1931 – 2014

LARGO, Fla. —Madeleine L. “Maddy” Triggs, 82, passed away peacefully at 7:19 p.m., Sunday, June 15, at a skilled nursing facility near her home in Largo, Fla., after a three-month battle with cancer. Maddy’s husband, Dave, son, Steve, and daughter-in-law, Bobbie, were at her bedside during her final hours.

Madeleine Lorraine Coulombe was born on Dec. 20, 1931, in Lewiston, to Odilon and Alice Coulombe, proprietors of the Economy Market, a popular grocery store near downtown during the 1950s and 1960s. Maddy attended Holy Cross School and graduated from St. Dominic High School in 1949. On July 4, 1951, she married David B. Triggs Jr. at Holy Cross Church. Maddy and Dave would have celebrated their 63rd anniversary next month.

Besides stints working at the family store, Maddy served as a legal secretary for the Androscoggin County attorney and as an administrative assistant for the Amedee M. Bolduc Contracting and Land Developing company.

After Dave retired from the Coast Guard in 1972, the family moved to Largo, Fla., where Maddy’s parents were living. She accepted a position as the office manager for a custom home builder, before joining Chase Manhattan Bank in Tampa as an executive secretary. She was a charter member of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Clearwater.

Maddy retired for good in 1993 and took great pride in solving elaborate puzzles that she displayed throughout her home. She also enjoyed combing the beaches of Florida and Maine. But, most of all, Maddy Triggs loved to prepare elaborate meals and entertain her family and many friends.

Besides her husband, Maddy is survived by her son, Steve Triggs; daughter-in-law, Bobbie Triggs, of Oviedo, Fla.; and two sisters, Mariette Bernier and Jacqueline Gardner, both of Lewiston. Her two grandchildren, Bailey Triggs, 30, and Tyler Triggs, 27, live in Boston, Mass.