WATERVILLE – Kathleen Joan (Cote) Hughes, 71, (formerly of Cornville Maine) passed away on January 8th, 2020 at Woodlands after a long journey with Parkinson’s. She was born in Bangor, Maine on August 7, 1948, the daughter of Joseph and Marcella Cote. She graduated from Brewer High School, class of 1966. In 1970, she graduated from the University of Maine at Orono, where she was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society with a Bachelor of Arts in English with high distinction.
Kathleen married Paul Hughes Jr. on August 8, 1970 in Brewer, whom she met while they were both at the University of Maine.
She always had a love of books and had been employed by several libraries throughout the early years of their marriage. After raising their children for a number of years, she went to graduate school and achieved her Master’s degree in Library Science from Clarion University in Pennsylvania in 1982. She then spent twelve years as the district librarian for SAD #74, retiring when Parkinson’s Disease began to affect her. During retirement, she served as a volunteer for the Skowhegan Public Library, often in the children’s room for story hours.
She was a communicant of Notre Dame de Lourdes in Skowhegan, Maine and served as an educator for the RCIA program. With her husband Paul, she was a longtime supporter of 4-H for many years, leading the South Solon Hustlers; teaching cooking, sewing and crafts; and judging exhibits at the Skowhegan Fair. She also assisted in running the strawberry farm they had in Cornville. After her husband retired, the two of them traveled the United States extensively, visiting many national parks and historic areas. An avid fan of sewing and other crafts, she truly loved quilting and enjoyed participating in quilting clubs and shows as often as she possibly could. She was exceptionally proud of all the wildlife-related quilts she made and made many as gifts for her family and friends. She also loved wandering the numerous flower gardens around their house and watching the numerous birds and wildlife that visited. In recent years, she loved spending time with her grandchildren.
Kathleen was predeceased by her husband Paul Hughes, who passed away in 2016, and her parents. She is survived by her two children, Joanna Berube and her husband John of Billerica, Massachusetts, Peter Hughes and his companion Rachel Slivka of Garner, North Carolina; her brother Paul Cote and his wife Susan of Waterville, Maine, her sister Ann Wright and her husband Richard of Bowling Green, Kentucky; her mother-in-law, Lois Emerson of Waterville; one brother-in-law, Bruce Hughes of Gorham, four sisters-in-law: Sharon Mayers of Coventry, RI, Sonia Hughes of Damariscotta, Ginger Chandler and her husband, John, of Pittston, Robin Hughes of Waldoboro; two grandchildren, Lucas and Cassandra; and many nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, January 17, 2019 at 11 a.m. at the Notre Dame de Lourdes Church, Water St., Skowhegan, Maine. A Gathering for family and friends will follow the service at Smart & Edwards Funeral Home, 183 Madison Ave., Skowhegan, Maine. A burial will take place in the spring at the family’s convenience.
Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Smart & Edwards Funeral Home, 183 Madison Ave., Skowhegan, Maine.
Memorial contributions may be made in Kathleen’s memory to: Maine Parkinson Society, 149 Parkway South, Ste 210, Brewer, ME 04412, Or online at https://www.maineparkinsonsociety.org/donate/
