Patricia (Colfer) Rose

GREENE – Patricia Colfer Rose, 97, a resident of Woodland’s Memory Care in Lewiston, passed away Nov. 4, 2024. She was born in Hallowell on Nov. 3, 1927, the daughter of James P. and Katherine L. (Trial) Colfer.

Patricia graduated from Hallowell High School in 1945 and then started her teaching career as a sanction teacher in a one room schoolhouse on the River Road in Greene in 1946. On Aug. 24, 1947, Patricia married Linwood Rose. After teaching for several years, she decided to stay home to raise their children and help on their dairy farm. She also worked part time at the Julia Morse Library.

She returned to her teaching career as an Ed Tech teacher in the Title 1 program at Greene Central School in 1971. While working full-time she also started taking college classes in Gorham and earned her B.A. in special education at the University of Southern Maine. She graduated in 1979 and became a resource room teacher at Greene Central. She joined the board of Trustees for the Julia Morse Library.

Her husband Linwood died of cancer in 1981. They had been married for 34 years. They spent many hours with family and friends at their camps in Salem and on Allen Pond in Greene playing horseshoes in the summer and snowmobiling in the winter.

After retiring from teaching in 1995, she became the librarian at Julia Adams Morse Library. She was very involved in the library expansion. She retired in 2013 at the age of 86. At the age of 90 she sold her house and moved into the Meadows in Greene and then at 93 moved into Woodlands Memory Care in Lewiston. She loved spending time at the Allen Pond camp with the family. She was affectionately called “Grammie Crackers” by her grandchildren and then later as “Grammie Donuts” because she brought donuts to camp when she went for coffee.

She enjoyed gardening, knitting, crocheting, reading and doing puzzle books. Patricia belonged to the MTA and the NTA. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother and a member of the Cooperative Extension Homemakers Group. For many years she never missed a school board meeting, Selectman’s meeting or town meeting. She was always involved in the growth, development and education of the Town of Greene. The town dedicated the 2012 Town Report to her in recognition of her dedication to the town. She received the Spirit of America award in 2015 for her involvement with the library expansion.

She is survived by her three sons and daughter, Blaine Rose and his wife, Kathleen of Florida, Timothy Rose and his companion, Theresa Brown of Florida, Dennis Rose and his wife, Sandra of Salem Township and Beverly Leavitt and her husband Gerry Vaillancourt of Turner; 12 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren, 10 great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Sharon Hiett of Colorado, three brothers, Paul Colfer of Florida, Eric Colfer of California and Arthur Michael Colfer of Washington.

She was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Linwood Rose; four brothers, Ed, Gene, James, and Dale Colfer, and two sisters, Vivian Smith and Katherine Grimes and a son-in-law, Robert Leavitt.

A private celebration of life will be held at the family camp next summer. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at: http://www.finleyfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements by Bragdon-Finley Funeral Home, 707 Main St., Monmouth.

Those who wish may send a donation in her memory of Patricia C. Rose to:

Julia Adams Morse

Memorial Library,

105 Main St.,

Greene, ME 04236