Obituary of Patricia A. Averill

Pat Averill, age 85, of Glenburn, Maine died December 28, 2023 at a Bangor, Maine health care facility. She was born June 30, 1938 in Manchester, New Hampshire to Myrle Isabelle (Smith) Lagerquist and Charles Earl Lagerquist, as the middle of three children.

As a child, Pat moved numerous times with her parents and siblings as her father, an iron worker, followed construction jobs across New Hampshire and Maine. Her family settled in Bangor where she attended Garland Street Junior High School and graduated from Bangor High School in 1956.

For four years following her graduation she worked at New England Telephone & Telegraph in Bangor. She married Roland Averill in 1957 and raised two sons, Dana and Dale while living in Brewer and later in Veazie, Maine. Pat and Roland divorced in 1991. In the mid 1970’s she worked as Town Clerk in Veazie and later worked at Dick’s Glass Company in Brewer, Maine. In 1978 she began a career at Penquis Community Action Programs, Inc. in Bangor and retired from there in 1999 as the Director of the Heating and Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) to help take care of her grandsons. She remained a Board Member at Penquis CAP for three more years. 

She was a Past Matron of the Good Cheer Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star and later a member of Millwee Chapter OES. She was a past member of the Maine Town Clerks Association, 1^st Life Member of the Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods, member of the Hammond Street Seniors Center, member of the “Girls of ‘56” group from Bangor High School, and a lifetime member of the Maine Country Music Association. She was proud to be known as the “Admiral” of the Pushaw Lake Yacht Club, acquiring that illustrious title by offering to host their clubhouse on her property.

She loved travelling to attend conferences during her working career and after retirement to visit friends and family in Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, Arizona, Louisiana and many places in between. She was very happy to have been able to visit Nashville, TN and to take a helicopter ride over San Francisco, CA. She also enjoyed travelling within Maine to go to bluegrass music festivals.

She was always working on some form of craft project such as knitting, crocheting, Swedish weaving, or sewing yo-yo quilts and pillows. She liked to cook and made bean-hole beans and biscuits at the lake and for campground get-togethers, made jellies, jams and relish. Pat could be counted on to make delicious red velvet cakes for family birthdays and pies of many kinds for Thanksgiving including, “gee-mighty”, the best custard pies to rival her maternal grandmother Zora’s specialty.

Pat lived in Glenburn in her home at the edge of Pushaw Lake until late June of 2023 when she was hospitalized at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor and subsequently entered long term care at Stillwater Health Care in Bangor. She wished to thank all those that helped care for her at those facilities along with the staff at St. Joseph’s Hospice Care and especially Brittanee from Heaven Sent Home Care who cared for her prior to her hospitalization.

She was predeceased by her parents, older sister Joyce E. Nelson and her husband George, younger brother John “Jack” A. Lagerquist, her very dear cousin Robert Lagerquist and his wife Rosella, and former husband Roland L. Averill.

Pat, known as "Ding-Ding" to her grandsons, is survived by her son Dana Averill and his wife Kathy Hardy of Brewer, their sons Collin and Ryan, and by her son Dale Averill and his wife Trisha of Bangor. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Jack’s wife, Sandy Lagerquist and their sons Erik and Kirk and their families, sister-in-law Lucille “Cindy” Debeck and her family, and brother-in-law Terrance Averill and his family along with many extended family members.

She also leaves behind many dear friends including: Gail Bemis, Joanne Choate, Frankie Andrews, Sandra Thibeault, June Comeau, the Yacht Club crew especially Roy Martin and Gerry Bolduc, neighbors Heather and Mark Rancourt and Joy and Brent Ryan.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held 4:00 to 6:00 pm Friday, May 17, 2024 at Kiley & Foley Funeral Service, 69 State St., Brewer, Maine followed by interment on May 18, 2024 at Lakeview Cemetery in Glenburn, Maine. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her name to the American Cancer Society. Condolences and memories may be expressed on the tribute wall at kileyandfoley.com.