Martha A. Pillsbury Obituary (1943

SOUTH PORTLAND - Devoted wife, mother, “Gran Jam”, educator, and occasional Press Herald “Voice of the People” contributor, Martha Ann (Dyro) Pillsbury, 83, of South Portland passed away on February 18th at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House. Martha was born on January 23, 1943, in Portland, Maine, to the late Felix and Pauline Dyro, Polish immigrants who lived in the West End of Portland. She grew up on Clark Street with her older brother, the late Stanislaus Dyro, and older sister, the late Christina McVicar. After graduating from Portland High School (Class of 1961), she attended Gorham State Teacher’s College (now University of Southern Maine) and became a public school teacher. Martha spent the majority of her teaching career working in South Portland elementary schools including Redbank and Dyer as a reading interventionist. Whenever Martha careened around town in her retirement, she would inevitably run into a former student whom she had taught to read. Early in her career, Martha met fellow educator David Brown Pillsbury, and they married in a blizzard the day after Christmas in 1971 at the St. Louis Polish Catholic Church. They raised their three children on Drew Road in Danforth Cove, South Portland. After retiring, Martha and David became active advocates for retired teachers, volunteering many hours of service and holding various officer positions for the Cumberland County Retired Educators Association (CCREA), the Maine Education Association - Retired (MEA-R), and the Maine chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). In 2003, Martha received the MEA-R Excellence Award from the National Retired Teachers Association and in 2006 the MEA-R Cumberland County Leadership Award. Martha loved to travel, especially to visit her two grandchildren in the San Francisco Bay Area or to escape the winter cold and collect seashells on the shores of Anna Maria Island on the gulf coast of Florida. She loved crafting, lounging by the pool with the Riverplace posse, and shopping–she could never pass up a bargain or getting gifts for everyone! Martha is survived by her daughter Marianne Pillsbury of Saco, ME; her son David Darius Pillsbury and “best daughter-in-law ever” Marissa, of New Paltz, NY; her daughter Heidianne Pillsbury, “best son-in-law ever” Eric Pinsky, and grandchildren Blue and Acadia Pinsky of Piedmont, CA; her grand-dogs Rosa, Freddie, and Paulie and grand-cats Katniss and Cardi; her sister-in-law and husband, Muriel and Terry Allen of Portland; her niece Susannah Dyro of Portland; and many other beloved nieces, nephews and cousins all across the country. A private burial will be held at New Calvary Cemetery, 1461 Broadway, South Portland. There will be a Celebration of Life this summer in the Portland area, date and time TBD. Flowers can be sent to Dobson Funeral Home, 782 Alfred Road, Arundel, Maine 04046. Please feel free to leave a Memory of Martha here on the website.