Obituary: Marilyn Mae Thurber
Maine Woman, 77, Passes Away at Home in Buxton
BUXTON – Marilyn Mae Thurber, a lifelong resident of Maine and a beloved member of the Buxton community, died peacefully and unexpectedly in her home on October 12, 2026.
Thurber was born in Portland on July 27, 1949, to Phillip Davis and Margaret Winslow. She graduated from Windham High School in 1967 with high honors and spent many of her teenage summers at Highland Lake, where she developed a love of reading and the outdoors.
After high school, she became a licensed practical nurse. In the Scarborough medical community she met Dr. Charles “Chuck” Frederick Thurber III, a physician who would later become her husband. The couple began dating in the late 1980s, married in 1994, and in 1993 relocated from Scarborough to Charlottesville, Virginia. There, Dr. Thurber taught at the University of Virginia School of Medicine while Marilyn worked at several local clinics. She enjoyed fitness classes at J’s Gym and cultivated a passion for quilting, watercolor painting, and participating in a local quilting club.
The Thomurs returned to Maine in 2005, purchasing a plot of land in Buxton and building a home that would become a gathering place for friends and family. Their home hosted many parties and barbecues, and Marilyn took great pleasure in welcoming neighbors into her life.
A devout Baptist, Thurber attended Little Falls Baptist Church under the ministry of Pastor Tony Vafiades. She also maintained a private studio above her garage where she pursued printmaking, stamping, handmade card making, acrylic sculpture, and oil painting. Her creations were shared with family, friends, and members of online communities.
Thurber was a grandmother to four grandchildren—Danilo, Alicia, Sava, and Isabel—and a stepmother to two sons, Christopher and Byron. She is remembered for making personalized birthday cards and keepsakes for her grandchildren and for the warm, creative environment she fostered in “Grandma Marilyn’s Studio.” A lifelong dog lover, she considered the many pets she and Chuck raised to be her family.
She predeceased her husband, Chuck, and her brother, Phillip “Butch” Davis. Her surviving family includes her son Jacob Tabachnick and his partner Rhonda Rafuse; brothers David Davis and Richard Winslow, and their partners Christy‑Lynn Barnes and Norma Winslow respectively; sister‑in‑law Dianne Davis; stepsons Christopher Thurber (wife: Simonida, Exeter, New Hampshire) and Byron Thurber (wife: Ana, San Francisco, California); her grandchildren Danilo, Alicia, Sava, and Isabel; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held on Monday, October 26, at 2 p.m. at the Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service Chapel, 498 Long Plains Road (Route 22), Buxton. Online condolences may be posted at the funeral home’s website: http://www.mainefuneral.com.
