Our Resident Family

A work in progress, we have been spending time with some of our resident family members, who have chosen to share their stories. What a gift to learn from each of them, the stories that shaped who they are, all they have to offer and to help us get to know each other better.

bonnie wYNNE

Bonnie was born up north by Houlton, Maine. Her father was a United Methodist Minister. She and her sister lost their mom at a very young age. Her dad remarried and the girls gained a half sister. They all remained very close through the years. They moved to a church in East Boothbay, then Fairfield, and eventually Camden, which was a great place to grow up. Eventually, they moved to Woburn, Mass. Bonnie is grateful her Dad had the foresight to ensure his 3 daughters received a college education.

While at Simmons College, Bonnie met her future husband, Ed, who was studying to be a chemical Engineer at Northeastern University. They married after college, and Ed enlisted in the Army. After the army, he enrolled in Seminary and became a United Methodist minister in New Jersey for 40 years. They raised 2 sons and a daughter there.

In 1998, they retired to Maine, buying their first house ever on the Bristol Road. For 18 years, Ed was the Miles Hospital chaplain and did substitute preaching in various churches here.

In their years of service, Bonnie and Ed saw many couples wait too long to make a decision about where they would like to live in their senior years, and wanted to be proactive. They moved into the Lincoln Home 8 years ago with Ed’s dear sister, Janet, sharing a lovely river view apartment, where they each could have their own room. Bonnie shares, “I am very happy here. I love meeting new people. In the sad times, we have each other. I love all the great meals we get here, I never liked to cook! I can be as active as I want, there is so much to do. I go to the Y 2 times a week and participate in the Silver Sneakers exercise group here.”

joan dinsmore

Joan and her four siblings grew up in Rochester, NY. Her mom, a great volunteer and lover of plants and flowers, was a big influence on Joans life choices. She was interested in helping families living in the tenements, and gave seeds and plants to the children living in the Third Ward to beautify their neighborhood. In high school, Joan volunteered her time with music, creating a newspaper and working at the Physical Therapy department of a Cerebral Palsy center. She thought she either wanted to go into Physics, or be a Physical Therapist, then switched to Religion. After graduating from Smith College, she returned to Rochester to teach bible as literature at Columbia School for Girls. She traveled to a work camp in Gabon, West Africa. There, she met her husband, Jim, attracted to him because he played Scott Joplin and Honky tonk!

Back in the states, Joan and Jim both taught and lived near Hartford, CT. They took teenage church youth groups around the world staying in people’s homes and YMCA’s. One of their journeys was to the Israeli side of the Jerusalem wall. One year, they lived in Spain. They decided to buy a fishing shack on Friendship Maine’s Long Island and spent summers there, rebuilding the shack. when their children were aged 5 and 7, they moved to Friendship to homestead, and live off the land with their huge garden. A book called “Friendship” was written utilizing Jim’s letters and photographs by Jed Devine, which beautifully documents this period of Joan and her family’s lives. Jim died suddenly in 1988, when their kids were in college.

Joan had been volunteering at New Hope for Women in Rockland. She moved to Portland to become a paralegal, studying at USM. At a contra dance, five years after Jim passed, she met George. They were married for 22 years, lived in Portland and traveled all over the world. During this time, she volunteered at the Rape Crisis and Family Violence Help line. In her early 50’s, Joan got a job at Pine Tree Legal. She wanted to do more mediating, so she took a job on the Help Line for Agency on Aging. Next she coordinated volunteers and worked the Help line for the Alzheimers Assoc. She continued her volunteer work in the evenings for New Hope for Women until last year. George passed in 2017.

Joan’s son lives in Montreal, and her daughter in Wiscasset. She has been at The Lincoln Home for 2 years and loves being close to her daughter. “Being here is just what I needed...safety. I always wanted a room of my very own. I can have my solitude and enjoy the beauty of the river.” Joan keeps really busy writing, creating art and poetry.

She loves getting out to walk. Through the Second Congregational Church in Newcastle, she has become involved in the Outreach Team, a Social Action group. She loves that she can walk to church and be so involved.

JOHN HALL

John Hall is a relatively new member of our Lincoln Home family. John grew up in New Haven, CT. His parents taught at Yale, then Cornell. They moved to Arlington, MA, and John was a great student in high school at Concord Academy. For 39 years, he worked as a librarian at Eco Services, a halfway house in Massachusetts. There, he also lead a therapy group and a bible study group. He was a secretary at the Newton YMCA and at the Unitarian Church in Arlington. John volunteered at Blue Parrot Coffee Shop where the food was paid for by donation, and the money raised went to charity. He also volunteered at Cradle to Crayons, a children’s charity that provides clothing, books and shoes for children in need. John is a pianist and loves to write music. He shared that he likes it here at The Lincoln Home alot; loves the food, the ability to get out and walk, and being able to walk to a local church with his dad.

Joseph Dee Jr.

Joe came from a very close family, one of 6 siblings, growing up in Concord Mass. In high school, he met his wife, Eva at a dance and said, “I’m going to marry that girl, she’s a sweetheart.” And indeed he did! They were married over 50 years, and have a son, Bob, and daughter, Linda, and 2 grandhildren. After serving in the Marines, Joe became an electrician and worked at BIW. Joe is a family man. The family used to spend summers at the beach and traveling. Later in life, he and Eva bought a motorhome and traveled to the West Coast and Alaska. Eva passed away over 15 years ago. Joe loves to socialize and is really enjoying his time here at Lincoln Home, of which he shared, “This place is run very well. All my needs are taken care of, the food is excellent, and there are wonderul caregivers and staff. Number one is the people, I’ve met some real nice residents!”

Marion Richter

Marion was born and grew up in Newark, NJ. She lived next door to her childhood sweatheart, Malcolm, whom she married when she was 21. She was a Secretary for New Jersey State Safety Council for 35 years. In 1987, she and her husband built a house in Bristol, where they spent their vacations until moving there full time. Marion loves to garden and spent every day she could in the perennial gardens surrounding their home, along with mowing their 3 acres! Malcolm passed away 8 years ago. They had one daughter, who passed away from cancer 3 years ago. Marion is very social, and is very happy about her move to The Lincoln Home; her beautiful view, the great food, the genuine people and the kindness of the staff. She has been enjoying the weekly trips to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

jean nuss

Jean grew up in Tacoma Park, just outside of Washington, DC. She graduated with a degree in English from the University of MD, where she met her husband. After marrying, they lived in Chicago, and loved listening to Jazz. It was a very happy time in her life. Jean was a stay at home mom in Cleveland, raising a son and daughter. In 1974, she lost her husband suddenly. She returned to school and got a degree in Reading, enabling her to teach school for 22 years. Jean really liked English, Reading and teaching, though in later years, she wished she could have studied Oceanography.

Jean married a minister, they lived happily near the Ohio River for 14 years. She enjoyed traveling to Europe, Canada and in the States. By 2018, she had lost her second husband and many of her friends.

Jean’s daughter and family live in Toronto, and her son lives locally in Round Pond, who felt it was time to move closer to him. Jean shared, “ I have met a lot of nice new friends at Lincoln Home. The people here are very kind. I have nothing but good things to say about our staff. I enjoy the exercise classes, writing and poetry groups and the outings. I love to get out to walk, and I enjoy sitting in the lobby.”

It is pretty hard to imagine this vital, lovely lady is going to turn 100 this year! Jean is a wonderful addition to our writing groups, her delightful wit and wisdom come through her writings and sharing of her thoughts and life experiences.

Zibette (Elizabeth) Dean

The oldest of 3 children, Zibette grew up in East Boothbay. Her dad worked for Goudy & Stevens Boatyard building wooden ships for the Navy. Her creative writing talents began in high school, writing at night on her dad’s typewriter.

As an adult, Zibette lived in Edgecomb for over 50 years, and was very active on town committees. She and her husband had 5 children, 2 years apart. Her husband was a photographer and a teacher at Maine College of Art. When their children reached school age, she started writing poetry in Adult Education classes as a creative outlet for self expression. Each of her 5 children are all creative and artistic.

In later years, Zibette was involved at Lincoln Home, teaching local history classes. Now that she has made Lincoln Home her home, she shares, “ I love that it is so open and friendly here, and not institutional. I love being able to get outdoors, and love having the river outside our windows. The best view is from the dining room, especially watching all the bird activity.”

Zibette is a wonderful writer and addition to our Tidal Rivers Writing Group at Lincoln Home. Her thoughtful writings read like poetry, some of which have been published in our Wit and Wisdom column of the Lincoln County Newspaper.

polly french

Polly’s family, the Dinsmores, have deep roots in this community, stemming back to the early 1800’s. Her great grandfather was the head of the stables at the Fiske House, which was where the First National Bank stands today. Polly grew up on Academy Hill Road. Her mom was in charge of the instruments at Central Supply and her Dad was a lumberman for the state of Maine, as well as working at Nash Telephone for a time. All of Polly’s family are graduates of Lincoln Academy. Polly shares, “This town is my history!”

Polly graduated from Gorham State Teachers college, married, and had two sons. She and her second husband, Fred French built a home on Pleasant Street, Newcastle. For many years, Polly worked at Damariscotta Band & Trust, then Key Bank in Bath, and eventually became the assistant manager in Wiscasset. She has been a member of the Second Congregational church since 1953.

Fred was the head of Maintenance at Miles Memorial Hospital and a fireman for Newcastle for 35 years. Fred developed kidney failure and needed dialysis three times/week. The closest facility was in Bath. Polly learned people from northern Maine were dying because they couldn’t get to Bath. She advocated relentlessly with the State of Maine, becoming known as “the gentle nag” until her vision for a Dialysis center became a reality in Damariscotta. There is a field named in Fred’s honor at Lincoln Academy. Polly lost her son, Dean, at age 59 to cancer of the liver. Polly is very grateful to have such a wonderful family, including Fred’s two daughters, Holly and Drucilla. She has two grandsons and four great grandchildren.

Polly loves living at The Lincoln Home because “I can do what I want when I want! I have so many friends here and in this community. Because I grew up here, I know alot of the families of the people who work here. I love when the girls come in and chat and keep me company. I am very content.” Polly loves to knit, crochet, read, and do puzzles.

Arthur Quinn

Arthur grew up in the small town of Dushore, Pennsylvania where he and his sister Jaquelin were raised by their mother, Meriam Quinn. Arthur’s grandfather helped build the Panama Canal.

Arthur worked at the A&P, attended St. Basil’s school and church and made lifelong friends.

After high school Arthur enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan where he was a personnel clerk for his battalion. His time in the Army exposed Arthur to new and exciting cultures, and it fostered a passion for both technology as well as exploring the world. During his Army service, he travelled extensively throughout much of Asia.

Once stateside Arthur attended Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute and was introduced to his future wife, Penny, by a mutual friend. Arthur and Penny married and had 4 children, David, Robert, Michelle, and Chris.

After school, Arthur landed a career defining job with IBM. Their household had the first IBM PC Jr. in town, he had pagers before they were cool, and even a gadget that can best be described as an early predecessor to the laptop computer.

They built a home on Penny Lane on 10 acres of the shoreline of Travel Pond in Jefferson, Maine. Arthur and Penny provided their children with the opportunity to experience the serenity of life in rural Maine while exposing them to as much of the world as possible, through summer road trips across the country and Canada, camping and hiking the Maine wilderness, and travel to Europe. They instilled a work ethic into their children as well. There was always a lawn to mow, brush to haul and burn, or snow to shovel. After the kids grew up and moved out, Arthur bought a riding mower! Arthur and Penny hosted a world of exchange students ranging from France, Spain, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Japan.

Arthur and Penny travelled together throughout the US, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Mexico, Hawaii and Japan. He is a Padi certified Scuba diver and has dived shipwrecks, caves, and the continental shelf. Arthur’s most recent international trip checked off his 4th continent with a safari and a visit to friends in South Africa.

He said he really likes the people here at The Lincoln Home and loves the food!

tracy hunter

Tracy has enjoyed a wealth of experiences in her working career. Her first job after college was assistant to the Dean of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. She enjoyed her work there but decided to head to NYC to study at The New York School of Interior Design where she decided interior design would be more of a hobby for her than a profession. She soon accepted a position as Activity Director at an Assisted Living facility in Princeton, NJ. There she worked designing, implementing and directing a program which enriched the physical and spiritual needs of the residents.

Five years later, to be closer to family and friends, Tracy moved back to Boston and accepted a similar position to the job in Princeton.  She held that position for five years before deciding to earn her Masters Degree in Business.

Upon graduation, due to a series of fortuitous circumstances, Tracy was  offered a position with a deluxe tour operator as an International Tour Director. For 15 years she traveled the world leading groups of about 40 people to various destinations by land or by cruise ship.  It was her dream job and she loved almost every minute of it. Following this, she advanced in this field with a position as a tour designer for a start- up company, '’ Odysseys Unlimited” launching worldwide tours.

People often ask Tracy what is her favorite place in the world and she answers “Maine”. In her youth, she spent 8 years as a camper; 2 years as a counselor, teaching tennis and water skiing; and one year as a senior staff member — more recently recently serving 5 years on the camp’s board of directors.

Tracy’s most recent career was as a successful real estate broker for 22 years in Lincoln County, Maine. She loved meeting new people, helping them get to know the area, and finding their perfect home. She has been actively involved with several non-profit organizations including Rotary International and as a board member for the Regional Damariscotta Chamber of Commerce, along with P.E.O., an international  organization supporting women in education through scholarships and grants.         

In 2021, Tracy moved to The Lincoln Home — a good fit which has provided her with a community that has become home. Tracy shared, “The people at Lincoln Home have become family. People care for each other and look out for one another. There is a wide variety of wonderful activities from which we can choose .”

Sandy Metz

Sandy’s mother grew up in Florence, Italy and moved to the US after meeting her father. She grew up in Minnesota. Sandy worked as an Xray technician in California, where she met her husband who was in the Navy. They moved to Rochester, NY. Sandy has a son in Michigan, a son in California and five grandsons. Her daughter and works for Oxbow Brewery here in midcoast Maine.

After Sandy’s husband passed, she moved to the Lincoln Home to be closer to her daughter and three grand daughters. Sandy expressed that she loves it here, and loves the environment. She volunteers her time with residents at Harbor View Cottage and at the Skidompha second hand bookstore in Damariscotta.

Another resident shared, “Sandy is a quiet nurturer, a caregiver to others here at The Lincoln Home and Harbor View Cottage.”

OLIVE HART

Olive has been a beloved member of our Lincoln Home family for over 8 years. The middle child in a family of five children, she was born and raised in Bangor during the Depression, and was educated in Bangor schools. The family all enjoyed spending as much time as possible at their primitive camp on a lake near Lincoln, Maine. They had no electricity, running water, phone or refrigeration. The children loved their freedom to climb trees, explore in the woods and spend time in or on the water.

Olive graduated from the University of Maine in 1948, following in the footsteps of both her parents and her grandfather. She studied Modern Languages, including French, Spanish and German. While there, she met her future husband, Skip, a midshipman at Maine Maritime Academy. They married on Olive’s graduation day after which Skip went back to his naval duty.

Upon Skip’s return, he took classes and graduated from University of Maine, Orono. They then settled in South Hope. Skip went to work for Maine Blueberry Growers while Olive was a homemaker, raising the four children, James, Julia, Christine, and Victoria. Olive was the Treasurer for the town of Hope for several years, learned to hook rugs, and tended a large vegetable garden in the summer.

In 1964, they bought their home in North Nobleboro. She enjoyed planting trees, flower gardens and building stonewalls. While all four children were in school, Olive volunteered at Miles Hospital and Miles Home Health. The children all graduated from Lincoln Academy. In 1969, Jim was at Dartmouth College and Julie at Wellesley, with two more girls preparing for college.

Wanting to help with to help with expenses, Olive went back to take college courses to earn credit hours necessary for a teaching certificate. Nobleboro school hired Olive to teach grades 6,7, and 8 Reading, English, Social Studies, Spelling and Writing. “The first years were really difficult, but eventually the load was lightened. She began in 1970 continuing until 1987, retiring at age 62. During this time, Olive taught herself to quilt. She met with a group of local ladies, the Clamshell Quilters.

Olive shares the story of how horses were part of their lives, woven in and out among the kids’ schools, colleges and her teaching work.

“We bought Chris her first horse, Cherokee, in the early 1960's. She truly loved him and others later, loved being around them, the feel of their body and coat, the smell of their flesh, their personalities. But Cherokee was too much for her, we had to give him away and got her a Morgan filly. They grew and learned together, Midge and Chris, a pair. Then Skip found a young Morgan stallion, and the years of horse shows began. Chris never cared for the shows. She just loved the horses. The shows were Skip’s passion.

We added two more stalls to our little barn, but it was not long before they were replaced by a 10-stall stable. More horses, more stalls, move from small local shows to bigger and better ones all over New England and Pennsylvania. By now we needed professional trainers here, in Connecticut, and another in N.Y. state. We no longer went into a ring to show our horses, that’s what the trainer was for. There was a horse show somewhere every weekend through the summer, and we faithfully were at each one.

Through our earliest years of this, Chris and I spent every Saturday getting ready for the show the next day. We bathed the horse(s), walked to cool, then groom, trim mane, braid tail (me), polish hooves (Chris), shine the bits, and treat the leather of the bridle, whiten the girth, blanket horses to keep him clean overnight. I washed her riding clothes while she polished her boots and brushed the required derby.

When Chris went to college, she sold her mare to pay tuition. She had completely lost any interest she ever had in showing. Skip hired people to help with barn work and a rider for the showing until the trainer took over our lives in the ring. Skip and I continued to travel all over New England and as far as Pennsylvania. We were gone at first on Sundays, then weekends finally a week at a time at a motel somewhere so we could watch the show. It was stressful being away so much, but I tried to be supportive. When we were at home, I worked in the barn, shoveled tons of stuff out of stalls, put horses out or brought them in, scrubbed buckets, went out to the barn at midnight when a mare was foaling, tended to any sickness, gave shots, and walked each horse out back with the vet when his/her life was over.”

in 1972, Skip retired. His health deteriorated gradually until eventually Olive was his caregiver, responsible for the bills, the house, gardens, and the horses.

Skip passed away in 2016, and Olive moved to The Lincoln Home. Here, she has been doing a lot of personal writing of her wonderful stories, sharing them to the delight of residents and staff in our Writing Group. Olive has her sewing machine set up in her room, her quilts are amazing. She shared that she has good friends here at The Lincoln Home and feels accepted. We are happy to have her wonderful spirit among us.