Honour Buell Edgerton ’39

Honour EdgertonHonour Edgerton was an extraordinarily thoughtful and caring person. She listened, and you became the center of her universe. She was courageous. Blind for several years, she never wavered in her good humor or positive outlook. She is gone but her spirit remains.

Honour Buell Edgerton died on Nov. 10, 2013, at HillHouse Assisted Living in Bath from congestive heart failure.

She was born on Aug. 29, 1920, in Hartford, Conn., the daughter of Jean and Carleton Buell. Her given name was Jane Buell but at age 18, her parents, convinced by genealogy-driven relatives, changed her name to Honour.  She attended Bristol High School, Northhampton School for Girls, and Mt. Holyoke College, Class of 1943. She married Marvin Starr Edgerton in 1944. They were married for 64 years until Starr’s death in 2008.

She lived most of her first 58 years in Bristol, Conn., where she was active in the Bristol Hospital Auxiliary, the Bristol Garden Club, and the Bristol Girl’s Club (where she served as president in the 1960s).

In 1978, she and Starr moved to Harpswell. Honour was hesitant to relocate at age 58 and leave behind friends and familiar places. Before moving, she and Starr explored, on foot, much of the coast of Maine between Portland and Camden. They chose Harpswell, and she thrived in Maine. She made many friends, was involved in volunteer endeavors, and was an active member of the Elijah Kellogg Church in Harpswell. She was a volunteer cook and tester for the Merrymeeting Merry Eating cookbook, helping to insure that the recipes were accurately written and worthy of inclusion. She was active in the Harpswell Garden Club, and Kings Daughters, and gave many hours to the MidCoast Hospital Auxiliary.

She was an avid gardener. For her 80th birthday, the late iris expert, Currier McEwen of Harpswell, created a special Japanese iris in her name and it is on display in the permanent collection at the Boothbay Botanical Gardens.

Honour spent her last two years at HillHouse Assisted Living in Bath. The staff cared for her with professionalism and love, and Honour considered HillHouse her home.

Honour is survived by her daughters, Punnie and Mary Edgerton of Brunswick and their partners, Sara Dickey and Jim McGurty; and one grandson, Daniel Edgerton-Dickey.

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