She was born in Woodstock, NB Canada on October 6, 1931, and was the daughter of Harold W. and Helen Clavette DeLong. Phyllis graduated from Fisher High School in 1949. She moved to Boston in 1950 where she earned a degree as a Lab and X-Ray Technician at Pratt Diagnostic. After completion of her schooling, she moved to Fort Fairfield where she worked at Community General Hospital. While working there, she met her husband Lloyd and they had their first date on Valentine’s Day and a year later, they were married on February 26, 1955 in Woodstock, NB. In 1960, they settled in Portland. She continued her education at University of Maine Portland-Gorham where she earned her Bachelor of Science and became a middle school science and math teacher at Webster Middle School and Auburn Middle School for 16 years.
Phyllis and Lloyd shared a loving and devoted marriage for 60 years. Together they actively participated in the Coastal Maine Mineral Club, traveled to Alaska, and spent time camping in the Northern Maine Woods. She was passionate about Genealogy and researched the Drinkwater Family tree for over 50 years, impressively tracing back to the 1500’s. Phyllis’s other loved hobbies included gardening, cross-stitching, and baking. Above all, she adored her children and grandchildren, always giving her unconditional love to all.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years Lloyd Drinkwater, her three children Scott Drinkwater of Westbrook, Kirk Drinkwater and Caroline Jacobson of Pownal, and Laurie and her husband David Maldari of Leominster, MA; three grandchildren Jeffrey, Sarah, and Kevin Maldari; a brother Gerald DeLong of Skiff Lake NB, Canada.
A graveside service will be held in the spring and at the families’ convenience at Blanchard Cemetery in Falmouth.
Donations may be made in Phyllis’s memory to the American Cancer Society, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 300, Topsham, ME 04086-1240.
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