A celebration of life for Sally Harjula Elliot, 78, who passed away October 12, 2021, will be held  Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at 2 p.m., at the Finnish Congregational Church in South Thomaston, 172 St. George Road, (Rt. 131) South Thomaston.

To share a memory or condolence with Sally’s family, please visit their Book of memories atwww.bchfh.com.

Arrangemnts are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland.

SOUTH THOMASTON — Sally Harjula Elliot, 78, passed away peacefully at Penobscot Bay Medical Center on October 12, 2021 after many years of declining health.

Born on January 22, 1943 in Rockland, Maine, she was one of seven children of William Edward Harjula, Sr. and Mary Condon Harjula. Sally lived most of her life on the St. George Road in South Thomaston, growing up on Harjula’s dairy farm.

Sally attended the one-room Green Schoolhouse in South Thomaston, Thomaston High School, then graduated from Rockland High School in 1961. She attended Husson College in Bangor before returning home and working at W. T. Grant’s in Rockland.

In 1965, Sally married her husband, John, and they built their house in South Thomaston, just down the road from the Harjula farm. Once her children were born, she was a stay-at-home mom who enjoyed gardening, ceramics, knitting, sewing, cooking and keeping her house neat as a pin. In later years, she enjoyed watching the birds and listening to music. Sally’s family had strong Finnish connections and she enjoyed learning about her Finnish heritage and the culture.

Summers were spent at the Elliot cottage in Cushing, with family and friends. In the late 1980s, Sally and John purchased the Corner Gift Shop in Thomaston. She enjoyed interacting with all of the people who came into the store and being a part of the small-town community.

Sally was an incredibly strong woman who was faced with many health issues over the last 25 years. Through it all she kept her sense of humor and sisu (a Finnish term meaning strength, grit and perseverance). Her greatest joy in life was spending time with family and friends, and she especially loved being “Mammie” to her two grandchildren and watching them grow up.

Sally was predeceased by her husband, John Elliot, Sr., in July; her parents, William Sr. and Mary Condon Harjula; her sister Helen; her brothers Gerald Sr. and Neil.

She is survived by her son, John Elliot, Jr. of Cushing; her daughter, Julie Atwood and her husband William of South Thomaston; and her step-daughters Linda, Lisa and Stacey Elliot.

She is also survived by her siblings David Harjula, Cheryl Harjula, William Harjula, Jr. and his wife Sheila; her granddaughter, Natalie Atwood; her grandson, Philip Atwood and his fiancée Toni Gillotti; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

There will be a celebration of Sally’s life on Saturday, December 4, at 2 p.m., at the Wiley’s Corner Grange Hall, at 32 Wiley’s Corner Road, in St. George.

Donations in Sally’s memory may be made to the Finnish Congregational Church, P.O. Box 293, South Thomaston, Maine 04858.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, Rockland.

To share a memory or story with Sally’s family, please visit their online Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.