Florence "Paddy" Chandler

Paddy was born on November 25th, 1934 in Boston and spent her early years in Dorchester Mass. with her parents, Julius and Catherine Abbott Sandberg and sisters Kay, Jean and Judy. Her mother, Catherine died when Paddy was 6 years old and she and her sisters spent a few years in a Boston convent school while their Dad looked for work at the South Portland Shipyard. After marrying Evalena Fountain in Portland, Julius combined his four children with Evalena's four children: Richard, Beverly, Robert and Janice. The family would soon grow to 10 children with the births of Dottie and Billy Sandberg.

Paddy graduated from South Portland High school in 1953 and worked for several years in Hartford, Connecticut. After moving back to Maine, she met Charles "Chuck" Chandler Jr while working at Securities Acceptance Corp. Chuck was a recently widowed auditor with a four-year-old son and Paddy offered to watch Michael while his Dad was working. She would later say she loved the little boy who had lost his Mom before she ever did his father. Paddy and Michael always shared a connection of having lost their Mothers at a young age.

Paddy and Chuck married on November 6, 1965 and first lived in Augusta before settling back in Portland. Once her kids were in school fulltime, Paddy ran a daycare in her house on Allen Avenue. Later, Chuck and Paddy moved to Haverhill, New Hampshire where they became involved in many local associations.

Paddy was predeceased by Chuck in 2011, and by her stepson Michael in 2018. She was also predeceased by her parents, Julius and Catherine Sandberg, her stepmother Evalena Sandberg, and siblings Richard Day, Jean Doughty, Robert Fountain, Judy Huck, Janice Noyes and William Sandberg.

She is survived by her children; Charles Chandler, Patrick Chandler and Julie Chandler and her partner Paul Robart; and by her grandchildren, Emily Moore and her husband Jeff and Charles Chandler IV. And by her sisters, Beverly Romano, Katherine Nee, Dorathea Lappin of Scarboro, and her sister-in-law, Anne Dolack and many nieces, great-nieces, nephews, great-nephews, and the children, now adults, from her day care.

There will be a Mass of Christian burial at St. Joseph’s Church, 673 Stevens Ave Portland, Me on December 19th at 11 AM with a Private family burial to follow.
In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to the center for grieving children www.cgcmaine.org in Paddy’s memory.

Hale Funeral Home is assisting the family.