SCARBOROUGH — Alice Conlon Lake, 82, died Oct. 31 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough after suffering a major stroke.

Born in the Bronx, N.Y. in 1929 to Joseph M. and Mary E. Conlon, her family later moved to Bergenfield, N.J. when her younger brother was born. She attended parochial schools growing up and gradated from St. Cecilia High School in Englewood, N.J. in 1947.

She met her husband, John, at Syracuse University where they both graduated with bachelor’s degrees in journalism in 1951. They were married in Honolulu, Hawaii, while John served in the Navy, stationed at the Pearl Harbor Communications Office. While living there she worked for the Honolulu Advertiser as a reporter for the Sunday Women’s section.

After her husband’s discharge from the Navy in 1955, they moved back to Syracuse while he attended graduate school; she went to work for the Syracuse Post Standard, later moving on to the Binghamton News Press as a features writer. Shortly after their daughter was born, her husband was offered a job at the New York Herald Tribune, so they moved back to New York City where they were surrounded by her family.

In 1967, her husband was declared missing in Dec. of 1967 and seven years later was declared legally dead. Those seven years were a difficult time for the family as they were saddled by debt and unable to sell the house because everything was in her husband’s name. She made a bold decision to move to Islesford, Little Cranberry Island, where she bought the general store that served the small, year-round community. She sold the store after several years but stayed on Islesford until 1992, supporting herself by editing promotional advertising for several nationwide newspapers.

After her retirement, she lived in Greater Portland and on Mount Desert Island, enjoying time with family, reading, classic movies and a weekly engagement with the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle.

She is survived by her brother Joseph of Ellington, Conn.; her daughter Kathleen of Ellsworth; her son Eric and his wife Shelly of North Yarmouth; and her grand children John and Katherine.

Donations in Lake’s memory may be made to Gosnell House, Hospice of Southern Maine, Scarborough, ME 04074; the Lake family is grateful for the kindness and loving care provided to her by the staff there.

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