1933 – 2013

LEWISTON — Charlene Annette Rich McKeen, 80, of Lewiston, died on Saturday, July 13, from a tragic auto accident. She was surrounded by people who loved her in her last hours of life.

She was born in Augusta on June 7, 1933, daughter of Arleon and Elizabeth Crooker Rich. On Jan. 9, 1953, she married Ellis McKeen. Ellis died in September of 1994.

Charlene graduated from Mechanic Falls High School in 1951. She lived in Mechanic Falls as a child, and never tired of showing her old homestead and other special places in the town when she was there with her friends. She and Ellis settled in the Lisbon Falls area in the 1970s.

Charlene was a bookkeeper and notarian all of her adult life. She worked at Advance Auto Sales, Down-East Sportscraft Inc., Interstate Heel Corp., B & L Homes, Lemay’s Auto Body, Larry Stewart’s Auto Sales and most recently, at Maine Concrete. Her employers wrote letters of reference using the following words to describe her: loyal, dependable, efficient, competent, accurate, honest, friendly, amazing worker, organized, awesome lady, trusted employee and people person who could cope with the best of them!

Over the past several years, she attended the East Brunswick Baptist Church and would follow the service with dinner out with Jane Peach, whom she considered as her daughter. Charlene was a very kind and loving petite lady with a very big heart. She was never afraid to speak her mind and let people know what she wanted.

In June, she celebrated her 80th birthday, where Jane and the Peach family surprised her with a party. She was also joined by her close nephew, Drew, and his family from New Hampshire. She enjoyed time with the extended Peach family, and was included in all of their events, weddings, funerals, holidays and dinner out, just because. She had recently lost and missed her daily companion Brownie, her little dog.

She and her husband built a camp in Moosehead overlooking the Moose River. She enjoyed looking out the front window at the river. In addition to casting a fishing line with her husband, Charlene would cast all her “worries” down the river, and would go home refreshed and relaxed.

She is survived by her husband’s niece, Marie Nurmi; nephews, Martin Nurmi of Sacramento, Calif., and Drew and Nancy McKeen, of Sanbornton, N.H.; great-nephew, Jeremy McKeen and fiancée, Emily Fields, of Concord, N.H.; great-niece, Laura Clark, her husband, Joshua, and their daughter, Amelia, also of Sanbornton, N.H.; dear friend, Richard Desjardins; and three cousins. In addition, she took Jane Peach into her heart as a daughter and loved and was loved by Jane’s family, Marjorie, Paul, Suzanne, Steve, Normand, Virginia, Candace, Michael, Derek, Kelly, Hannah, , Lyndsy, Joe, 3-year-old Addy and new baby, Ben.

She was predeceased by her parents, Arleon and Elizabeth Crooker Rich; her husband, Ellis; her brother, Gerald; and two sisters, Dorothy Nay and Geraldine Curtis.

Online condolences maybe shared with her family at www.chandlerfunerals.com.