Anna Orben Contributed photo
Anna Orben was a fun, goofy and spirited young woman who loved to do her hair and makeup, dress up and go out with friends.
She was a social butterfly but also strong, hardworking and determined to live her best life. She had dreams of buying a house and had recently saved enough money for a down payment.
On Jan. 28, Orben went to Litchfield’s Bar and Grill in Wells to meet friends and her older brother James Bray. He planned to follow her home when they left Litchfield’s, but she took off a couple of minutes before he did. Orben was driving on Burnt Mill Road when she veered off and her car struck a tree near Maplewood Lane. She died instantly.
Bray drove the same route home soon after and came upon the crash site. He called 911 and went down the embankment to check on his sister.
“I was in shock,” Bray said Thursday. “I saw her. I instantly knew she was gone. She wasn’t moving. It was like something came over me. It felt like she was saying ‘Bye.’ It happened so quick.”
Bray said he called his mother and told her the devastating news.
“This is my worst nightmare,” Lisa Orben said. “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this. I just can’t function without her. I can’t function without seeing her every day … seeing her face, smile, and hearing, ‘I love you, Mom.’ If I said, `I love you,’ she said, ‘I love you more.’ ”
Orben grew up in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and went to Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School, where she thrived in the cosmetology program and graduated in 2013. A few years later, she moved to Wells to live with her parents and their big, blended family, which included nine foster kids.
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Orben was remembered as a kind and thoughtful person, always there for family and friends.
Her mother said she was close to her sister Sarah, who has Down syndrome, and often included Sarah when visiting with friends. She also often drove her brothers to the bus stop on her way to work.
Her younger sister Skylar was her best friend. She helped Skylar take care of her horse, and gave her a charm that said, ‘You’re my person.’ ”
Her sister Caitlyn Olsen said the family is close. On Christmas Eve, about 30 relatives gathered inside Olsen’s tiny home in Melrose, Massachusetts.
“It was jam-packed, but that’s what we do,” Olsen said. “I’ll miss her laughing at me. She was way cooler than I am.”
Bray said his sister was lovable and supportive. When he had to have surgery a month ago, she was the first to wish him good luck.
“Anytime I needed her, she was right there,” her brother said. “Anna was awesome. She was amazing. She loved everybody with all her heart.”
Orben worked as a waitress and cook at Litchfield’s for about three years. Her sister Skylar worked there too. She then worked briefly at LongHorn Steakhouse in Biddeford, but lost her job when the pandemic began. For the last year, she was an appointment coordinator at the Morong Falmouth automobile dealerships.
Peter Sowles, vice president at Morong Falmouth, said she was pleasant, organized and enjoyed talking to customers.
“She was superb,” Sowles said. “Anna was described by her colleagues as incredibly nice. She loved her job. She enjoyed coming to work and enjoyed the people there. She is a loss in more ways than one.”
This week, Lisa and Kevin Orben and some of their kids visited the crash site and tied flowers around the tree Orben’s car struck. Lisa Orben’s mother died in a car accident in 2007, which makes this terrible loss even harder.
“If Anna didn’t see me in the morning, she would message me, ‘Good morning , Mom. I hope you have a great day. I love you so so much.’ Every day I got that message,” Lisa Orben said. “I didn’t get it this week. It’s heartbreaking. I miss her so much. We will miss her every day for the rest of our lives.”
Her family will receive friends from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Bibber Memorial Chapel, 111 Chapel Road in Wells. A Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Mary’s Church, Holy Spirit Parish, 236 Eldridge Road in Wells.
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