1937 – 2016

PORTLAND — Mary Ellen Bradford, 79, passed away Saturday, Dec. 3,  at Mercy Hospital in Portland after a courageous battle with cancer.

Daughter of Maurice Sanborn and Semone Bishop Sanborn, Mary Ellen was born in Waterville on June 23, 1937. She attended grade school in Waterville and graduated from Gardiner High School after the family moved there.

Mary Ellen attended the University of Maine at Orono, majoring in education. In 1956, she was crowned Miss Maine in the Miss America Pageant, which gained her much local notoriety including meeting Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams.

She was president of her sorority Chi Omega and graduated in 1959.

She met her first husband, Edward Manson, during her college years. They married in 1959 and she began teaching at Longfellow School in Portland. They had two children, Bethany and Michael. She went on to become co-host of “Dialing for Dollars/Swap Shop” on WCSH with John Dougherty. Ed died suddenly in 1972 of heart problems.

At a church function, Mary Ellen met attorney Carl Bradford who had recently been widowed and had three children of his own. They were married in 1973 and were inseparable for the next 43 and a half years. In 1981, Carl was approached for an appointment as justice to the Maine Superior Court; it was only with her approval that he accepted.

Mary Ellen volunteered for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to help children in the court system. She also donated large amounts of time volunteering at Yarmouth High School.

Always active, Mary Ellen was an avid tennis player despite suffering from multiple sclerosis since the age of 30. With Carl, they were founding members of the Sunrisers, a physical fitness group in Yarmouth, for 35 years.

Her flower gardens at her home in Yarmouth, which she designed and maintained herself, were a source of great pride and happiness for her. She was a member of the book club and enrolled in classes at Senior University at USM. In her later years, she enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s sports games and school activities.

Mary Ellen leaves behind her devoted husband, Carl; daughter, Bethany; son, Michael and his wife, Angela; and daughter, Olivia; and son, Sam; her brother, Lee Sanborn and wife, Marion; and her sister, Ann Dwinal and husband, Paul; special friends. Faith Bailey, Bet Foster and Patti Bicknell, and many more family and friends too numerous to mention.

To share your memories with the family you can visit www.lindquistfuneralhome.com.