Elizabeth K. Beth Polletto

On the morning of March 28th, 2012, Elizabeth Polletto, beloved daughter of John and Kathryn Polletto, beloved sister of Matthew and Travis Polletto, and her boyfriend and love of three years David Moore, tragically left this life. She was 26 years old. Elizabeth, or Beth as she preferred to be known, was born on May 22nd, 1985, in Silver Spring, Maryland. She shared her birthday with her Mother, which her grandmother predicted. Beth grew up in Maryland attending St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Silver Spring, MD. She was known as the Queen of Origami with a particular attention to detail and showed her intense ability to concentrate, a trait she carried through to every aspect of her life. She was awarded scholarships for both art and music to attend Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, MD, where she was active in community service. She was involved with Camp Good Counsel for 4 years and stayed as Staff during the summers through college. She began coming to Maine at 18 months old and quickly became a Mainer. She was even inducted by the local wildlife when she saw her first moose. She enjoyed spending time on the beach with her brothers building sand castles, exploring the coast for sea glass and sand dollars, and kayaking. She enjoyed going fishing with her dad- though they only caught 1 fish in all the summers she went with him. She continued her love of music and creativity. Her passion for music progressed from playing the triangle with her brothers Matthew and Travis, to watching them perform, to picking up a flute for the first time, to obtaining a bachelor's degree in Music Education at the University of Southern Maine. She was in the process of furthering that passion with a Master's Degree from Leslie University. Kathryn was always supportive of Beth's creative nature. Her mother always enjoyed seeing her artwork, watching her perform, and hearing the beautiful music she inspired her students to make. She had a joy of cooking and a passion for food. Whether it was ice cream at Big Daddy's, coffee at Starbucks, baking cheesecake or cooking for friends- or just a grilled cheese for David. She was always intrigued by new and fun combinations of food, and was always encouraging her boyfriend to try new things. Beth's passion for other creatures and animals was inherited from her Grammy. She would sew quilts for her pets, and claiming other people's pets as her own was a project of hers. She was always willing to take care of other's dogs while they were out of town. Sparky, Ziller, and McGee were a few of her favorites. Beth met her boyfriend David in 2008. She loved spending time with David's family in Georgetown at the camps clamming, boating, fishing and just being outdoors. They were fortunate to have many wonderful adventures together, including travelling to Hawaii in 2010. Her adventurous spirit was shown through her travels, spending time in Europe with USM and India with her Uncle. She had multi-cultural interests and a desire to learn as much as she could. Her most recent adventure was teaching band at Gray New Gloucester Middle School and music and band at Georgetown Central School. Her students were her passion. She always strived to do her best and helped the kids reach their highest potential. Her dedication to teaching and to music has touched many lives during her short time with us, and her contributions will never be forgotten. She is predeceased by her grandmother Mary Maillar, Grandfathers Anatole Maillar and Francis Polletto. She is survived by her parents John and Kathryn, brothers Matthew and Travis, grandmother, Gilda Polletto, boyfriend David Moore, and loved aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Visiting hours will be held 2-4 and 6-8 pm, Sunday, April 1, 2012, at Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home, 172 State St., Portland. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11:00 am, Monday, at St. Patrick's Church, 1342 Congress St., Portland. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery, 672 Stevens Ave., Portland. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the music programs of the Gray-New Gloucester Middle School and Georgetown Central School.Online condolences may be expressed below.