Trelba Rollins

Obituary of Trelba N. Rollins

Milo and Dover-Foxcroft - Trelba N. Rollins, a beloved member of both Dover-Foxcroft and Milo communities, peacefully passed away Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at Pleasant Meadows Estate after a brief illness. Trelba lived a full and active life for over 101 years, always contributing to her community and making hundreds of friends in her many homes. Born in Quality, Kentucky, on April 23, 1921, to George and Laura Vaught, Trelba grew up on a small tobacco farm and knew many hardships in her childhood. Her mother died when Trelba was only nine years old, however, she persevered to excel academically and became the valedictorian of her high school class. She then attended a business school in Nashville, TN, and became an executive secretary. It was in Nashville that she met her future husband, Kenneth W. Rollins, a teacher from Milo who was serving in the Army Air Corps, and there, where after a wartime courtship, they married in 1945. They relocated to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she supported her husband while he attended Harvard and received his doctorate in education. They soon began their family with a son, Kenneth II, in 1949 and a daughter, Susan, in 1953, and then followed his career to New Jersey, Michigan, Ohio, and finally Maryland, where they lived from 1960 to 1977. Trelba was very active in community organizations and was a Welcome Wagon hostess for several years. They retired early to Milo in 1977 and soon became fixtures in both that town and in Dover-Foxcroft where they attended the Congregational Church. Trelba had multiple passions—service to the community, quilting, her church life, and gardening. She was active in the Milo Historical Society, was on the board of the Three Rivers Ambulance organization for over 30 years, was on the board of the Milo Cemetery, helped organize the church’s summer bazaar for several years, served as a volunteer for the Eastern Area Agency of Aging, and even delivered Meals on Wheels into her 90s. She was a member of book clubs, garden club, Extension, and the Congregational Church. When her husband of 40 years died in 1986, Trelba became a member of the area “Golden Girls” who embraced her and gave her a new family with whom she traveled, celebrated both every day and special occasions, and shared life’s highs and lows. In Milo, there are generations of children who remember her as the “Nickel Lady” for her Halloween habit of handing out nickels, not candy. Trelba was very proud of her large flower garden on Clinton Street, mowed her own lawn until she was 95, and generously shared her plants and plant knowledge with friends and neighbors. An accomplished seamstress, she taught innumerable people how to quilt and has given away hundreds of lovely, handmade, quilted potholders. She also maintained her husband’s family tree farm in Sebec, The Rips, and was a valued member of the Sebec River Association. Trelba was predeceased by her husband and her son, and is survived by her daughter, Susan Rollins Creighton and husband, George Creighton of Union, Maine, and Ocala, Florida; three grandchildren, Tyler and Hilary Creighton of Union, Maine; Shelby and Michael Yates of Herndon, Virginia; and Cameron Creighton and Cody Hester of Buxton, Maine. A service to celebrate her life and contributions will be held on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church with a reception to follow immediately after. Arrangements are in the care of the Lary Funeral Home. Condolences and memories may be expressed at www.laryfuneralhome.com.
Wednesday
8
March

Memorial Service

11:00 am
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Dover-Foxcroft Congregational Church
W Main Street
Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, United States
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