FREEPORT –Dolores Verhoeven, formerly of Farmington, died peacefully at the age of 89, Monday May 15 2017 at the Hawthorne House in Freeport Maine, where she had been a resident for the past several years.
Dolores was born on October 1 1927 in Brooklyn New York. She was raised by her Aunt Beebee and Uncle Otto. She graduated from Long Beach High School, New York in 1945. The following year she met Robert C. Verhoeven, they fell in love and were married on April 4 1948. They bought their first home in North Merrick, and began their family.
Sons Robert Michael & Paul James were born in 1953 and 1957 respectfully. In 1963 they moved to Maine and built a home where husband Bob’s Aunt Nellie Rose Gaskell, her husband Arthur Gaskell, and their children, Jack Marian, and Marjorie had a farm in Farmington. Dolores had always envisioned having a gift shop so they converted half of their new two car garage into the “Country Squire Gift Shoppe”. Dolores’s interior decorating skills, along with her endless cleaning, went hand in hand with owning a gift shop. The shop was so successful that over the next three years they added two additions to the gift shop.
The boys, Bobby and Paul, enjoyed “helping” with the chores on the farm, fishing, skiing, and exploring the woods. The boys graduated from Mt. Blue High School in 1971 and 1976 respectively. In 1977, Dolores and Bob bought the “Pioneer House Restaurant”. In 1985 they retired and moved to South Portland for a few years, spending summers in Maine and winters in Florida. Eventually, they decided to move to Sanford North Carolina, where they resided until August of 2003, when they moved back to Maine and settled in Durham to be closer to the family. Bob died in January of 2005, a week before his 85th birthday.
Dolores is also predeceased by: mother, Dolores Murray Kaufman; father, Julius Bayer; step-father, Benjamin Kaufman; Aunt, Marie “Beebee” Murray Strassenreiter; Aunt, Agnes Murray Ludwig; and brother, Herbert Kaufman.
Dolores is survived by: two sons: Robert Verhoeven and his fiancée Joan Gilbert Morris; and Paul James Verhoeven and his family: former wife Donna Ellis Verhoeven, their sons: Paul James “PJ” Verhoeven and his wife Rachel Knight Verhoeven and Ryan Christopher Verhoeven, and their daughter Emily Elizabeth Verhoeven. Dolores’s siblings: brother Herbert’s family: wife Harriet Schwartz Kaufman, their sons: Andrew Kaufman and wife Ellen Wachs Kaufman, and Jeffery Kaufman and former wife Carrie Winograd Kaufman, and her grandchildren: Rachel Kaufman, Benjamin Kaufman, Joshua Kaufman, Jonah Kaufman; her brother Peter Kaufman and wife Gail Woods Kaufman; her sister Carolann Kaufman Sideman and husband Arnold Sideman, and their children: Laura Sideman Glaser, and Bruce Sideman, and their grandchildren: Ethan Glaser, Isabella Sideman, Jack Sideman and Molly Sideman.
Her family invites you to share your memories and condolences on her memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com.
Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at the Old South Congregational Church, Main Street, Farmington Maine on Saturday, June 3 at 11 a.m. A Reception will follow in the church vestry, hosted by the Hospitality Committee. Private family inurnment at Fairview Cemetery, Farmington. Cremation and memorial service arrangements are in the care of the Cremation Care Division of the Wiles Remembrance Center, 137 Farmington Falls Rd., (Rtes. 2 & 27) Farmington.
So sorry for your loss Paul and Bobby. I have so many memories of working for them at the Pioneer House and the gift shop. Did do lots of Dusting. Loved her and your dad . I’m sure she is happy now with Bob.
RIP Delores….I worked for them when they owned the Pioneer House, great people! She was such a nice lady. Thoughts and prayers going out to her family!
I remember shopping for gifts for my mother at Mrs. Verhoeven’s lovely shop. She was indeed a remarkable lady. Rest in peace. My deepest sympathy to her family.