1914 – 2012

LITTLETON, N.H. — Mary E. (Blake) Nile, 98, Littleton, N.H., formerly of Rangeley and Mexico, passed away peacefully on Monday, Aug. 6. She was a beloved resident and friend to everyone at her home at Riverglen House in Littleton for the past four years.

She was born in 1914 in Mexico, to William and Florence (Chambers) Blake.

She grew up in Mexico and attended Mexico High School. She married Phillip Polland and together they had three children. After Phillip’s death, she married Carson Nile and together they had another son.

During World War II, Phillip served in the Army, and Mary and her children followed him to Raleigh, N.C., and then to Fort Benning, Ga. Mary found work as the chauffeur to Col. Adams, who had command over a group of Italian prisoners of war. Through this association she got to know many of the prisoners, especially the camp cook. Mary helped the cook prepare Christmas dinner and as a result she and her children were invited to the camp’s Christmas dinner. It had been so long since many of the prisoners had seen their own families they were very pleased with the children’s attendance.

Mary was also very well know in the motor pool and whenever they had a car they just couldn’t get running right they would say “Give it Mary, she’s from Maine, she can fix it.”

After the war, she and her family moved to Dixfield. Following her marriage to Carson, the family moved to New Haven, Conn., where Mary worked at Yale New Haven Hospital for 15 years. The family then returned to Maine.

Mary belonged to the Mother Club of Dixfield and Sugarloaf Grange, the Mexico Historical Society and Rumford and Rexford Senior Citizens.  In 1981 she had a short story about hard times in turn of the century Maine published in the Bittersweet Magazine. She was also the recipient   of the Boston Post Cane, while living in Rangeley.

Mary is survived by her children, Evangeline Dunham of Rangeley and Clinton Polland of Florida; 13 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; 11 great great-grandchildren; several nieces; nephews and numerous close friends.

She was predeceased by her parents; her first husband, Phillip Polland; her second husband, Carson Nile; two sons, Phillip Polland and Kirk Nile; an infant brother, Tommy Blake; and sister, Louise Fairbrother.

For more information or to send a note of condolence to the family go to www.RossFuneral.com.