Ouida Wilkins

Ouida Wilkins November 24, 1924 February 14, 2015 A few months into her ninety-first year, Ouida Wilkins died on 14 February 2015. She was born Ouida Lucille Davis in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 24 November 1924, to Herminie Murray and Herbert Davis, a jeweler. She married Eugene Gideon, M.D., in 1941, and he died in 1946. They had two sons, Victor, born in 1942, and Herbert, born in 1944. In Montego Bay in 1948, she married Louis Wilkins of Portland, Maine, where she moved to and lived for the rest of her life. They visited friends and family in Jamaica and Nassau frequently. Louis died in 1993. She often said of herself that when she first moved to the US, she didn't know how to boil water or how to cook an egg, an observation not entirely untrue. From an early age, however, she was an accomplished dressmaker and seamstress, having been taught by her Aunt Rose. Among her very wide circle of friends and family, she was known for her creative designs of clothing, curtains, dolls, and virtually anything that cloth could be used for. She and Louis were also widely admired for the beauty and sumptuousness of the many gatherings and feasts that they frequently hosted. She was happiest when entertaining friends and family in her lovely home on the West End, and she loved to work in her beautiful garden. She will be fondly remembered by those who knew her as genteel and caring, respectful and curious, and invariably outspoken. Blessed with an unusual beauty that carried her well into her later years, she was known for her impeccable taste in fashion and manners and for a graceful generosity that welcomed friends and strangers alike. She is survived by her son, Victor Gideon, of Raymond, Maine; her son, Herb Gideon, of Austin, Texas; nine grandchildren and three great-granddaughters. Her granddaughter, Bayta Gideon, will host an informal memorial gathering at the family home on Carroll Street in Portland for family and friends this Sunday, 22 February, from 1:00 to 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon. In acknowledgement of her many friends and family far and wide who may not be able to join us this Sunday, another ""Celebration of Ouida"" will be scheduled in May or June, the details of which will be announced as soon as possible. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Ouida's name to the Barron Center in Portland.

Ouida Wilkins

November 24, 1924 - February 14, 2015

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