CHEBEAGUE ISLAND - The folks on the Island all knew Mary A. Doughty as 'Mother Mary' or MM for short. She did everything and anything she could for anyone and never once thought about herself, but in her later years, especially in the last few months of her life, her family and extended family - the island community - did anything they could for her. That kindness allowed her to remain in her beloved Sunnyside, her true home, on Jenks Road.
Mary A. Doughty died on Wednesday evening at Mercy Hospital in Portland. She was born on January 1, 1916 in Seattle, Washington a daughter of Harry and Ella (Louise) Jenks. She came to Portland as a child, attending local schools here. She attended both Deering High School and Portland High School where she graduated.
She loved music and one time played violin for the Portland Symphony and also was a gifted Soprano, performing with the WPA at various military bases around the state during World War 11. She married Eben S. Doughty and lived in Portland and in Falmouth, After her husband's retirement in 1977 they lived full-time on the Island.
Mrs. Doughty was exceptionally kind. 'She had a heart of gold, but still could not figure out why people liked her,' recalls her daughter, Boopie. She enjoyed being on the go. Whether it was bonfires on the beach, Badminton, Croquet, or beating her son in a race to chug a can of beer, she lived for it all. She was fiercely independent and strong.
She was a Ladies Aid 'participant' on the Island. She enjoyed crossword puzzles and learning channels on television, such as the Discovery Channel, She loved steamed clams, late afternoons before the setting of the sun, Sea Dawg, her fourteen year old Springer Spaniel but most of all, her family and friends.
Mrs. Doughty was predeceased by her husband, Captain Eben S. Doughty in 1987, a son, Captain Bruce H. Doughty in 1985 and a sister Leslie E. Bailey in 1993. She is survived by a son, Barry E. Doughty of Lakeland, FI; a daughter, Bette 'Boopie' Tellinghuisen of Chebeague, Island; two grandchildren Capt. Gardiner S. Doughty of MA and Kimberly H. Doughty of NH; a great granddaughter, Samantha Doughty of NH; a niece, Barbara H. Lawson of NH and a cousin, Edward Jenks of Bath.
Visiting hours will be held from 5 to 8pm on Friday at Hay & Peabody Funeral Home, 749 Congress Street, Portland. A funeral service will be held at 11 am on Saturday at the Chebeague Island United Methodist Church. Interment will follow at the Chebeague Island Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chebeague Care Resources or to the Island Rescue. Hay and Peabody 772-5463