CANTON — Gwendolyn “Gwen” Bubier, 86, of Jay, passed away quietly early on Sept. 29, at the Victorian Villa in Canton, where she and her husband, Walter, have been living.

She was born on Oct. 21, 1925, in Wilton, a daughter of Harold and Doris Buker.

On Nov. 14, 1942, she married Walter Bubier and in 1947 moved to Jay. In 1966, they moved to Wayne. As she raised her young family in Jay, Gwen also raised many other children from the neighborhood, caring for many of them while their parents worked. She always managed to make each of her young charges feel very special as she created activities just for them. Gwen cared for her granddaughter, Tammy, from the time she came to live with them as an infant until she moved into a group home.

Gwen never found a craft she didn’t want to try. She knitted mittens for all of the kids all through her lifetime, but she knit much more, including sweaters, baby clothes, dolls and stuffed animals. She taught herself to crochet left-handed and made many more things. She sewed clothes for her daughters and their dolls, embroidered, learned to tole paint, created lawn ornaments and made many a quilt. Many items became gifts to family, relatives, neighbors, teachers, caretakers and friends. She could not resist teaching anyone how to create any of these things if they gave the slightest hint they might like to try.

She is survived by her husband, Walter Bubier of Canton; daughters, Cheryl Parker, Victorian Villa in Canton, Roxine Hennings and husband, Brent Wakefield, of Winthrop, and Pamela McAllister and her husband, Ronald, of Jay; grandchildren, Kerry Parker and wife, Pat, of Clarksville, Tenn., Tammy Parker of Winthrop, Ralph Parker of Jay, Ann Doss of Joplin, Mo., Kenneth Parker Jr. of Joplin, Mo., Leah O’Brien of Kent, Wash., Marcus McAllister and wife, Angela, of Hartford, and Marcia Chessman and husband, James, of Anson; six great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; sisters, Marilyn Howard of Houlton, Glennys Wilkins and husband, Bernal, of Winthrop, Phyllis Smith of Livermore Falls, Sheilia Leo and husband, Roger, of Portland, and Linda McKinnon and husband, Robert, of Virginia; and brothers, Richard Buker and wife, Lynn, of Virginia, and Clayton Buker and wife, Annie, of Hillsboro, N.H.

She was predeceased by a granddaughter, Laura Parker; brothers, Thurlow Buker, Vinton Buker and Harold Buker; and sisters, Rita Powers and Harriet Roy.

Memories, condolences and a memorial video may be shared on her memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com.