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Maine Retailer Enid Corey Dies at 93
A mother of seven, she opened Robert’s Jewelry with husband Robert Corey in 1955 and later ventured out on her own with a card and gift shop.
Madawaska, Maine—Enid Corey, who grew up in the retail business and opened a jewelry store and then a card shop, died July 3 following a brief illness.
She was 93.
Born Enid Sleeper on July 29, 1925 in Caribou, Maine, she was the daughter of Alma and Joseph Sleeper Sr., who owned Sleeper’s, the general store he opened in 1914 after emigrating from Lebanon to the United States. (Sleeper’s is still in operation today.)
She was 93.
Born Enid Sleeper on July 29, 1925 in Caribou, Maine, she was the daughter of Alma and Joseph Sleeper Sr., who owned Sleeper’s, the general store he opened in 1914 after emigrating from Lebanon to the United States. (Sleeper’s is still in operation today.)
Enid Corey
Corey spent her early years working side-by-side with her father at the store, which instilled within her a love for business that she never lost.
On Aug. 20, 1951, she married Robert Corey, whom she met while he was managing the Day’s Jewelers store in Caribou.
Three years later, with two children in tow and one more on the way, they moved north to Madawaska, Maine to pursue their dream of opening their own store.
Together, the Coreys established and built a successful business in Robert’s Jewelry, with their children—a brood that eventually numbered seven—working alongside them. Enid Corey was devoted to raising children with a strong work ethic and family values, and to setting her kids “on the right path.”
In 1978, she embarked on her own business venture, opening a card and gift store called Hi, Ma’s but some of her children remained in the jewelry business.
Son Robert runs Robert’s Jewelry in Madawaska, while son Jeff and daughter-in-law Kathy and son Jim own Day’s Jewelers, which they bought from the original owners in 1988.
Outside of work, Corey liked cooking and baking, and spending time with her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Alma (Meelan) Sleeper; two sisters, one brother, and a grandson; and her husband of 67 years, Robert Corey, who died in February 2018 at the age of 90.
Corey is survived by her seven children: Jeffery (Kathy) of Winslow, Maine; Jolene (James) Cleland of Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada; Jean (David) Foster of Johns Island, South Carolina; Jayne Johnston (Randy Morrison, partner) of Bangor, Maine; Robert (Sylvie) Corey of Madawaska; James (Amy) Corey of Topsham, Maine; and Anne (Douglas) Cyr of Madawaska; two brothers and two sisters; and 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services took place Monday at Lajoie Funeral Home in Madawaska.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Madawaska, St. Joseph’s Church in Sinclair, Maine, or Northern Light Hospice.
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