Arlene Buck Frechette

Arlene Buck Frechette of Freeport, Maine died Friday, February 5, 2021. Born in Caribou, Maine on

March 10, 1929, she was the daughter of Percy H. and Edith (Driscoll) Buck. She graduated from Caribou

High School and Husson College.  Following her graduation, she taught high school business classes in

Mars Hill and Jay, which is where she met her husband Raymond Frechette; they married on October 19, 1953.

A few years after Ray’s death in 1973, she moved to Waterville to be closer to her sister Marge, and in 1998 moved to Portland to be closer to her daughters and their families.

Arlene was a beautiful pianist and loved to sing; she knit and crocheted lovely afghans, sweaters and hats throughout the years. She took up golfing at the age of 55 and was quite good, winning many local tournaments and scrambles. She was an avid reader and loved Dancing with the Stars, with quite a crush on Derek.

Arlene was at her best as a grandmother (dubbed Mimi by grandson Nick when he was learning to talk), getting a kick out of everything her grandchildren did and attending sports games and concerts throughout the years.

Among her grandchildren’s memories are: Nick, as a middle schooler, enjoying golfing with Mimi and “her gaggle of golf ladies”;

Anthony recalls being at her home in Waterville as a little boy and her teaching him how to play croquet followed by a trip to the toy store;

Granddaughter Natalie feels lucky to have been able to introduce Mimi to her great-grandsons, Hunter and Griffin; and fondly remembers Hunter flipping over his golf club like a cane and walking with it "like Mimi does”;

Cameron recalls making her (and others) laugh whenever he called her his given nickname, “the Mimster”.

Francesca’s memory is of Mimi’s soft smile from her armchair at family gatherings, and their shared love of hot fudge sundaes.

Arlene is predeceased by her parents, her husband Raymond, her sister Marjorie Smallwood, and her great grandson Hunter Barr.

She’s survived by her twin brother Wayne Buck and his wife Augustine of Caribou;

son Steven Frechette and his wife Debbie DeIeso of Temple, NH and their daughter Francesca DeIeso-Frechette of Cambridge MA;

daughter Raelene Fasulo and her husband Ken of Falmouth, and their sons Nick and wife Cecily of Oakland CA and Anthony and wife Emily of Berkeley, CA;

son David Frechette of Nashua, NH; and

daughter Marie Hart and husband Rick of Falmouth, their son Cameron Hart of Portland, Maine and daughter Natalie Barr and her husband Ryan, and their son Griffin Barr of Falmouth, Maine.

She is also survived by nephew Michael Smallwood of Houlton, Maine and his extended family.

The family will remember Arlene “with much love and gratitude for bringing us into this remarkable world.”

The family would like to thank the caregivers at Freeport Place for their very loving care since 2012, and those at Hawthorne House and Beacon Hospice for their care during the recent months.

Due to Covid, there will be a private family gathering when Arlene is interred next to her husband in Holy Cross Cemetery, Livermore Falls, Maine.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Preble Street Resource https://www.preblestreet.org/donate/ 

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