Lea P. Banton Obituary (1920 - 2014)

AUGUSTA, MAINE—Lea P. Banton, 93, passed away following a brief illness on Saturday, May 17, 2014, at Augusta Center for Health & Rehabilitation in Augusta, Maine. She was born in North Vassalboro, Maine on October 19, 1920, the daughter of the late Charles E. and Lea (Gosselin) Perry. Lea attended grammar school in East Vassalboro, Maine and graduated from Winslow High School, class of 1940. She married Walter C. Banton in 1946, and they moved to Palermo, Maine where she lived for 62 years. She and Walter shared many wonderful years together until his passing in 2007. Lea’s employment included supervisory positions with American Woolen Mill in North Vassalboro, Maine, Wyandotte Woolen Mill in Waterville, Maine, and she retired from Cascade Woolen Mill in Oakland, Maine. On March 29, Lea was presented with the Boston Post Cane for being the oldest resident of Palermo, Maine. She was very active and served her community in many ways. She was the town’s election clerk for many years, and was a member of the East Palermo Grange, the Extension Group, and the Sheepscot Fish and Game Club. Besides her parents and her husband, she was predeceased by her son, David A. Banton who passed away in 2003; her siblings, Wardell Perry, Claudia Perry Bowen, Theodore Perry, Jestel Perry, and Benedict Perry; and her long-time friend, Ruth Priest. Lea will be sadly missed by her daughters, Judy B. Evans of Manchester, Maine, and Nancy B. Thibodeau of Portland, Maine; her grandchildren, Scott C. Evans and his wife, Bobbie Jo of Weeks Mills, Maine, and Lee Perry Thibodeau and his wife, Melissa of Brentwood, New Hampshire; her great-grandchildren, Cole and James Evans, and Leah and Madison Thibodeau; her long-time friend, Harriett Smith; and many nieces and nephews including three nephews who held a special place in her heart, Tony Perry, Paul Bowen, and Ronald Perry. The family would like to thank the staff at Augusta Center for Health & Rehabilitation for the excellent care Lea received. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28 at Lawry Brothers Funeral Home-Gray Chapel, 207 Windsor Neck Rd., Windsor, Maine. A reception will follow at the funeral home. Interment will be held at a later date.