Geneva L. Padham

SCARBOROUGH – Geneva L. Padham, 96, died on June 16, 2024, in Scarborough. She was born in Lewiston, on June 7, 1928, the daughter of Nathan R. and Lula (Huff) Longfellow. She attended schools in Waterville and Augusta and graduated from Solon High School in 1946. In 1948, she married “the boy next door,” Elwood A. Padham, and they were married for 60 years prior to his death in 2009. Geneva received her Bachelor of Science degree from Gorham State Teachers College in 1950 and returned there to complete her Master’s Degree in 1971. At that time, the college had become The University of Portland-Gorham, or “Po-Go,” and is now known as the University of Southern Maine. She taught in a rural school in Gorham while Elwood finished his education. After moving to Waterville in the ‘70s, she became a beloved tutor and teacher in the Waterville Public School system, spending much of her career teaching children with learning disabilities. Her creative and dedicated approach to her lessons with these children made a lasting impact on them. In retirement, she and Elwood enjoyed traveling with friends to Europe, Alaska, Utah, and other parts of the US. Geneva was an accomplished amateur genealogist and spent hours researching the family trees of both the Padham and Longfellow families. She was instrumental in coordinating family reunions on both the East and West Coasts with Padham family members. Even a few months ago, when she was receiving treatment at Maine Medical Center, she was delighted when she discovered her doctor’s last name was Longfellow, and they had a spirited conversation about family history. She was a lifetime member of the Maine Old Cemetery Association, and she and Elwood made many trips around the state researching gravestones for the association. She was a lifelong Methodist, and she strongly believed in and supported the mission work of the United Methodist Women.

Geneva is survived by her three children, Michael, Catherine and Janice (Rogers), her four grandchildren, Christopher Padham, Jamie Reier, Samantha Rogers and Nathan Rogers, and four great-grandchildren and several special nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 29, 2024, at Evergreen Cemetery in Solon.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Maine Alzheimer’s Association or to the Pleasant St. United Methodist Church, 61 Pleasant St., Waterville.

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