Mary Orff of Epsom recently celebrated her 95th birthday surrounded by her family, at the home of her son, Eric Orff, in Epsom. The joyful celebration was filled with laughter and food – two common themes of Orff gatherings. Much of the food was prepared and provided by Mary, as always!
Mary’s great and enviable memory was a catalyst for much of the laughter as she shared stories from her long life. This included the story of how she followed her older sister to school at age 4 and became a first-grader. Hence, she graduated, with honors, from Cony High School in Augusta, Maine, at age 16.
In addition to Eric and his wife Janice, also in attendance were Mary’s daughter Nancy and other son, Alan with his wife Cathy, as well as the families of all three of Mary’s children, including adult grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Mary even had a surprise visit from her nephew Bill Dunn and his wife Gail from Augusta, Mary’s birthplace on Nov. 8, 1923.
Mary remains the center of this close-knit family and although we gather frequently, Mary declared this to be her “best party ever!”