OBITUARY: Carole Regina Courtenay, 80

WARREN, ME — Carole Regina Courtenay, 80, of Warren died unexpectedly at her home on Sept. 25, 2025.

The eldest of three, Carole was born Dec. 25, 1944, in Waltham, Mass., to Alfred Walter and Mary Flora (Farrell) Kasabuski. She grew up in Wilmington, Mass., and attended Wilmington High School, graduating in 1961. She later attended Merrimack College in Andover, Mass., graduating in 1966 with a degree in liberal studies.

She met her husband Edward in 1964, and they were married in 1966. They moved from Wakefield, Mass., to their home on Main Street in Warren in 1970, each remaining there until death.

A housewife while her children were in school, she worked many odd jobs, including making wreathes, cleaning houses and tying fishing flies. After her children were adults, she took a filing job in the mortgage servicing department of Camden National Bank in the early 1990s and worked there for 20 years.

Carole was resilient, resourceful, and fiercely independent. She had a deep love for nature and the outdoors. Her hobbies included reading, knitting, painting, bird watching and fishing. She was also a master hunter safety instructor, and taught firearm safety and responsible hunting to over 1000 students. She and Ed enjoyed the North Maine Woods and the Moosehead Lake region greatly, fishing in nearly every lake, pond, and stream in the region and spending lots of time at their camp on Moosehead Lake in remote Northeast Carry. They also enjoyed road trips and driving. They would routinely drive to Vermont just to buy cheese, and she never owned a car without a manual transmission.

Through principled wisdom, thoughtful insight and firm advice, she was an ardent supporter of her children. She had a steady presence in their lives at every age, but also encouraged them to make their own decisions and find their own paths. They remained deeply devoted to her until the end, all working hard in her later years to ensure she could live life on her own terms, in her own home and as independently as possible.

She was active in Warren on several town boards and committees over the years, including the Community Development Committee in the 1990s and the Zoning Board of Appeals, Budget Committee, and Scholarship Committee in the 2010s. She also served a term on the Warren Board of Selectmen from 2016 to 2018. She was active as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Warren Sanitary District from 1987 to 1997, and again from 2021 to 2023.

She was predeceased by her husband Edward in 2021 and her grandson Jacob in 2025. She was also predeceased in 2017 by her brother Michael Kasabuski of Arizona, and in 2021 by her brother William Kasabuski of Appleton.

She is survived by four children: son, Michael and his wife Betsy of Warren, son, Mark and his wife Terry of Arizona, son, Brian of Kentucky, and son, Richard of Warren. She is also survived by two adult grandchildren: Nathaniel and his wife Shyanne Waterman-Courtenay of Warren and James of Nobleboro. She is survived as well by brother-in-law, David Courtenay and wife Virginia of Dracut, Mass., and sister-in-law and close friend, Teresa Franz of Hickory, N.C.

Hall’s Funeral Home has care of her arrangements. A celebration of Carole’s life will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Hall’s Funeral Home in Waldoboro. A funeral Mass will be said for Carole at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Rockland at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Following the Mass, a priest from St. Michael’s Catholic Parish of Augusta will hold the graveside Rite of Committal at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Carole will be interred with Edward, her husband of 54 years, at the Maine Veteran’s Cemetery on Mount Vernon Road in Augusta.

Carole held a special appreciation for the service and staff of the Warren Ambulance Service, a gratitude that only deepened following her own medical emergency in 2022. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Warren EMS, 167 Western Road, Warren, ME 04864.