Lucy Vacca Brown GRAY -- Lucy Vacca Brown passed away peacefully on Oct. 5, 2009, at her niece's home where she has lived for the past five years. She was with friends and family at her passing: her niece, Doreen, and her husband, Cole Thompson; her great-niece, Nicole Radmore; her caregivers, Mary Blackfeather and Jamie DiPietro; and her VNA hospice nurse, Lisa Burrage. Lucy was born Jan. 1, 1911, to Diamante and Teresa (Valluzi) Vacca in Portland. She graduated from Portland High School in 1929 and Gorham Normal School in 1931. From 1931-1936 she taught in one room schools in East and North Lebanon. She met her husband while in East Lebanon and they were married in 1936 in Portland, where she began teaching second grade at North School. She also taught lip reading to hearing impaired children at the school. In 1952 she graduated from Gorham State Teachers' College with honors with her niece, Teresa (Vacca) Lefebvre. In 1959 she received a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Maine in Orono. She retired from teaching in 1962 and she and Roland moved to Almont, Colo., where they lived until 1979. Due to Roland's poor health, they returned to live in East Lebanon in the Colonial Mobile Home Park owned by Roland's nephews. After Roland's death in 1986, she continued to live there until the summer of 2004. She then moved to Gray to live with her niece, Doreen, and her husband Cole Thompson, and their cat, Eliot, whom she loved dearly. Lucy traveled throughout the United States, Europe, and North Africa. Her last airplane trip was in 2005 to visit her great nephew, Seth in Lake Worth, Fla., with Doreen and Cole. She also made a few trips with them to NYC to visit her great-niece, Nicole, and great-great-nephew, William. She used to enjoy more than anything else to go with Cole in his truck to plow snow and then go to Dunkin Donuts to get a Boston Cream doughnut! Lucy was a member of the Chestnut Street United Methodist Church in Portland, MEA- Retired and the NEA. While living in Gray, she attended the First Congregational Church where everyone called her 'Aunt Lucy' and marveled how she knew the words to the hymns by heart. Fran Hutchings, her neighbor, would give her rides to church. Lucy leaves several nieces and nephews; great-nieces and nephews; and great-great-nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church of Gray at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9; with a reception to follow. The Rev. Nancy Salisbury will officiate. Arrangements are being handled by Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St., Portland. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lucy's memory may be made to: The First Congregational Church of Gray P.O. Box 155 Gray, Maine 04039 or VNA Home Health & Hospice 50 Foden Rd. South Portland, Maine 04106 Lucy Vacca Brown Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home & Cremation Service 775-3763