CUSHING — Lois “Lola” Edith Delano Faulkingham, died peacefully at the Knox Center with her loving family at her side, Sunday, October 28, 2018.

She was born in Rockland to Lester and Evelyn Delano of Cushing. Her Birthday, November 17, was fondly shared with her great-grandmother, Gaa, and her granddaughter, Aimee.

Growing up with her parents, life-long sweethearts, on her grandparents’ farm in Cushing, she has described her childhood as ‘magical.’ She began Cushing school in Kindergarten, where she formed some of her deepest bonds and met her best friends for life.  She was a proud member of the National Honors Society and graduated second in her class from Thomaston High School where she was voted best looking and best personality. She was a natural born writer and displayed writing, dancing and acting talents in plays both in High School and in the Cushing Grange.

She was married to David S Faulkingham for 23 years and had a loving home in Cushing where they raised their four children. One of the greatest gifts she shared with her children was packing up a week or more of supplies to take to her beloved Criehaven Island where her brother, Bob, was a lobsterman.

Lois followed in her grandmother’s footsteps to become the Cushing Post Mistress, which she hosted for many years in her home while raising her four children.

In her early 40s, needing to devote as much time as possible to her writing, she left the post office. Out of this decision came a novel, yet to be published, called More, and many stories, poems, and three major novels, each published soon after its completion: Uncle Sam’s Mistress, Turtle Rock Summer, and Girls Night Out, all written as Lois Delano, her maiden name. In the last months of her life and in the face of almost unrelenting pain and other serious medical setbacks she was hard at work, often night and day, on a book she was going to call Deeper and about which she said she was feeling happier and more inspired than ever.

Lois was also an avid chronicler of her of her daily life, loves, travails, and adventures in different parts of the world in diary and journal entries which had grown, by the time of her death, into hundreds of volumes. This record keeping began early, when she was 10, starting with a tiny book in which she filled, in pencil, every line and available space.

For the last 30 years Alan Clark, an artist and poet, was her life companion.

In addition to her parents, Lois was predeceased by her aunt and cousin, Edith and Barbie Sallinen, as well as her former husband and close friend, David Faulkingham.

She is survived by her loving children, Rhonda Lee of Rockland, Gregory Faulkingham of Cushing, Colleen Rickard and her husband Tim of St. George, Alison Faulkingham and her husband Jon Wood of Rockport; and her brother Bob and his wife Elizabeth Delano of Cushing; her grandchildren, Rebecca Marcoux and husband Tim of Rockland, Joshua Faulkingham and partner Courtney Young of Charleston, Aimee Faulkingham and partner Trevor Polk of Cushing, Anna Libby and fiancé Todd McCrary of Rockland, Rose Libby and partner Tyler Griffin of Nobleboro, Kristin Rickard of St. George, Megan Rickard of Rockland, and Emillie and Lilian Wood of Rockport; great-grandsons, Landon, Gage, Avery, August, Brody and Vance; her niece Bobbi Butler and her husband Joe of Cushing; cousin Betsy Sallinen of Bath; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great- nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, November 17, 2018 at Broad Cove Church, Cushing.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland. 

To share a memory or condolence with Lois family, please visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.