Rosaline Sanford
Rosaline Sanford, a respected registered nurse at Maine Medical Center known for her kindness, compassion and strength, died Tuesday from complications of a stroke. She was 92.
Mrs. Sanford, known by many as “Rosy,” lived most of her life in Freeport. She attended local schools, and graduated from Maine General Hospital School of Nursing in 1949.
She was a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center for about 44 years. For most of her career, she worked with cardiac patients. She retired as assistant head nurse of the cardiothoracic unit at MMC in 1993.
Mrs. Sanford was remembered by her daughters Wednesday as a dedicated nurse who made a difference in many people’s lives.
“She was an incredible nurse,” said her daughter Brenda Tims of Freeport. “She loved taking care of people. She just really loved helping people. She had such a giving and kind heart.”
Tims said her mother was respected throughout the hospital and was a mentor to many young nurses like Tims, who followed in her mother’s footsteps. Tims, along with two of her sisters and their aunt, became nurses because of Sanford. Her great-granddaughter plans to attend nursing school next year.
Tims remembered early in her career riding to MMC with her mother. She said they worked in separate units, but on the same floor.
“I was so proud to be her daughter,” Tims said. “I just tried really hard to learn from her and be as good as she was. She was so dedicated to the profession and her patients. I was so inspired by her determination.”
She was married to Lynwood Sanford, who died suddenly in 1961. At the time, she was 33 years old, raising their four young daughters with another girl on the way.
She bought an 1880s farmhouse on 40 acres on Beech Hill Road in Freeport. Her obituary, published in Thursday’s newspaper, said she dealt with many challenges including a failing coal furnace, a collapsing barn, and mice.
“We have lots of wonderful memories there,” Tims said.
Her daughters reminisced about camping adventures and catching fireflies in their field. Tims laughed remembering the time her mother bought an old Army tent at a yard sale and took them camping. Tims said it poured.
“We all laughed about how we woke up in the morning, floating on the air mattresses,” she said.
Mrs. Sanford was passionate about the outdoors, swimming and gardening. She had close relationships with her grandchildren, who idolized her.
In recent years, she went to live at Horizons Living and Rehabilitation Center in Brunswick. Her daughter, Pam Brennan of Brunswick, expressed appreciation for the staff’s attentive care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The staff at Horizons were absolutely amazing to her,” Brennan said. “The staff put her bed next to the window so we could see her. We sang and talked to her and sat beside her for five days. It didn’t rain once. I think she arranged that for us. It was beautiful.”
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