Patricia “Pat” A. Gosselin Shaffer

TOPSHAM – Patricia “Pat” A. Gosselin Shaffer, 75, passed away at her home surrounded by family and friends on Nov. 8, 2025 following a battle with colon cancer. Pat was born and grew up in Lewiston, until she met the love of her life, Dennis, while he was in Brunswick assigned to the USS H.E. Yarnell. They were married in Lewiston in December 1969 and their early life together took them to Rhode Island and Virginia through Dennis’ Navy service before they

returned to Maine as their ‘forever’ home. Pat worked in many professions including as a kindergarten teacher, an optician, a physical therapy aid, and a pharmacy technician. Wherever she worked, Pat was a beloved colleague, teacher and friend and she truly loved serving others throughout her professional life. Pat and Dennis loved to travel the world together, visiting many states, islands, and countries together and with family and friends and she loved to tell of their crazy adventures, especially those involving tropical geckos!

Pat loved her family and friends endlessly, including her husband, Dennis; her daughters and their husbands – Tania and Ken Strout, and Katrina and Neil Arnold; her beloved brother and sister-in-law Paul and Joanne Gosselin and her nephews: Thomas, his wife Elizabeth and children Otis and Raven; and Nathan – who she shared a special bond with – and his amazing dog Bear. Her best friends Jean (the ‘Thelma’ to her ‘Louise’) and Jerry Burkhardt and their children helped to fill her life with love and laughter and many wonderful adventures.

The greatest joy of her life, however, was her grandchildren, Meighan Li and Molly Xiaoyu Strout. She traveled to China with her daughter to adopt Mei and then retired from professional life to help care for her granddaughters, becoming known to all as Mémère or ‘Mem’. We know that she will always be watching over them.

She was predeceased by her parents Hal and Julie Gosselin and her husband Dennis.

Her family is extremely grateful for the outstanding, compassionate care provided by the team at the Highlands in Topsham where she resided as well as the amazing team from CHANS hospice who helped to care for her at the last month of her life. She will be buried in the sea that she loved so much in the future.

Please visit http://www.brackettfh.com to view Pat’s online memorial.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Pat’s honor can be made to Good Shepherd Food Bank (https://www.gsfb.org/get-involved/donate/), Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/get-involved/other-ways-give). In her honor, please be kind to one another, have fun, and get your colonoscopy!