Bertha (Ferland) Nielsen Chagnon (1908-2014)

WATERVILLE – Bertha (Ferland) Nielsen Chagnon, 106, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Dec. 24, 2014, at Oak Grove Center.

Bertha Ferland was born on Feb. 4, 1908 in Jackman, the daughter of Annie and Philip Ferland. She was born prematurely at home weighing only 2 pounds, 3 ounces. Her grandmother kept her alive by placing her on the open oven door to warm her and occasionally breathing into her mouth. Bertha would be the first of eight children, even helping to deliver her youngest sibling.

She attended boarding school at Sacred Heart Academy in Jackman, completing the 9th grade and hoping to finish high school and teach French. Instead, at 15, she was sent to her family in Lowell, Mass., to work in their boarding home and a shoe shop. When the boarding home was sold, she moved to Connecticut and worked at the Royal Typewriter Factory in Hartford, where she met Peter Nielsen. They were married April 24, 1928, and together, had four children between 1928 and 1941.

The couple loved to dance and were often used by the dance instructor as the example to follow. Bertha and Peter operated a dairy farm together in Fairfield from 1946 to 1958, then moved the operation to Clinton until 1966. Peter passed away in 1970.

Bertha married Hinckley Chagnon, a long-time family friend, on May 3, 1975. They lived in Connecticut and Florida until his death in 1985, when she took up residence in her home on the Hill Road in Clinton. After she was widowed the second time, Bertha decided to travel. She enjoyed many adventures around the world with dear friends, visiting Alaska, Hawaii, Nashville, Tennessee, Amish country in Pennsylvania, and attending a grandson’s wedding in Spain.

She was proud to live on her own in her home in Clinton, feeding the birds and creating beautiful handwork. She diligently tended her flower gardens and baked often for her son, Chris, who lived next door. Her Danish cookies were her signature, and no one has quite been able to duplicate them, despite her insistence that “you have to use the cheapest margarine.”

Bertha loved to hear from and visit with her many grandchildren and great grandchildren, covering an entire wall of her home with family photos. She finally stopped driving her car when she was 95 (she had only begun driving in her 50s), and the same year her family was forced to take away her stepladder so she’d stop cleaning the windows in her house. It was there, at 98 years old, that Bertha was honored with the Boston Post Cane Award as Clinton’s oldest living resident.

She lived at Oak Grove Center in Waterville since 2009 and made her mark on its staff and residents; everyone greeted her by name. For several years, she was a fixture at Tim Hortons on Upper Main Street, coming with her family every Sunday for coffee and pasties, waving at the people in the drive-through and impressing everyone with her stamina and spark.

Bertha leaves behind a large and loving family, connected by the many stories they’ve heard her tell over the years. She was proud to have several great-great-grandchildren, one of whom was born on the day she passed. Her family would like to thank the caregivers at Oak Grove Center for their dedication and kindness, and her hospice caregivers for supporting her through the end of her life.

She is survived by two daughters, Norma Julia of Fairfield and Eleanor Pellerin of Bangor; son, Christian Nielsen and wife Prudence of Clinton; eight granddaughters: Nancy Julia of Fairfax, Virginia, Jean Groleau of Fairfield, Margaret Carter and husband Bruce of Ellsworth, Cynthia Neilsen of Oakland, Rhonda Choquette and husband Greg of Bangor, Valerie McClosky and husband Peter of Ellsworth, Kristin Mollison and husband Cressey of Gorham, and Sherry Decker of Saco; seven grandsons: Philip Julia and wife Susan of Wrightstown, N.J., Paul Nielsen and wife Debra of Clinton, Dana Nielsen and wife Annie of Clinton, Scott Nielsen and wife Sheila of Oakland, Peter Pellerin of Hampden, Theodore Pellerin and wife Sue of Monroe, and Timothy Pellerin of Hampden; brother, Lloyd Ferland of Greenville Junction; sister, Beatrice Basil of Gainsville, Florida; many great, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was predeceased by her husbands, Peter Nielsen and Hinckley Chagnon, and her oldest son, Herbert Nielsen, parents Annie and Phillip brothers Andrew, Wilfred and Gerard who died in infancy, sisters, Yvonne, Stella, Joan.

A memorial service will be held on Jan. 3, 2014 at 1 p.m. at Brown Memorial United Methodist Church in Clinton, where Bertha was a long-time member. Reception following the service.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to HealthReach Home Care & Hospice, PO Box 828,Waterville, Maine 04901 or Brown Memorial United Methodist Church PO Box 58, Clinton, ME 04927.

Arrangements under the care and direction of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, Maine 04976.