PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Mary Ann Elwell, 74, of Port Orange, Fla., and Bath, died Aug. 22 after a long illness.
A daughter of Michael and Louise Grady, she was born in Portland on Feb. 18, 1937, and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1955.
In 1959 she married Alan Elwell and together they raised a large family and operated Elwell Sheet Metal in Bath for more than 30 years. Known for her precision with numbers, she kept the books for the family business.
A beautiful and loving wife, mother and grandmother, she delighted in large family gatherings and amazed her husband and children with her strength and grace. She had a knack for finding a bargain and was known as the “coupon queen.” While she loved her digital camera and chatting over Skype, she wouldn’t dry her laundry any other way than an old-fashioned clothes line.
After retiring, she and her husband spent their winters in Port Orange, Fla.
A devoted Catholic, she attended St. Mary’s in Bath and Our Lady of Hope in Port Orange. She was active in the Florida chapter of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association as a Lady Rakkasan.
She was predeceased by her brothers, Joseph Grady and Edmund Grady, and sister Dorothy Doucette.
Surviving are her husband of 52 years, Alan; daughter Maureen, and son Michael Elwell and wife Nancy of Port Orange, Fla., daughter Brenda Elwell-Taylor and husband Jason of Kittery, daughter Lisa Elwell of Brunswick, son Beau Elwell and wife Traycee of West Bath, and son Grady Elwell and wife Beth of Oviedo, Fla.; a sister, Alice Cash, of South Portland; 14 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
Visitation will be held at Desmond Funeral Home, 638 High St. in Bath on Tuesday, Aug. 30, from 2-4 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 144 Lincoln St., Bath. A 12 p.m. burial service will follow at Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Augusta. An Irish style gathering will follow at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bath.
To share thoughts and condolences with her family, please visit desmondfuneralhomes.com.
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