LISBON — When you start talking to folks about Susan Conroy, a few themes begin to emerge: She was a people person. She worked tirelessly and she never wanted to claim credit for her achievements.
You might even say Susan Conroy had moxie.
A key figure behind the annual Moxie Festival, Conroy died unexpectedly Wednesday at her Topsham home. She was 68.
“She was an extremely bright and well-rounded person, but she was so down to earth and unassuming,” said Julie-Ann Baumer, hostess of the Moxie Fest recipe contest. “I’m sure it will become a cliche as you speak to others, but she really did have moxie.”
A hairdresser by trade, Conroy came on as co-organizer of the festival in 1999, taking over for Noyes Lawrence and his wife, who had been running things for the previous 16 years. If there were questions about whether she was up to the task, they soon vanished.
“Boy, she caught on very quickly,” Lawrence said Thursday. “It was a natural thing for her. She knew a lot of people and she knew how to get things done.”
With the festival just two weeks away, word was getting around Thursday that Conroy was gone. It wasn’t all about the festival, of course. Those who knew Conroy said she had been a part of things locally since moving her family here from Medway. Conroy was always helping, always volunteering for one cause or another.
“She was a sweet lady and gave a lot to the town,” said local author Jim Baumer, “especially with the Moxie Fest.”
Baumer ought to know — he included Conroy in his book, “Moxietown.”
“I considered Sue a friend after working with her on the Moxie Committee, first in 2004 and 2005, and then, when I was working on my first Moxie book, she was tremendously helpful with details and some of the history,” Jim Baumer said. “Sue was a special person who truly gave back to her community. For nine years, she was the driving force behind the festival, helping it grow into the huge event it is today.”
Even after passing the torch to the next festival organizer, Conroy stayed plenty involved, often behind the scenes.
“I knew Sue as someone always willing to offer ideas and help and was never a person to insist that her ideas were better,” Julie-Ann Baumer said. “I didn’t work directly with her on the recipe contest, but she was very encouraging to me as I changed a few things, like the date and location. I spoke with her on Monday about the Moxie recipe book she compiled and had published — and once again, she was supportive of my work and offered to do anything she could to help.”
When people describe Conroy as “well-rounded” and “versatile,” they’re not just empty words. According to her obituary, in addition to festival organizing and hair styling, she had taken turns as a bus driver and a driver’s education instructor and had operated a restaurant and a clothing boutique.
“She was a very knowledgeable person,” Lawrence said. “She was very civic-minded and she worked well with people.”
Julie-Ann Baumer wrote in her blog Wednesday about Conroy’s contributions to the festival, emphasizing her work on the Moxie recipe contest and the cookbook she continued to up update.
“She also practically single-handedly ran the festival for many years,” Baumer said, “so it’s probably important to note her as the groundbreaker for cooking with Moxie.”
Both Lawrence and Jim Baumer recalled Conroy’s work on the Moxie parade, an event that has historically drawn tens of thousands to Lisbon.
“There wasn’t a detail that Sue didn’t pay attention to, but what she took special pride in was the parade,” Baumer said. “She loved bringing in bands from out of town. It’s one reason why the Moxie Parade, the festival’s highlight event, is the largest parade in Maine. The parade is really Sue’s legacy, in my opinion.
“What I always thought was so special with Sue is that she never sought recognition for her work,” he said. “She just rolled up her sleeves and got things done, year after year. This is a real loss to the Lisbon community.”
mlaflamme@sunjournal.com
According to Lisbon Public Safety Officials, more than 50,000 people attend the three-day Moxie Festival, which this year begins Thursday, July 10. The town of Lisbon has about 9,300 residents.
Since 1982, the festival has been held on the second weekend in July. It now includes a three-day Pow Wow, Friday night fireworks, a Saturday parade, the Moxie Day 5K Race, the Moxie Day ATV Charity Ride, the Family Fun Fair, and on Sunday, the Chief Worumbo Androscoggin River Race and the Moxie Car Show. Moxie was designated Maine’s official soft drink on May 20, 2005.
The latest information is available at www.MoxieFestival.com.
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