Barbara Morse Elcik, age 84, died peacefully at home in Windham, Maine, on Sunday, December 12, 2010, surrounded by her loved ones, after a ten-year battle with breast cancer.
She was born on November 10, 1926, the only child of Marion Taylor Douglas Morse and William Howard Morse. Barbara attended school in Lisbon Falls, graduating in 1944 from Lisbon Falls High School as co-valedictorian. She continued her education at Colby Junior College in New London, New Hampshire, graduating in 1946.
On July 5, 1947, she married her high school sweetheart, Andrew Walker Elcik Sr. The couple built a life together marked by education, service, and strong family bonds.
Barbara spent several years working as a legal secretary in Boston, Portland, and Madawaska. Later in life, she returned to college and earned a degree in education from the University of Southern Maine, graduating in 1974. She taught for six years in Milan, New Hampshire, working with students in grades three through six. She later taught in Casco, Naples, and Sebago, serving as a learning disabilities teacher and as an instructor in gifted and talented enrichment programs. She retired from Sebago Elementary School in 1991.
Over the years, the family lived in Madawaska, Castleton, New York, Millinocket, and Berlin, New Hampshire. They later moved to Ocean Park, where they lived for seven years before building a home on Sebago Lake in Raymond. Barbara and her husband celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1997 at a gathering hosted by their children and grandchild, attended by family and close friends.
Barbara was a skier throughout her life and took up golf in retirement. She was an avid reader, enjoyed playing bridge, and loved dancing with her husband. She made friends easily and maintained lifelong connections with those she met.
Her legacy was one of love. Barbara had a remarkable ability to make people feel accepted and never judged, always finding the good in every person and situation. She was known for her warm smile and readiness with a hug and kiss.
She was an active and devoted member of St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in Windham and considered her church community an extension of her family, especially following her husband’s death.
Barbara was predeceased by her husband, Andrew Walker Elcik Sr., on May 16, 2000.
She is survived by her son, Andrew Elcik Jr. and his wife Deborah of Berlin, New Hampshire; her daughter Sue and her partner Lorrie Mitchell of Plymouth; her granddaughter Meagan and her husband Ralph Desjardins of Biddeford; five step-great-grandchildren, Becky, Ashley, Jaime, Ryanne, and Nicholas Desjardins; and her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Eugene and Lorraine Elcik of Lisbon Falls.
Visiting hours were held on Tuesday, December 14, 2010, at the Dolby Funeral Chapel in Windham. Funeral services were held on Wednesday at St. Anna’s Episcopal Church in Windham. Burial was planned for the spring.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions were requested to St. Anna’s Episcopal Church Endowment Fund in Windham, Maine.
Sources
Obituary published December 2010 in The Bridgton News and preserved via Ancestry family records.