– Laurie May Stewart, 56, tragically lost her life on May 6, 2018 at a Portsmouth Hospital with her loving family by her side. Born on August 5, 1961 in Brockton, MA, Laurie was the daughter of Merle and Dorothy (Herrick) Wilbur. She grew up spending time in Franklin, MA and Harmony, ME, but Harmony was her home. A child with a competitive spirit, Laurie always had a deck of cards in her back pocket and a checkerboard under her arm. She attended grade school in Massachusetts and high school in Maine, graduating from Dexter Regional High School in 1979, where she was a talented softball pitcher in the Dexter league. Laurie attended Beal College and graduated in 1981 with an Associate’s degree in Secretarial Administration. She went on to work for Dexter Shoe. In 1987, she began her career working for the United States Postal Service where she would remain for 30 years, 17 years as a Postmaster. Laurie started in the mail plant in Bangor where she met the love of her life, Ernie Stewart. She continued to work her way up and became a clerk in Bangor and eventually transferred to Skowhegan. On September 9, 2001 she became the Postmaster of Athens, ME. In 2006, she and her family moved to Verona Island where she served as the Bucksport Postmaster. In 2013, she and her family once again moved to Eliot, where she spent several years as Postmaster there. Laurie retired after her final position as Postmaster of York Harbor, a place that was very special to her. Laurie thoroughly enjoyed her career, but her family always came first. She raised her four children in Harmony, where she was the chair of their school board. She was also an active member of her native tribe, the Oromocto First Nation. She came from a large and loving family and always made sure to help organize their yearly family reunion. If Laurie was not barefoot on a beach, you would most likely find her on a boat or cruising around town in her convertible. She was the life of every party she attended. Most importantly, she was a generous soul who helped anyone in need. Her children will miss her smile, laugh, encouragement, and strength. They find solace, however, knowing that she has been reunited with their father, Ernie, who was Laurie’s soulmate. Laurie is survived by her mother, Dorothy Herrick Lombard of Harmony; children, Dakota Stewart of Hampden, India Stewart and fiancé Alex Pappas of Portland, Montana Stewart of Saco, and Chyna Stewart of Portland; siblings, Sheilah Conceison of Easton, MA, Lynda Rowell of Cambridge, ME, Pamela Spence of Taunton, MA, and David Wilbur and wife, Shelley, of Frankfort, ME; her best friend Karen Nelson of Machias, ME and many nieces, nephews, family and friends. She was predeceased by her father, Merle Wilbur, her husband, Ernest Stewart, and her mentor, Arthur Staehli. Funeral services will be held Noon, Saturday, May 12, 2018 at the First Baptist Church of Harmony, 20 High Street, Harmony. Friends may visit with the family from 11 AM till the start of the service. Interment will be at the Chadbourne Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to share conversation and refreshments at the church following the interment. Donations in her memory may be made in support of the children, to https://www.gofundme.com/laurie-stewart-memorial-fund. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.BrookingsSmith.com.
Namaste, Mom.