Grace S Tellefsen, 99, of Boothbay Harbor, passed away on April 23, 2023, at St Andrews Village. Grace was born in Reading, Massachusetts, to Stanley and Dorothy (Spencer) Bailey.
She spent her summers on Southport with her mother and two sisters while her father worked in Massachusetts. Grace had fond memories of spending the summer in Maine, playing on the beach, picking blueberries, and fishing. The girls would walk to the General Store every afternoon to pick up the mail and buy a pickle for 5 cents before walking home.
She graduated from business college before moving to Washington D.C., where she joined the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service).
Grace lived many years in California raising her family. She worked in the aerospace and energy industries as an administrative assistant, but her heart was always in Southport. After spending several winters taking care of her father on Southport, she decided to move back to Maine. Leaving California, at the age of 73, she drove by herself across the country. She then designed and built her dream fairy home on Southport.
While living in Maine, Grace kept herself active by joining Meals on Wheels and the garden club, as well as volunteering at the Southport Memorial Library. She and her friend Susan Katzev enjoyed taking trips around Maine looking at antiques and art. In her mid 90’s you would see her working in her yard, weed whacking, and cultivating her blueberry bushes.
Grace is survived by her three children: Janet Cusano of Southport, Lynne Walker of Edgecomb, and Stanley Walker of Wheatland, California; two grandchildren Valarie Carte of Penn Valley, California, and Jason Walker of Mount Druitt, NSW Australia; and two great-grandchildren Austin Carte of Penn Valley and Zach Ferris of Australia.
She is predeceased by her husbands, Randal Walker and Arthur Tellefsen.
A memorial service will be held July 22 at Boothbay Baptist Church.
Hall’s of Boothbay has care of the arrangements. To extend online condolences, light a candle or share a story or picture, please visit Grace’s Book of Memories at hallfuneralhomes.com
