FARMINGTON – Marvel Jean (Applebee) Bacha, of Farmington, passed away peacefully on Oct. 24, 2014 with family by her side.
She was born on June 29, 1929 in Enfield, Maine, to Vinal and Bernice (Snowman) Applebee, who was a Mayflower descendant. She attended Lee Academy, played basketball and softball, and was a cheerleader in the class of ’46. She married Paul E. Marshall in 1948 and lived in Southern Maine with her family of three children, Paula, Susan and Alan, until they relocated to Vermont.
Marvel ran a kindergarten class in her home, worked at the Ben Franklin five and dime store and the local bank in Vergennes, VT. In 1964, Marvel and her family moved to Micronesia in the South Pacific as educational missionaries, where they founded Mizpah, a boarding school for island students. Marvel taught typing and business classes, gave organ lessons and set up an entire library for the school.
When the family returned to Maine after four years abroad, she resumed her lifelong ambition to be a nurse at Central Maine General Hospital in Lewiston. Marvel moved to California in 1976 and in 1979 married Charles P. Bacha. During this time, Marvel continued working as an RN and also became a licensed real estate agent. She always enjoyed her visits home to Enfield, Maine on Cold Stream Pond.
Following the death of her husband, Marvel moved back east to be closer to her beloved children and grandchildren. She loved to play the organ and would often visit nursing homes in Farmington to play for the residents. While living at Pinewood Terrace, Marvel met the final love of her life, Elmer Bickford. The two enjoyed a brief time together in this world.
Marvel was predeceased by her parents, two sisters: Althea Lowell and Muriel di Bonaventura, a brother, Vinal Applebee, her second husband Charles, and her forever companion, Elmer.
She is survived by her three children: Paula Callahan, of Thomaston, Susun Terese of Farmington and Alan Marshall of Moyock, N.C., eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
She will be forever in our hearts and memories as a kind and gentle soul who gave her love to all.
A graveside service will be held in Enfield on Nov. 2 at 11 a.m. A memorial service is planned for noon on Nov. 16 at the North Church in Farmington. Inquiries or comments may be sent to susun@minikins.org or call 207-491-5533.
I was blessed to have this lady in my life the past few years……she was a truly kind and loving woman…..my heart is with the family at this time….her memory will always be with me !!!
So very sorry for your loss..<3
My prayers are with you all. I remember seeing her when I went to Pinewood to visit Elmer and enjoyed talking with her. Then at the hospital the night before Elmer went to be with the Lord, as I staid all night, I enjoyed talking with her again and seeing the love she had for Elmer. May God bless you all.