Marion Flood French, who prized most the printed word and her friendships, died Tuesday at a Bangor hospital. Known to her friends as “Mim,” she was 71.

Born in Orland and a graduate of Brewer High School and Bangor Theological Seminary, French retired from the Bangor Daily News in 1977 after 33 years with the newspaper.

Choosing not to join the ministry or the teaching field, French went to work for the Bangor Daily News after graduation from the seminary. For the first 17 years of her newspaper career, French worked as a proofreader. Her spare time was devoted to her two avocations: reading and writing.

By her count, she read five to six books a week and got up very early each morning to write. “Not to write every morning,” she said, “would be like starting the day without a cup of coffee.”

Eventually, her avocation became her workaday world. She moved from the proofroom of the NEWS to the editorial department as an editorial page assistant. During her career, the Marion Flood French byline appeared over hundreds of movie reviews, book reviews and feature articles such as Lenten Windows and Vacation Corner.

She wrote books, too. Her most well known was a children’s book, “Mr. Bear Goes to Boston.”

In her retirement years, French continued to write book reviews for the NEWS. After surgery two years ago, she was unable to speak, but her loss did not alter her love of life and language. She communicated with handwritten notes and hand gestures. She and her cat shared a Harlow Street apartment, which allowed her easy access to the Bangor Public Library where she visited daily.

Among her most proud possessions was a framed personal letter from Eleanor Roosevelt.