Rosemary Hinton WEST GARDINER, Maine — Rosemary Hinton, 90, formerly of the Bourdon Center in Claremont, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully Sunday, surrounded by her large and loving family at her daughter’s home in West Gardiner. Rosemary (“Grammy”) was born on Aug, 31, 1930, in Pennellville, New York, to Joseph and Mary (Steinburgh) DeFrain. Rosemary left home at the age of 15 to begin a family, not having finished high school. When she was in her 20s, she contracted tuberculosis which, at the time, usually proved fatal. She was invited to be part of an experimental procedure in upstate New York, in an attempt to find a cure. While left with only one lung, the procedure was a success. Rosemary’s willingness to take risks helped pave the way to eradicate tuberculosis as a leading cause of death in the U.S. Rosemary had a blazing intellect and thirst of knowledge her entire life, a trait she slowly grew to realize within herself, as she faced the 1960s raising five children on her own. She worked as a nurse’s aide at Pineland Hospital in Pownal, Maine, for five years. Then LBJ passed the “Economic Opportunity Act” which gave low-income Americans an opening to better themselves through higher education. Rosemary seized that chance. First, Rosemary returned to class and earned her GED. She then set her sights on earning her nursing degree as an LPN. It was with great pride her family watched her walk across the stage and be “pinned” in 1967. Rosemary was far from done. She continued with her education, earning her associate degree from The University of Maine (Augusta) and her license as a Registered Nurse in the early-1970s. Her family watched with pride as she was “pinned” again, in 1974. Rosemary then set her sights on becoming a nursing home administrator, but that would require advanced courses, and a Bachelor of Science degree. Her entire family watched her become the first in her family to walk across the stage and receive her degree. Mixed in with raising a family and chasing her dreams, Rosemary also found her soulmate. In 1978, she married the love of her life, Alfred Hinton, of Newport, Vermont. They made the best “odd couple,” of the thinker and the “do-er.” They spent 30 love-filled happy years traveling, whipping the other in cribbage, fishing, camping and teasing each other. They built a beautiful home together at “26 Acres” in Coventry, Vermont, where they often had family get-togethers to celebrate “anything and everything.” Alfred predeceased Rosemary in January 2008. Grammy’s first thought of the day and last at night revolved around family, which she loved dearly. She had a gift of making all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren feel as though each was “the most-important” because, in her eyes, every one of them was. Grammy was witty, sensitive, funny and quick with a joke. She was an avid reader, a lifelong learner, and was curious about everything and everyone. She was, and is, the embodiment of “The life well-lived.” Rosemary is survived by her daughter, Mary (Goddard) and longtime companion Danny Glaser of West Gardiner; and also two sons, Daniel (Tracy) Decker of Claremont, New Hampshire, and Steven Seid of Unityville, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by her stepdaughter, Linda Ginsburg of Somerset, Massachusetts. Grammy is also survived by her adoring family of many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and her extended family on her sister’s side who reside in western New York. Rosemary was predeceased by three children, Debra Savage (Oct. 31, 1999), Carol Severy (May 3, 2004) and Michael Palmer (Aug. 10, 2015). Rosemary was also predeceased by her younger sister, Stella (Bull) of Canandaigua, New York, (Jan. 31, 2020); also her older brother, Charles “Buzzy,” at the age of 21 from tuberculosis, which had also claimed the life of her mother (Mary) in 1954; Gordon Charles Severy and a grandson, Steven Severy (June 8, 2013). Services will be held at a later date.
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