Mary Irene Kimball

SOUTH PORTLAND - Mary Irene Kimball, 87, of South Portland, died April 27, 2012 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House with her loving family by her side. She was born in January 1925 in South Portland, the daughter of Michael Augustus and Grace Frances Lydon. Mary was educated locally and was a 1942 graduate of South Portland High School; ranking third in her class. A devout Catholic her entire life, she was a communicant of St. John the Evangelist Church. In recent years, she attended weekly Mass at Holy Cross Church in South Portland due to mobility issues. She married the love of her life, Warren Frank Kimball, on October 28, 1944 in South Portland and together they loved, raised and cared for their family. They traveled far and wide but always came back to Maine which they loved, spending as much time as possible up to camp. After the death of her husband, Mary continued to travel with her daughters. She traveled to Ireland in 2000 with daughter Joanne. Mary's last trip was with daughter Jane in 2008 to the shrine of St Anne de Beaupre in Quebec Canada which had been her lifelong desire. Mary was co-owner; office manager and bookkeeper of Kimball's Garage, Inc. in South Portland. She was a former Girl Scout Leader and was a member of the Lincoln School Mother's Club. Her family will remember her as a devoted wife and mother who was generous, kind and selfless. She enjoyed cooking, reading, swimming, knitting, crocheting and traveling. In her later years, she treasured visits from her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren most of all. She was predeceased by her parents; her husband Warren in 1999; and five brothers, Edward, John, Joseph, George and Frederick Lydon. Surviving are: four daughters, Jane K. Foley (with whom she lived since 1999) and her husband John of South Portland, Susan G. Barker and her husband Jim of South Portland, Joanne L. Stegall and her husband Harry of Longs, SC, Mary Lou Kimball of Scarborough; a son, John W. Kimball and his wife Rae of South Portland; twelve grandchildren; twenty great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to the staff at Gosnell Memorial Hospice for the wonderful care they provided to Mary in the last two weeks of her life. Visiting hours will be held from 3-7 p.m. on Monday, April 30, 2012 at Conroy-Tully Crawford South Portland Chapel, 1024 Broadway, South Portland. Prayers will be recited 8:15 a.m., Tuesday at the chapel, followed by a 9:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. John the Evangelist Church, Main Street, South Portland. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, South Portland. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary's memory may be made to: St. John the Evangelist Church, c/o 29 Aspen Avenue, South Portland, Maine 04106 or South Portland Food Cupboard, 29 Aspen Avenue, South Portland, Maine 04106 or Gosnell Memorial Hospice House, 11 Hunnewell Road, Scarborough, ME 04074.Online condolences may be expressed below.