Obituary: Petrina Laura (Griffin) Goepfert
Petrina Laura (Griffin) Goepfert
CUMBERLAND CENTER – Petrina Laura Goepfert “Patti” passed away on Feb. 14, 2026, in Cumberland Center, in the house her father built in the 1930s. She was born Aug. 8, 1936, to Richard and Laura Griffin, and spent her childhood living a short distance down the road from her grandparents’ farmhouse. As an adult, she lived and travelled extensively abroad and touched many people’s lives. Everyone who has ever met her always remarks on her kindness and generosity.
She started off attending a small school in the town center and then transferred to Deering High School in Portland. After completing high school in 1954, she attended Chamberlain School of Retailing in Boston. It was during this time that she met her husband, George A. Goepfert, who was also studying in Boston. They were married on Dec. 8, 1956, and remained married for over 60 years until his passing in 2017.
Shortly after their marriage, the young couple moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and then New Rochelle, New York, where they started a family and began a journey that brought them to the Far East on multiple occasions. Their first overseas assignment was Sungai Gerong, Indonesia, where their second child was born. They then moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for a few years before returning to New Rochelle, New York, where their third child was born. The young family then returned to the Far East with a lengthy stay in Tokyo, Japan, and then moved to Houston, Texas, for a few years before returning to Asia for an extended stay in Hong Kong. In the mid-1980s, the couple returned to and retired in Houston with their youngest child.
During their years overseas, the family went on various exotic trips and visited many countries not commonly frequented by Westerners at the time. Patti handled the challenges of frequent foreign travel with a young family calmly. During these years of travel, one constant always remained, her childhood home in Cumberland. The family would regularly spend several weeks there each summer and during the Christmas holiday season. In retirement, Patti and George continued to travel and enjoyed exploring new places and spending time in Maine with their family.
Patti was a loving and generous mother and wife who always put the needs of her children and husband before her own. She tirelessly supported her children in their schoolwork and extra-curricular activities, and her husband in pursuing his career. She often volunteered at her children’s schools and with the neighborhood civic club, attended ball games, supported scouting events, made cookies and treats and hosted dinner parties. She was a true master of all trades.
Patti provided a solid foundation for her children and taught them to tackle challenges with a positive attitude and the resources available. Her favorite hobbies included sewing and handicrafts. She made clothes, quilts and afghans for her children and participated in various sewing and quilting groups. She was also an avid reader who participated in multiple book clubs.
Patti loved animals and was generous in her care of them. During her life she took in and adopted a stray dog in Japan and multiple cats. She also regularly fed and neutered a number of local feral cats who settled in her back yard and garage in Houston.
She is survived by three children, Karen Goepfert, Laura (Goepfert) Stolp and Ian Goepfert; a grandson Griffin Stolp; and a niece and her daughters. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at Emmaus Lutheran Church at 265 Middle Road, Falmouth, Maine 04105, on Aug. 7, 2026, at 2 p.m., with a graveside service to follow at Blanchard Cemetery, 215 Winn Road Falmouth.
In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests that memorial donations be directed to the Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART), a no-kill animal shelter based in Cumberland.
Copy the Story Link
