GLORIA N. MARTIN
PORTAGE, PRESQUE ISLE & LIMESTONE

Gloria Navella Willey Martin went to be with the Lord on June 8th, 2019 at Woodlands Senior Living Memory Care in Brewer after a long battle with dementia. She was born in Limestone, Maine on March 30th, 1927, the daughter of Violet (Gallagher) Willey and Bedford Willey.

She was married to Donald “Duke” Martin on June 1st, 1956 and was committed to him for a lifetime until his unexpected death in 2014. Gloria, like many others born and who lived during the Great Depression years, had little in material wealth, but found love and security within the family. Her grandparents, parents, and five siblings were the foundation and influence throughout childhood, teens, and adulthood. Gloria was a graduate of Limestone High School, Class of 1944 and graduated in 1945 from the secretarial program at Husson College. She worked as a secretary/bookkeeper for the Presque Isle School Department from 1952 to 1974 as well as bookkeeper for the Northern Maine Fair Association for many years. She was a member of the Bethany Baptist Church in Presque Isle and later joined Columbia Street Baptist Church in Bangor. Gloria was also a member of Beta Sigma Phi and loved being part of the Ladies Portage Lake Bible Class during retirement. Gloria loved playing the piano, floral arranging and crafts, hat making, and dancing. Her greatest love, other than Duke, was to spend time with family and playing with her beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Gloria was predeceased by her parents, her husband “Duke”, and her brother Charles Willey. She is survived by one daughter, Rebecca Wright and her husband Michael Wright of Ellsworth, four grandchildren; Jasmine Ireland of Franklin, Adam Walton and his wife Melissa of Brewer, Jared Wright of Brewer, and Cameron Wright of Yarmouth; three great-grandchildren, which were the delight of her final years; Eden, Esther Navella (her namesake), and Adam Walton of Brewer, Maine. She is also survived by four sisters; Emmaleen Lynch and her husband Paul of Presque Isle, Jeanette Seeley of Fort Fairfield, Eleanor Cyr and her husband Mike of Sinclair, Gwendolyn Marshall and her husband Bucky of Cross Lake, a sister-in-law, Kathy Willey of Limestone, many nieces and nephews.

Friends may call Saturday June 15, 2019 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the Giberson-Dorsey Funeral Home, 144 Main Street, Fort Fairfield, where services will be conducted at 12:00 p.m. with Marty Thompson officiating. Interment will follow at the Riverside Cemetery, Fort Fairfield. Those who wish may contribute in memory of Mrs. Martin to Baptist Park, P.O. Box 498, Mapleton, Maine 04757 or to Shepard’s Godparent Home, P.O. Box 616, Bangor, Maine 04401. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. Online condolences may be expressed at www.gibersondorseyfuneralhome.com .