106-year-old Maine woman dies at Auburn

AUBURN – Helen M. Bouley, who was a girl when the Wright Brothers took flight and the first Model T left the assembly line, has died at 106.

Helen M. Bouley, was born in 1900 in South Portland, succumbed to pneumonia on Nov. 2 at Clover Manor Health Care Facility in Auburn.

Bouley remained active until her last few years, and she continued to drive until 2003, the same year her husband, Edward J. Bouley, died, family members said.

She was remembered as a frugal Yankee.

“She made her own soap,” said Mary Greaton, her nephew’s wife. She recalled Bouley giving her tips on how to replace the elastic in clothing.

Bouley put herself through college and taught and worked at area businesses. She also volunteered at the Webster School, United Way and Central Maine Medical Center.

The daughter of a Civil War veteran, she became a widow when her first husband, Everett C. Whittemore, died in 1960.