One of the first things said about Joan Worrey on Tuesday was that she loved everyone.
Mrs. Worrey, a longtime Portland resident and the mother of seven children, had a great capacity for love. Between raising her kids and working part-time jobs here and there, she gave generously to others. For years, she volunteered as a cook at the former 24 Hour Club on India Street in Portland, an alcohol and drug detox center.
“She wanted to take in the whole world to help,” said her daughter Linda Wooten of Auburn.
Mrs. Worrey died Thursday of cancer. She was 78.
In her early years, she lived in Portland’s East End, including the Little Italy neighborhood. She attended Portland schools but never went to high school.
In 1955, she married Herbert Thorne. The couple lived in Portland’s Riverton neighborhood, where they raised five children.
She was remembered by Wooten this week as a fun, loving and supportive mother who set a positive example for them. She remembered the days when her mother rang the cowbell to draw them all inside for dinner.
“We would come running. It was a wholesome time,” Wooten said.
The marriage ended in 1968. A couple of years later, she married Herbert Worrey. They lived in downtown Portland and its West End neighborhood, where they raised two more children – bringing the total to seven.
As her children got older, Mrs. Worrey took on various part-time jobs. She worked briefly at Porteous Mitchell and Braun and was a cocktail waitress at Carlo’s. She also worked at the former Deering Ice Cream on Canco Road in Portland for about 10 years. Her daughter said she worked in its factory making ice cream sandwiches and packaging them to ship to customers.
“She loved it,” her daughter said. “She loved bringing seconds home to her family.”
Outside work, Mrs. Worrey volunteered for various nonprofit organizations. In 1972, she became one of the original members of the We Who Care Organization, according to her obituary, which was published in Saturday’s newspaper.
She also attended and volunteered at the 24 Hour Club for about a decade.
“She would go there to visit people she knew. It was good to see her in that light, where she was helping people,” her daughter said.
Mrs. Worrey loved music, dancing and large family gatherings. In recent years, Wooten said, she enjoyed spending time with her mother, going shopping and out for lunch.
“The visits were great … getting together and doing things,” she said. “We were more than mother-daughter, we were friends. We loved each other’s company and empowered each other. I already miss that. It’s hard.”
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