Mary Proulx is the

2023 Orrington Citizen of the Year

CONGRATULATIONS

MARY PROULX

Orrington's 2023 Citizen of the Year

MARY PROULX

Mary grew up in Brewer, attended the Brewer schools and graduated Brewer High class of 1966.  She moved to Orrington in 1972, when she and her husband Gary purchased the land they built the house on.  She worked in the kitchen of a local nursing home, as substitute mailman in Orrington, and in the truss shop at Crescent Lumber before passing the test to be a bus driver. This was where she became "Miss Mary" to Orrington's school children. She "retired" from full-time driving several years ago but continued to drive a couple days a week because of her dedication. She fully retired at the end of this 2022/2023 school year. There are very few places she can go that a student doesn't say hello to Miss Mary!

This time of year she can be found working in the gardens, making jam or jelly, or just cooking for family and friends. But her favorite pastime is knitting. Being able to give away some vegetables from the garden, homemade cooking/baking or knitting makes her very happy!

• "Miss Mary" has driven school bus in the town for the past 35 years, dedicated to making sure all students arrived to school and back home safely, much to the relief of all parents.

• Mary participated in the Maine Studies program with the schools for many years driving the bus, as a chaperone, cooking and baking, and helping with whatever else was needed to make sure the students had a safe and fulfilling learning experience.

• It's the many other little things she has done just because she is Miss Mary that makes her such a valuable part of our community: having breakfast with a little one at school when she knew their belly was empty, or just weeding the flower gardens at the school before a graduation or "just because they needed it".

Thank you for Mary Proulx!