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Francie Jean Philbrook

Date of Death: March 1, 2019

Date of Birth: August 3, 1957

Biography:

After a courageous 2-year struggle with cancer, Francie Jean Philbrook died March 1, 2019 at the Hospice Comfort Care Unit at Glenridge in Augusta.

Francie was born august 3, 1957 in Rockland, Me, 3 hours before the Lobster Festival.  She was welcomed to the world by the sound of high school marching bands and fire trucks.

She enjoyed a small-town childhood in Warren where kids walked or rode bikes for transportation and no parental communication was needed as long as you showed up for supper.  Evening neighborhood games were arranged by Tarzan calls from the backyard.

Francie graduated from Medomak Valley High School in ’75, attended UMO ’79 and completed a Dietetic Internship University of Alabama at Birmingham in ‘80.

After a 37-year career as a Registered Dietitian at Maine General Med Center, she left work daily grateful that she was having a positive influence in the world.

She found alone time restorative and enjoyed reading, crafting, puttering and listening to the natural world.  She was known for her quick wit and fondness for irony.  She wasn’t afraid to identify the “elephant in the room” or give her honest, often unsolicited comment, on another’s actions and motivations.  The latter taught her that a sincere heartfelt apology was always the best recourse.

She met Paul Giguere, her husband of 34 years, Jan 3, 1981 at a post New Year’s Eve party. They were married April 20, 1985. They built their house and made their home on the Worthing Rd in Manchester, surrounded by the 700-acre Allen Whitney Memorial Forest.  Francie loved the abundance of nature and the solitude of the undeveloped woodlands.

In the fall of 1989, she and Paul purchased a camp lot on Hoyt Island, Great Pond.  Many summers & winters were enjoyed at “the camp”; falling asleep to the sound of loons was a treasured memory. Paul and Francie were blessed with the birth of twin boys, Daniel Paul & Gabriel Warren on July 29, 1993.  Francie enjoyed her children at all their stages and ages.  She loved to feed an impromptu group of kids and all were welcome to visit without warning; she was a favorite among Danny and Gabe’s friends.

Francie is survived by husband Paul Giguere, sons Danny and Gabe Giguere, mother-in-law Rolande and her late husband Rene Giguere, sister-in-law Michele and husband Dean Stevens, mother Elizabeth Philbrook and husband Clayt Collins, brother David and his wife Robin Philbrook, and brother Steven and his wife Amy Philbrook of Islesford. She was predeceased by her father Raymond Warren Philbrook.

Francie has always been involved in nutrition.  She would like everyone to consider making a donation to the Expanded Food & Nutrition Program, delivered through the Cooperative Extension in Kennebec County.  The program provides nutrition education to limited-income families and children to help them improve their health. Contributions can be made to the Kennebec County EFNEP program, UMaine Extension, 125 State St. 3rd Floor, Augusta, ME  04330 or online at https://extension.umaine.edu/kennebec/ click on Donate, choose Kennebec County Fund.