Priscilla Elaine McCue

On June 24th, 2023, Priscilla Elaine (Hughes) McCue left this world. And now you know the online banking security questions for two of her three children.

Cilla, as her friends (and some enemies) called her, was raised in Hanover, Massachusetts. However, we have it on good authority she raised a little hell outside of Hanover in towns along the South Shore in her time living there in the 60s and 70s.

Born in 1957, she was a graduate of Hanover High's 1974 class. Priscilla was noted as a fun-loving, spirited woman who knew how to command a room, a party, or a field. With a towering, commanding presence and a warm smile, her wit and self-deprecating sense of humor were center stage. She loved the arts, writing, and especially gardening, something passed down from both of her parents who were horticulturally gifted. She was always outside in the dirt with a trowel, a Coors Light, and a hoe. She even had one of those cheesy "Rhoda Dendron *heart* Pete Moss" bumper stickers on the back of her boxy 80s Pontiac. She was in way too deep, but it brought her joy. To our knowledge, every hole she dug had a plant in it and never evidence from a crime scene.

But, it's important to note that Priscilla also suffered significantly, Days after burying her father, she was a passenger in a car accident that killed her best friend and left Cilla horribly injured for months. She survived breast cancer twice, once at the seemingly impossible age of 31. Check your boobies and support accessible women's health care.

Priscilla is predeceased by her brother Stephen Sprague, her father Donald Hughes, and her mother Winnie Hughes who we all miss terribly. Priscilla never doubted she would go home to the Lord when her time came, and we are comforted that she saw these souls in her last moments.

She is survived, we think, by three half-sisters that we met once during the Clinton administration. Forgive us, it's been a long week and we've forgotten their names. There are a myriad of nieces, nephews, and cousins - too many to count, and obviously more than we know about. Let this serve as official notice as to why we never sent holiday cards.

We can confirm without any help from a genealogy service or Maury Povich that she is survived by her brothers, Tommy Hughes and Phillip Sprague, both in Massachusetts.

She is also survived by her three children from her marriage (and later divorce) to Charles F. McCue of Wiscasset, Maine, all of whom she left some of her "Cilla-ness" ingrained in their demeanor and personality. Her oldest daughter, Melissa C. McCue-McGrath of Kennebunk, whom she gave the gifts of hyperbole, writing, a loud voice to speak out against injustice, and feet too large for her frame. Her son, Matthew C. McCue of Waldoboro whom she bequeathed contagious laughter, a penchant for cooking, and an uncanny ability to make friends in every room-including a wedding he wasn't invited to when he went to the wrong function hall, therefore missing his friend's wedding. If you were at that wedding in 2006, Matt is the guy in all of your photos. To her youngest daughter, Heather M. McCue of Jefferson, she left the gifts of above-average height much to Melissa's chagrin, unquestioning faith, and an open-door policy for everyone who needs a place to go for the holidays.

Her five grandchildren, Connor Dodge, Liberty Maxcy, Ace McGrath, Logan McCue, and Caden McCue will no doubt channel Priscilla as they age. Melissa, Matthew, and Heather are all hoping the kids will channel her more in artistic endeavors, kitchen creations, and storytelling-less in, "Wow, I can't believe we got away with that." Time will tell.

Priscilla left a Cilla-shaped hole in the hearts of a few special friends who saw her through a divorce, cancer, physical trauma, multiple state moves, a bad Tuesday here and there, all of it - Kathy, Erika, and Laura. We are so sorry for your loss, too.

If you are so moved to remember Priscilla, do so in a way that feels right to you. You can look up to the sky and have a quiet word and a tear. You can look up to the sky and do finger guns with little pew-pew sounds. You can get that cheesy Pete Moss bumper sticker. The one request the family has is we do not wish to get bouquets that will end up in the compost in a week. We would love to see that money go to help others instead. Support rehabilitation and alcohol addiction assistance by donating to the Serenity Lodge in Maine; consider a donation in her name to the Breast Care Center in Portland, Maine (or any organization that supports women's health and preventative screenings); or, if you must send flowers, donate to the Wild Seed Project so the seeds collected from native flowers can continue to blossom across New England in everyone's yard.