Rea A. Denico Obituary (1944 - 2010)

Rea A. Denico, 65, passed away at the Maine General Medical Center in Waterville on Tuesday, February 16, attended by her husband and daughters. She was born in Masardis, Maine on August 12, 1944 to Ruth (Hayward) and Earl Tibbetts of Garfield, Maine. In 1952, she moved to the family’s dairy farm in Solon, Maine, where she developed her devotion to family and love of animals, farming, hunting and fishing. Rea attended school in Athens, Maine, graduating from Somerset Academy in 1962. She went on to receive training as a lab technician at Redington- Fairview Hospital in Skowhegan, where she practiced for many years, as well as at the University of Maine Infirmary. She married Douglas Denico on May 27, 1967. They enjoyed 43 years together. Starting in 1970, they lived in Madison, Maine and purchased a farm there in 1978. Her farming roots were strong and over the years she raised sheep, replacement heifers and beef cattle, with horses and various types of domestic fowl added in from time to time. She spent countless hours nurturing an English-style flower garden that never stopped growing. Most every summer evening, she could be found there enjoying the sunset. She spent time in the family woodlots, hunting and helping Doug put up the winter’s wood supply. In 2000, she and her husband designed her new house which brought her great enjoyment. From 1982 to 1993, she was the proud owner of “Krafts and Kreations,” located on Water Street in Skowhegan. Rea spent a great deal of her time in the Allagash area at the family camp, built in 1973. She and Doug hunted, fished and explored the surrounding area. She worked very hard turning the camp into a comfortable four-season “home” that her family enjoyed. Her daughters and granddaughters added great joy to her life. No matter where she was or what she did, her children and grandchildren were inseparable from her every thought and with her whenever possible. In addition to her husband Doug, Rea is survived by: her daughters, Tamara Denico and Tonia Bagley; her son-in-law, Patrick Bagley; her three granddaughters, Rowan Bagley, Hannah Denico and Sarah Bagley; her “adopted” son Robert Bagley and “honorary third daughter” Jeannine Annis; her sister, Lona French and her children Blaine, Lawanda, Wade, and Laurie; her brother Dale Tibbetts and wife Patricia, their children Wayne, Erroll, Darren and Trisha; her brother Alton Tibbetts and wife Linda and their children Gary , Shannon, and Stacy; her brother in- law Fredrick Denico and wife Camille and their children Fredrick, Donald and Nicole. The family deeply appreciates the care and compassion Rea received from the staffs of Redington-Fairview General Hospital in Skowhegan, Maine General Medical Center’s Thayer Unit in Waterville, Maine Medical Center in Portland and the Alfond Cancer Center in Augusta. Visiting hours will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, February 26 at the Smart and Edwards Funeral Home on 183 Madison Avenue, Skowhegan. Services will be held on Saturday, February 27, at 2 p.m. in Athens, Maine at the Church of the Open Bible. A reception at the church will follow the service. Burial will take place later in the spring. The family is requesting all floral gifts be in the form of live flowers so they can be nurtured and planted in the spring in a memorial garden in Rea’s memory. Cremation arrangements are under the care and direction of Smart & Edwards Funeral Home, 183 Madison Ave., Skowhegan, Maine.