Clifford Neil of Strong. They lived in Farmington, where their three children were born.

She worked at the Franklin Memorial Hospital in the labor and delivery unit for many years. She then worked for 28 years as a nurse at the University of Maine at Farmington, retiring in 1985. In 1975, they moved to Strong, where they lived before moving back to Farmington in 2010.

Carlene was active in the community, belonging to the Henderson Memorial Baptist Church and the Strong United Methodist Church women’s group. She was a member of the Helen W. Davis Philathea class, the Pythian Sisters and the Rebekahs. She belonged to the historical societies in Farmington and Strong, was a member of the Franklin County Extension and served as president for many years. She acted as secretary for the Porter Lake Association and volunteered at the Strong Public Library. She regularly volunteered at the Franklin County Fair and worked at the polls.

In her leisure time, she enjoyed sewing, quilting, rug braiding, painting, reading, gardening and flowers. She made hundreds of rugs and quilts for family and friends. She was an active member of the Narrow Gauge Quilters in Strong and taught adult education rug braiding classes at Mt. Blue High School. She organized the Layette at the Franklin Memorial Hospital, which provided clothes and linens for poor families and volunteered to make fire quilts for families burned out of their homes.

She enjoyed traveling and camping and spending time at the family camp on Porter Lake. After retirement, she and Clifford had many happy adventures traveling around the U.S. and Canada in their camper. She loved her family and enjoyed organizing large holiday family gatherings. She was a mother figure to many and will be greatly missed by her nieces, nephews and grandchildren, who enjoyed spending time with her.

She is survived by two sons, Collin Neil and his wife, Laura, of Farmington, Craig Neil and his wife, Kelly, of North Carolina; one daughter, Cynthia Holschuh and her husband, Karl, of Farmington; five grandchildren, Jennifer Hughes of Gray, Jaclyn Johnston of Knoxville, Tenn., Dana Holschuh of Portland, Ore., Carole Jane Barrett of Winthrop and Carleton Neil of Farmington; one great-grandson, Connor Hughes of Gray; one brother, Collis Ames of Farmington; one sister, Cathlene Knox of Crystal River, Fla.; and one cousin, Audrey Beard of Santa Ana, Calif.

She was predeceased by her parents; and her husband, Clifford Neil of Farmington.