Bowerbank – Aune Marion Mannisto Hinton died in her sleep on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at Mayo Northern Light Hospital. The daughter of Venla Dagmar (Viinikka) and Adam Elias Mannisto, she was born in Orneville, Maine, on November 1, 1924. She is survived by niece/caregivers, Romantha Dagmar (Thea) Burow and Freida Lynn Burow; a close sister and brother-in-law, Esther and Jim Chiddix; as well as numerous Mannisto and Hinton family nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Clarence G. (Clad) Hinton, her four brothers Karl, Reino, Lawrence, and Henry Mannisto and her sister, Hilda M. Burow. Aune had a remarkable life. As a young Maine woman she worked hard at a number of jobs: as stapler at the Howland plywood mill, as line worker, then inspector at Baxter Canning, office clerk at Kromer Farms, and spot/finish welder at Bath Iron Works during early WWII. She married Clad in 1944 and followed him as he moved from station to station during his US Navy service as a welder. In the late 1940’s, she became a farmer’s wife, performing her half of the chores (and more, according to her) necessary to keep over 30 Holstein and Brown Swiss cows milked and cared for. In the1950’s she and Clad became part of the Mainers migrating to the Connecticut industrial belt for work. There, she worked in various manufacturing and commercial jobs before settling into a job at Sikorski Aircraft in 1956. Her first job there was in fabrication of helicopter rotor parts, before moving on to soldering electronic and instrument panels for the next 32 years. Aune was a beautiful, and shy woman, often compared in looks to Ingrid Bergman. To look at her, you would never believe that she had crawled deep into bows and up to the heights of WWII destroyers while working as a spot and then finish welder at Bath Iron Works. Nor would you believe that this “fashion plate” could be covered in manure ‘cause the wind was blowing the wrong way the day she had to run the spreader at their farm in Thorndike. At Sikorski Aircraft, she became sort of a legend and was regularly chosen to work up new equipment from prototype blueprints or special craft like Marine One. Military inspectors and others would ask to meet her when they visited the factory. She was a strong woman who did well in jobs considered part of a man’s world. Aune loved her brothers and sister. She was pure Finn, and proud of it. Along the way, she showed herself to be a loving and nonjudgmental aunt to numerous nieces and nephews. She regularly hostessed summer family gatherings at their cottage on Sebec Lake, as well as cooked for relatives and friends, and the guys Clad brought up to Maine for deer camp. She loved her home in Bowerbank and took great joy in seeing the backyard wildlife, from moose to mice. She had worked with Clad, and both of their fathers, to build and improve their cottage, and found it a refuge. Over 7 years ago, Aune was brought home on Hospice because the medical world thought she was dying. She “graduated” from hospice a year later and found joy in nature, a cat she loved, some supportive neighbors, and visits from relatives and her extended family of the Lewins, of Northford, Ct. According to her wishes, there will be no funeral or other services. Anyone wishing to make donations in her memory should contact the DAV, Disabled American Veterans at dav.org. Arrangements are in the care of the Lary Funeral Home. Condolences and memories may be expressed at www.laryfuneralhome.com.