96 YEARS YOUNG
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From her snug two-story home overlooking the Boothby Marsh at Kennebunk Beach, Ellen Fagan appreciates every season of coastal life. Standing on her panoramic second floor deck, she might watch migrating birds swoop in or full moon tides rush out on nearby Middle Beach … that is, when she’s not checking her calendar for tee times at Webhannet Golf Club.
Last August the silver-haired 96-year-old “drove the green” from the senior tees on Webhannet’s notorious ninth hole — a wicked Par 3 and a 150 yard shot with her driver. (I was in her foursome that morning and remember her reaction: “Well, I’ve never done that before,” she said quietly, then beamed.) Plus, the two-time nine hole champion at Webhannet still takes justifiable pride in shooting 39 “some years back.”
After graduation from Sargent College, a unit of Boston University, Ellen taught high school physical education in Rockville Center, Connecticut. A handsome history teacher spotted her in the halls one day and asked her out in early October. Marty and Ellen were married a year later. They moved to Kennebunk Beach full time in 1991.
This spry great-grandmother of eight (soon to be nine) has “loved sports” all her life and watches ESPN regularly. She’s particularly passionate about the lady Huskies. “I never miss a UConn basketball game, and I can’t wait for March Madness.”
The day we met to chat, Ellen had been planning on hosting her younger sister Jean (94) and two friends for their weekly Wednesday night suppers, followed by Rummikub. (“Only two games, then it’s time for bed.”) But UConn was playing that night. “So I’m delivering the Beef Stroganoff and then coming home to watch the game.”
As a dedicated and life-long Red Sox fan, Ellen admits she’s recently discovered a newfound interest in …. wait for it …. the New York Yankees? She says, “My grandson Eric Cressey, who grew up in Kennebunk, is the Yankee’s director of player health and performance. This past winter he worked with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on strength and conditioning at his Florida training facility. So I’m developing a soft spot for those Yankees.”
Ellen admits she’s "had it with being incarcerated” by the pandemic. “My daughter Susan is wonderfully helpful but I miss going to the library and getting a new book,” she says. She reads the PORTLAND PRESS HERALD daily (“a neighbor puts a copy inside my storm door every morning”) and is about to start knitting a Christmas stocking for the next great-grandchild. “I just want life to return to normal before my statutes of limitation run out.”
Nobody gets to be 96 unscathed. When she was seven, Ellen’s mother died. Before passing, her mother told her, “You’re the oldest, so please always take care of your younger sister.” Eleven years ago Ellen lost her beloved husband Marty. (“We used to have such fun playing golf at Myrtle Beach.”)
Eight years ago on March 23, Ellen received a phone call from a police officer in Connecticut. He said her son had suffered a massive and fatal heart attack while out biking. “Something like that takes a lot out of a mom.”
Ellen Fagan’s inner sinew is enhanced with a bright smile and engaging personality. When I asked if she suffered from arthritis aches, she said, “Oh yes, but I just take a good hot shower every morning and that takes care of my pains.”
What a lady!
