Lise Aubry died after a very brief illness on Friday, Nov. 15. Lise had moved recently to an assisted living apartment at Granite Hill Estates in Hallowell, having reluctantly given up her lovely cottage and studio at Granite Hill after suffering a fall. Lise’s physical health was declining, but her generous and independent spirit was not.
Lise was born in New York City to Jules and Ellen Aubry. She attended the Spence School in New York and graduated from Smith College in 1958. After graduating from Smith, Lise began a long teaching career as a student teacher at Shady Hill Academy in Cambridge, Mass. When she completed her student teaching, Lise, known as “Miss Aubry” to generations of kindergarten and first grade students, moved to the Park School in Brookline, Mass. where she taught until 1972. While teaching at Park, Lise spent several summers as a graduate student at Boston University from which she received an M.Ed. In 1973 Lise accepted a teaching position at Great Salt Bay Community School in Damariscotta and fulfilled her dream of moving full time to Maine. She bought and renovated an old cape right by the renowned Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder.
Lise first came to Maine for the summer of 1956 when she was hired by a friend of a friend, Tats Swan, as one of two babysitters for the Swan children while Tats and her husband, Jun Swan, were busy running Pine Island Camp in Belgrade Lakes. Lise worked for Pine Island Camp for many years and ran a wonderful day camp for the children of camp administrators and several children from the local area. In 1957 Lise went with Tats and Jun to visit Whitehead Island off of Spruce Head as they were considering purchasing property on the island. The Swans purchased the derelict property, on which there was no running water or electricity, and thus began a nearly 50-year friendship that brought Lise to Whitehead with the Swans every summer until 2004. The Whitehead Island summers, and springs and falls after Lise retired from teaching, were filled with hard work, myriad adventures, improvements to the buildings, visits from countless friends, gardening, birthdays, lobsters cooked on the west shore, and, because Lise was there, lots of wonderful infectious laughter.
Lise was an excellent cook and a lifelong reader who enjoyed discussing literature and life and whose exquisite taste and sense of style were evident in each place she lived. One was always comfortable and cared for at Lise’s house, whether it was in town or out on the island.
Lise was an avid and talented artist. Her attention to detail was impeccable. Her sense of color and design always stole the show. Lise’s paintings appeared in numerous gallery shows at Rising Tide, Damariscotta River Grill, Shapers, and Granite Hill Estates. She had an ongoing art show at Shapers and she graciously gifted to the staff and residents at Granite Hill Estates their choice of over 40 of her paintings. She also donated her paintings to the Damariscotta Mills Fish Ladder to be sold, with all the proceeds to benefit the fish ladder.
Although Lise had no children, she was a devoted, attentive, and generous godmother to three girls and a boy. Lise’s generosity was not limited to her godchildren. It would be impossible to list the vast number of people whose lives were improved by Lise Aubry. Students, Pine Island Camp campers and staff, friends’ children and grandchildren, classmates, colleagues, students’ parents, contractors, and fellow artists all benefited immeasurably from the time they spent with Lise. Her independence, grit, humor, generosity, and love set an example for others throughout her life and will live on in all of those who knew her and will be passed on by them to others.
Lise was predeceased by her parents; her sister, Simone Aubry; and her beloved stepmother, Judy Moon.
