1919 – 2015

AUBURN — Florence E. Libby, 95, of Lewiston passed from this life peacefully at the Androscoggin Hospice House.

She was born in Wilmington, Del., in 1919 to Leonard Edwards and Mabel Walton Edwards and fell asleep Sunday, Aug. 30. By the time she married Kenneth R. Libby on Nov. 21, 1940, she had graduated from high school, become a switchboard operator in Delaware and was active in the first of three churches where she loved to teach Bible classes and Sunday school.

Florence and Ken had three children and lived in rural southern New Jersey until the late 1950s. There, she loved to swim, sunbathe, read, play bridge, take part in church and spend time with family and neighbors.

After New Jersey, they entered suburban life in Maryland, north of D.C. She continued with teaching at church, singing in the choir, playing bridge, family times, seeing great friends and raising the children.

Throughout their life together, Florence and Ken spent much time in South Freeport and visited many other places in Maine. Florence loved winter and Ken was an Auburn native, so they moved permanently to Maine in the late 1990s.

She became a widow in 2006, after which time she lived with a son and daughter-in-law to her final days. There, she continued her connection with the church, read avidly, enjoyed walks to see the flowers and the garden and made some great friends in the Christian fellowship and in the health care community. Her favorite chair featured a feeder that attracted many birds and she continued to read much. A great joy to her in this time was the frequent visits from three of her 11 grandchildren and three of 12 great-grandchildren, who lived locally, and frequent visits from the family, who lived farther away.

Now she awaits the return of Christ, missed by her three children, Barbara, David and his wife, Bobbi, and Ken Jr.; 11 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and one sister-in-law, Mildred Libby and Mildred’s family; and Riley, the dog.

Online condolences and sharing of memories may be expressed at www.lynchbrothers.com.