Calista E. Muchemore

                                                           A Tribute to Ma

Calista Elizabeth (Hall ) Muchemore was born on August 12th 1926.  She was the daughter of Mildred and Ralph Hall of Haley Rd. in Kittery , Me.

 The older sister of Rodney Hall whom she fondly referred to as “Bunny”

because her mother called him her little bunny rabbit because he was so little and dear.

Calista spoke often of her childhood, it was filled with love , hugs and kisses. She told me in the summer her father would often wake the children on especially hot nights and take them to the river for a midnight swim . They enjoyed simple pleasures like going to the “ Mrs. And Me “ for ice cream or vacations to their camp in Vermont.

Her childhood friend Pauline would join her and Bunny at  the “Big House” on Haley Rd. and would play for hours using their imaginations to invent endless adventures.

Pauline described her as a tomboy, always climbing trees and raising havoc right along side the boys, “ Anything they can do, I can do!” she would say. She attended Kittery schools and continued her friendship with Pauline until the day she died.

She graduated from Traip Academy with the class of 1943 and went on to work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as a stenographer.

She married Reginald F. Muchemore Jr. , also from Kittery in 1946 and began their lives together in their first home on Manson Rd. where  they started  a family.  Kathleen recalls Mom sewing beautiful smocked dresses for she and her sisters for Easter and special occasions .

Calista left her job at the Shipyard to pursue a life of farming. They moved into a quaint little farmhouse at the top of Frost Hill Rd.  They farmed the land , raised milk and beef cattle, horses, pigs and chickens. The farm and the life they had built together were some of the happiest times in her life. She was  not afraid of the hard work and enjoyed  her gardens, fruit trees, wildlife and bringing up her children there.

The family moved to Bow , N.H. to pursue Reggie’s career.  They purchased a house and Calista went about making it into a home using her many talents  such as sewing, wallpapering, and decorating with all sorts of treasures she would come across at Antique shops and thrift stores.  The family stayed there for a few years but a piece of her heart and extended family were back in Maine. They returned to Frost Hill Rd. and built a house on a small piece of land they had saved from the sale of the farmhouse. They named it the Wildwood Farm and picked up where they had left off raising wild game birds and pet breeds. There home was deemed a wildlife sanctuary of which she was quite proud, all the while just doing what she loved!

Calista and Reggie started the “Blue Seal Feeds and Needs “ store , and ran the business for many years. They gave hay rides using  a cherished team of draft horses over the then untouched fields of Frost Hill.

Reg and Clis ,as they were known , were very involved in their church , the Church of the Nazarene. They taught Sunday School and served as Sunday school superintendents . Calista kept the books and accounts. Together they enjoyed hosting missionaries and attending revivals and musical events. Calista absolutely loved music and her God, she played the piano and organ at church and sang in the choir.  She said “ I wouldn’t know what I would do without music and the joy that it brings me”. She had an unwaivering faith. Clis was saved as a teenager and continued  to live out her faith journey until she went home to be with her Lord And Savior and is in His presence today !

Family reunions and picnics were a regular event at the house and because of that she and Reggie founded the Muchemore Family Association as a way to trace and connect with distant family members from as far away as Hawaii and Europe.

After retirement she and Reg continued working their homestead and opened up the home to anyone who needed a place to stay, or a helping hand. 

In the last couple of years Calista enjoyed spending time with friends at “The Gathering Place” in Kittery. She enjoyed the company of friends her own age, tea time , luncheons, crafts, music and Zumba!

Calista Elizabeth passed away peacefully on August 18th , at home but her legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of all those who’s lives she had touched.

Our beloved “Ma “ and “ Nana “ at last count, leaves behind 56 children, grandchildren , great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren.

We will see you again someday!

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