Bank chairman LaJune Means dies

BANGOR – The community is mourning the loss of a woman who left her mark in a variety of circles, ranging from education, health care and youth services to banking, social services and her church.

LaJune Means died Wednesday at the age of 88 at a Bellingham, Wash., health care facility, according to her stepson, Paul Means of Means Investment, a Bangor financial planning firm founded by her late husband, David Means.

A memorial service will be held later at All Souls Congregational Church in Bangor, he said.

LaJune had relocated to the West Coast two years ago to be closer to her children after her health began to decline, David Means said.

The YWCA, Husson College, Eastern Maine Medical Center, United Way of Eastern Maine, the Good Samaritan Agency, All Souls Congregational Church, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Mount Hope Cemetery are some of the organizations LaJune Means served as a board member and, in some cases, fundraiser and benefactor.

In 1982, she was Maine’s only commercial bank chairwoman in Maine.

On Thursday, Means was remembered as “a real lady of impeccable taste,” a woman of great strength, class, generosity and style who was devoted to her family. Among her trademarks were her snow-white hair and passion for gardening and bridge.

“She was an exceptional lady,” said Lynda Clyve, the longtime executive director of the Bangor-Brewer YWCA who retired three years ago. The YWCA has since joined forces with the YMCA to create the Bangor Y.

“I just can’t say enough about her and who she was and what she did for the organization in town. Her generosity of heart and spirit have truly enriched all of us whose lives she has touched,” Clyve said.

Wilma Bradford, who belonged to some of the same organizations as Means, called her a “lovely, lovely person” whose shoes will be hard to fill.

“She had grace,” said Jill McDonald, spokeswoman for EMMC, where Means was a trustee emeritus, a lifetime auxiliary board member, incorporator and contributor.

Husson College President William Beardsley said that while Means was prominent in the city, she was most effective behind the scenes.

“She was a soft-spoken, sincere and forthright person who had a steeliness about her,” he said. At Husson, Means was a trustee and member of the board’s executive committee. In honor of her leadership, Husson presented Means an honorary degree in 1999.