Darlene D. Spencer
December 26, 1961 ~ September 19, 2023
Resided in:
Shapleigh, Maine
Darlene D. Spencer, 61, of Shapleigh passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, at Maine Medical Center.
She was born on December 26, 1961, one of five children to the late Donald and Doris (Arsenault) Palmer in Sanford where she grew up and attended local schools.
Darlene had an unwavering work ethic and dedication to those she cared about. She spent her early years working diligently at various places, including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Jagger Brothers, Bonanza, and Shaw’s Supermarket, often holding down two jobs. Tragically, about 20 years ago a car accident altered the course of her life, and she was no longer able to continue working.
Darlene, like any other single parent struggled to raise her son as best she could. Luckily she had a sister and brother in law who stepped up and went above and beyond to help raise him.
Yet, even in the face of adversity, Darlene found solace in helping others. She was always selfless and ready to lend a hand to friends and the elderly, whether it was assisting with cleaning, shopping, or any task that required her care and compassion. She also found joy in planting her flower gardens.
Darlene was a sweet caring person. She placed the needs of others above her own, making friends easily and touching the hearts of all who crossed her path.
She is survived by her husband of 26 years, Wayne Spencer of Shapleigh, a son Dan Collins and his partner Courtney Cameron of Alfred, siblings, Donna Hoffmaster of Alfred, Danny Palmer and his wife Diane of Springvale, Davy Palmer and his wife Jeanne of Sanford, Doreen Ciullo and her husband David of Springvale and many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be held on Friday, October 13, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. at St. Ignatius Cemetery in Sanford. A Celebration of life will be held on Sunday, October 22, 2023 from 1:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. at the Kezar Falls Fire Deparment, 47 River St., Porter, ME.
In lieu of flowers, Darlene would rather a donation be made to Grammy Rose Dog Rescue and Sanctuary 1542ME-109 Acton, ME 04001 or online at
https://grammyrose.org
To leave a message of condolence visit www.blackfuneralhomes.com.
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Our thoughts & prayers are with Darlene’s family at this difficult time.
Funny, Very quiet and a good listener.
Sharing time with her husband and enjoying her friends. Margo was a real close friend of hers and was in our water aquatics class also. Darlene also knew Margo’s three daughters since they were little. Karina, Felicia and Rachel.
Darlene loved being in the country and going for rides with her husband and spending quality time together. She loved the stock car races! Wayne used to race. I enjoyed going with them because I loved the races too! They were so much fun!!!
Being in her aquatics class kick boarding to the deep end. Swimming together in the pool. How I adore these memories.
Darlene loved to cook and clean for others. She loved caring for the dogs. The beagles who reside in Shapleigh Me. with their daddy,
Wayne. Jack & Duke.
Darlene,
You helped me grow on my journey . You gave me good advice. You were there for my mom when she was living and was very nice to her. You caught my mom from falling when she was in assisted living the day we were visiting and she lost her balance.
for me to help my mom when she was in assisted living. You picked her up from falling where she did not have such great balance.
Welcoming my friendship and understanding and accepting who I am as a person. Enjoying our conversation and being able to laugh together.
Darlene taught me how time management is so important in
life when getting ready for anything. Life is short , celebrate it and do not worry. Leave it up to god. He is our creator.
Darlene would help others out of the kindness of her heart without expecting anything in return.
Darlene was giving of herself in many ways.
She would welcome friends into her home and let them cook beside her. I remember when she taught me how to make a chowder with steamers and lobster and we added more ingredients to it. She was patient with me. The chowder was delicious!
I admired her strength in herself and how she handled things that were very challenging.
I will always remember going to her cookouts and how generous
she was when she gave me three or four lobsters to take home and
pick out. So giving.
Darlene believed in living her life to the fullest and helping seniors
with their needs in their homes.
She had a positive attitude in life and much faith.
By being so kind and helping others.
She was fun to be around and everyone would laugh so hard
that the tears would roll down their face. Darlene had a wonderful husband who loved her dearly and treated her well and accepted her for the person she was.
There were many! I remember when she and I had been to the
Maine mall shopping. We went out to the parking lot and couldn’t
find the car. We finally found it after a whole hour! This was so hilarious. We then drove over to my moms for dinner . This was a late night but we had so much fun and poor Wayne, he used to say when Darlene goes with Carol they will be gone the entire day!
May Darlene rest in peace .May the lord leadeth her beside still waters. Praise Jesus, the son of god and the Holy Spirit.
Witty, strong, caring,
She was a good Christian and loved others. She would help anyone in need.
I met Darlene at the Sanford Springvale ymca more than
20 years ago. We met during a class she signed up for also. Aquatics in the water! Darlene and I had so much fun together and it was wonderful to meet her and know her. She was a precious gem on earth.
My deepest sympathy to her special husband, Wayne and
all her relatives and friends. Darlene made a strong difference in many peoples lives by being the caring person she was. She will be sadly missed by many of us. May she be at peace in the lords house.
She would do something that nobody around her expected.
Getting into messes like we all
do in life!
Darlene was excellent at math equations .She did a wonderful job cleaning for others and taking care of their needs.
Rip my friend 🙏
She always had a smile on her face !
I am so very sad to read this obituary, my deepest condolences to her family ! Rip Darlene .
As a sweet and kind person, and always willing to help out.
Housecleaning
Her loyalty.
We miss you.
Nice lady. Very helpful.
She was very knowledgeable with cleaning products and equipment.
Very loyal and dependable.
She was our housekeeper for many years
She was here and it helped us to understand people with disabilities. She really liked our son who is disabled.
She and my husband used to trade funny stories.
She was my very best friend- and loved my 3 daughters over the many years I’ve known her since Nov 2003. I first met her at ymca springvale in water aerobics class. She will be greatly missed and never forgotten. She was a true blessing to me!
Fly high greatly missed but never forgotten
Darlene didn’t care what other people thought of her, she always put a smile on her face and it’s was such a contagious one. She could brighten up anyone’s day by just simply calling and asking how your day was, these conversations would turn into hours talking about a bunch of silly things. I’ll never forget how much of an outgoing person she was, she always had something good to say about people, or if you had a bad day she was always there to pick up the phone. Oh just how she was really just an amazing person overall to the point where i can’t even find the right words for her. I can say that i’ll always love her and i couldn’t have spent enough time with her.
I would talk to her about how much i loved spending time with her, how much she really meant to me, i would tell her that she has an amazing personality and that i love her so much, i would ask to play one last round of uno or checkers with her again.
She loved to swim, spend time with the people she loved, she liked to cook, clean, help others, make people happy, make homemade fries is one thing i’ll never forget, they were beyond amazing.
She made me laugh so much, just the little things or jokes she made were funny and made me smile.
Funny, easy to talk to, memorable, kind, awesome, confident, friendly, caring, understanding, enthusiastic, lover, loyal, and so much more.
She was great at making people feel better and make people feel heard and understood.
She is loved by many, she was wonderful person with a beautiful soul. I love her so very much always and forever. I have so many amazing memories with Darlene, from going to the park and swimming, to spending half of my days at her house. She will be very missed but she is in a better place, she had a wonderful heart who cared for everyone.
“Who cares what other people think, don’t live your life thinking about what other people think about you or it won’t ever really be yourself.”
No matter what was going on with Darlene in her personal life, she knew how to make you laugh and she was always on a good mood. Her laugh and her smile are what I will remember the most.
she was my housekeeper, very nice lady,always was so thoughtful.best of luck Wayne.II know how much you must miss her. sylvia reddy
Heaven gained a beautiful angel! I know when she met Jesus he said, “well done good and faithful servant!”
I first met Darlene 8 years ago when I was sick with cancer. She came to help me clean. We quickly became friends and my six children got to know her and she was considered one of the family. She gave of her time and heart and is a true friend!
Darlene is a spiritual Super Hero! Sharing her faith, praying for others and always showing love and acceptance.
She was a wonderful wife and she loved planting her flowers she loved her dogs