Christine “Teena” Sawyer
GORHAM – Christine “Teena” Sawyer’s compassionate and loving heart came to rest Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024 after 96 years of serving family, friends, students and community.
Teena was born Sept. 28, 1927 on the family potato farm in Westfield, the daughter of Murray W.and Alice (Hallett) Lawrence. The eldest of 12 children, Teena spoke glowingly of life in “The County”, surrounded by extended family, shared hard work, a mile walk to the one room schoolhouse, riding in the horse drawn pung during the snowy winters.
A gifted singer and pianist, she played and sang at the Baptist church and on the radio in Presque Isle and loved performing in pageants and plays. Teena was a class officer and student council member at Aroostook Central Institute, Mars Hill, graduating in 1944, one week after D-Day. She so enjoyed the ACI class reunions she was able to attend.
She graduated from Washington State Normal School in Machias, where she made lifelong friends. Then began a long, memorable teaching career, serving elementary schools in Veazie, Brewer and Bangor, while earning her bachelor’s degree at UMO. There, Teena met Richard “Buz” Sawyer, a handsome ROTC student from downstate. They were married in 1952, and soon after moved to Anchorage, Alaska where Buz was stationed at Elmendorf AFB.
The Sawyers, which now included son, Larry, returned to Maine in ’53, where a daughter and two more sons were born. Teena loved the years spent in the town of Winterport, surrounded by good friends, neighborhood children, a large garden and happy times. She operated her own private kindergarten there… and as she wrote… “life was good”.
The family moved to Gorham in 1965, where Teena served stints as a substitute before taking a position as a social studies teacher at Charles C. Shaw Junior High School. For years she helped educate Gorham’s 7th and 8th graders, at a time when school discipline was expected and supported, and teachers minimally compensated.
She instilled a love for U.S., Maine and Gorham history in many of her students, often highlighting the contribution of Maine’s efforts and involvement in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. For years her students were expected to complete a Maine or local history project, which produced some exceptional student efforts. In fact, a student’s scale model of Babb’s Bridge was used to help re-build the bridge in 1973 when the original covered bridge over the Presumpscot River was destroyed by arson. Her interest in history extended to home where family outings were often spent visiting forts and historical monuments from Fort Fairfield to Yorktown.
Teena retired from teaching in 1987 and worked for Buz at his Real Estate Appraisal business and with the Society of Real Estate Appraisers. Following the death of her husband in 1991, Teena was a fixture as receptionist in the office of her son John’s legal practice, for 20-plus years, welcoming and befriending clients, many of whom she taught in school. She often provided cookies and home baked treats to the Gorham Post Office staff when picking up the mail. She was honored when in 2001 she was asked to cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the new Gorham Post Office.
Teena was a member/trustee of the First Congregational Church for years, a trustee of the Baxter Library Association, and secretary of the Eastern Cemetery Association. She was a longtime active member of the Beta Chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, an honorary sorority of retired teaching professionals.
She enjoyed antiques, and collected a number of crumbers, or silent butlers, an interest that began when she acquired one from her grandmother. Teena was also a great home cook, especially of the tastes of Maine – fiddleheads, Saturday night homemade baked beans and brown bread, boiled dinners, apple and rhubarb pies, and potato Needhams.
She was a wonderful Mom, and a proud and indulgent “Grandma Teena” to all of her adoring grandkids and to the great-grands who knew right where she kept the bag of goodies and gifts with which she spoiled them. As a retired teacher, Teena continued to volunteer time and made special contributions (handmade “May Baskets”, for example) for the school classes of her grandchildren.
Teena was predeceased by her husband, Richard; son, Lawrence; siblings Ralph, Eleanor, Marilyn, Irene, William, Janet, Raymond.
She is survived by children Margaret (Bob) Meyers of Bath, John (Rhonda) Sawyer and David Sawyer of Gorham; and grandkids Marc and James Meyers, Katie Spiridakis, Griffyn, Camden and Brady Sawyer, Sarah Woodard, Mac and Ian Sawyer, Charles Skillin, Amba Cole; and many great-grandchildren. Surviving siblings are Annabelle Bridges of Windham, Maynard, Murray Jr., and Richard Lawrence of Westfield.
We all miss her greatly. She was one of a kind.
Visiting hours will be held at Dolby, Blais and Segee, 76 State St., Gorham on Saturday Sept. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. Brief memorial service at 2:30 p.m.
In remembrance of Teena, please consider making a donation to the ADK scholarship fund benefiting students in the educational field, payable to:
Maine Beta Chapter-Alpha Delta Kappa,
c/o Anne Tewhey,
3 Shady Run Lane,
Gorham, ME 04038
