Harriet Adelaide Whitten McGillivray, 92, of West Boothbay Harbor, formerly of Cumberland Foreside, passed away June 13 at the Gregory Wing after a period of failing health.
A cherished and beloved spouse, mother, daughter and sister, she was born Oct. 19, 1918 in Winchester, Mass. to Robinson Sawyer and Marion Francis Dix Whitten, graduated with her Bachelors of Arts from Wellesley College and a Masters of Arts from Wheelock College.
Harriet served overseas as a Lieutenant in the Red Cross during WWII.
After returning to Massachusetts, she married John Oliver McGillivray in 1948 and raised their family in Weston, Mass. before retiring to Cumberland Foreside.
She was a life long summer resident of Juniper Point, West Boothbay Harbor.
She taught for almost 30 years much of that time in the Spaulding School (K-6th) in Newton, Mass.
She was an active member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Yarmouth.
Always an active person, she enjoyed skiing at Sugarloaf and tennis and sailing in Boothbay with family and friends, loved to paint and was a talented watercolor artist, was an avid gardener and a member of Garden Clubs in Massachusetts and Maine, and was involved in many volunteer activities including many years at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
She was predeceased by her husband, John Oliver McGillivray; sister, Nancy H. Barton; and brother, Charles Whitten.
She is survived by her children, Stuart F. McGillivray (Susan) of West Boothbay Harbor, Nancy M. Russell (Kevin) of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Jean A. Kingston of White House Station, N.J. and Margaret (Peggy) Samaha (Tim) of Hopkinton, N.H.; grandchildren, Tracy, Lori, Charles, John, Matthew and Whitney; brothers, Mr. and Mrs. George D Whitten (Naomi) and Mr. and Mrs. Bradford D. Whitten (Geneva); brother-in-law, Mr. Robert Barton; sister-in-law, Virginia Whitten; as well as countless nieces and nephews.
A memorial gathering will be held early August at Juniper Point Community Hall in West Boothbay Harbor.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, PO Box 234, Boothbay, ME 04537.
You are invited to share your condolences, memories and photos with the McGillivray family by visiting their Book of Memories at hallfuneralhomes.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Simmons, Harrington & Hall Funeral Home, 975 Wiscasset Rd., Boothbay.