BANGOR, Maine — Family and friends are mourning the loss of 84-year-old Carla Durgin after she died in a house fire early Monday morning.
Durgin was the widow of former Bangor Mayor Nelson Durgin who died in 2020. The two are remembered as prominent pillars of the community who worked hard for their neighbors.
Dawn DeBois has known the Durgins for most of her life. She met Marjorie Durgin—daughter of Carla and Nelson—in the second grade. Debois recalls Carla always being supportive of the people around her regardless of who they were.
That attitude went hand-in-hand with Nelson's who served on the Bangor City Council for seven years, St. Joseph's Hospital board for 23 years, and Eastern Area Agency on Aging's board for 14 years.
"There's not going to be another couple that is going to be able to step into their shoes," DeBois said.
His tenure at EAAA and commitment to helping the elderly led to the agency's new community center being named in his honor.
Christopher Hill, the agency's communications and development director, says the Durgin Center provides a place of comfort and resource for older adults.
"We have a lot of different programs that range from food insecurity to Medicare counseling, people that are dealing with financial hardships," Hill said.
Another concern is social isolation. Something that is taxing on many year-round but can be especially difficult around the holidays.
"For our older community members that are dealing with social isolation, the holidays are kind of more focus[ed] on it," Hill said.
A common face at the Durgin Center is Sharon Gray. She lives alone and says she comes to the center five days a week for the love and family she finds there, finding every visit worth it.
"Even if it's raining, even if it's snowing. Because you've got to be here to feel that feeling of love here," Gray said.
Giving back and creating joy like that is what DeBois says the Durgins wanted and encourages others to seek out the same service.
"If you have time, you can volunteer, you can reach out to organizations and ask how you can help, definitely think about doing that," Debois said.