Esther MacNeill Friend, age 94, of Lewes, Delaware, passed away on Saturday, July 18, 2015, 10 days shy of her 95th birthday at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes. She was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on July 28, 1920, daughter of the late Robert and Florence (Hewes) MacNeill. Esther received her BA from Oberlin College, Ohio, in 1943. She married, produced two sons, and earned an M.Ed. in secondary education at Temple University in 1957. After teaching and counseling in public schools, including working at Harwood Union High School as a counselor in the 1970s, she returned to Plainville, Massachusetts, to care for her parents in the house where she had grown up.
After moving to Georgetown, Delaware, she worked as a title searcher. She joined the Milton Theater and Possum Point Players in Georgetown as a director and actor. A convinced Quaker, she enjoyed writing, having published Living Happily in the Great Depression and Beyond, which she shared on July 8, 2015, at An Unlikely Story bookstore in Plainville. In addition to her parents, her husband, Donald Russell Friend, her sister, Miriam Hutchinson, and Mim's husband Robert preceded her in death.
She is survived by her sons, Douglas (Vicki) of Lewes and Larry (Masha) of Oak Orchard; three grandsons, Christopher Spillman, Daniel Spillman (Chrissy), and Jesse Friend; two great-grandsons, Lucas and Henry; a nephew, David Hutchinson (Kaki); and a niece, Beth Piper (Arnie). Her family and many friends who loved her dearly will sorely miss her for her humor, wisdom and candor. Funeral services will be private.
Friends and family will gather to celebrate her life on Saturday, October 17, at Possum Hall in Georgetown, Delaware (near Lewes). The hall’s Green Room will be lined with tables of memorabilia. Chatting and finger food will begin at 6 p.m. followed by an open microphone session in the theater proper starting at 7 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Esther's name to the Possum Point Players, P.O. Box 96, Georgetown, DE 19947. Visit Mrs. Friend's Life Memorial webpage and sign her online guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes. See more at www.legacy.com/obituaries/delawareonline/obituary.aspx?pid=175343170#sthash.ZoVJ7rN6.dpuf.
