Mamie Fournier

		Mamie Fournier, Geneva's Mom. This picture was taken in Sinclair, Maine early in 1960.

Your Grandmother Geneva Brailer and I were divorced in 1974. There is a lot I could write about Geneva but I won't. However, her mother Mamie ... your maternal great-grandmother ... deserves some attention. Mamie was a remarkable lady and I liked her a lot.

She lived much of her life in Sinclair, Maine ... a tiny little town on a lake in the northernmost reaches of Maine. Mamie was a wonderful woman --- industrious, gregarious, energetic.

Fishing was a big part of her life. It was a source of income. Long Lake had a stock of landlocked salmon and in good years they attracted many fishermen. Mamie, and your great-uncle Walt, had built a floating wharf on their property. Hopeful fishermen would rent a spot on the wharf to try their luck. Mamie also sold the bait. During the summer months, it was a thriving little business.

She was also a great gin rummy player.

There's a lot I don't know about Mamie. In all likelihood, your Grandmother Geneva won't take the time to share her own childhood memories. Too bad. But you should know your great-grandmother Mamie Fournier was a diamond in the rough. You should be proud to have her as an ancestor.