SCARBOROUGH - Mary Kane, 88, of Portland died Sunday May 30, 2010 at the Maine Veterans Home. She was born in Portland on March 9, 1922 the daughter of Beatrice and Andrew DeRice. She attended school in Portland and left high school 3 weeks before graduation. She always said that if she had continued her education she would have liked to become a lawyer. Her father passed away when she was nine years old and she took on a parenting role early in life, being the oldest of six children.
She married Roger Kane on June 9, 1945. They were married for 32 years before he passed away in 1977. She worked for Burnham and Morrill for many years, retiring at 62. One of her proudest achievements was her role in bringing the union into the company. She was very active in the union and believed that she helped guarantee secure retirement benefits for the workers. She was feisty and outspoken in her beliefs in the importance of protecting the worker's rights and benefits. In Later years she was often referred to the" Norma Rae" of her time.
She was brought up with four brothers who were avid golfers and she became a golfer herself. She belonged to Riverside Golf Course for many years and didn't stop golfing until about 3 years ago. She introduced her daughter to golf who enjoyed many days golfing with her and her friends. She was also well known at several of the gyms in Portland, and only gave up her gym membership last year.
When she retired from Burnham and Morrill's she continued to stay involved in the work force. She volunteered at Maine Medical Center, she worked as an assistant at a nursery school, and she was a teacher's aid at Plummer Motz School in Falmouth for 19 years. She loved the children she supervised and made long-lasting friendships through her work there. She retired at 86. She lived a life of dignity, respect and love.
She was pre-deceased by her husband, Roger, her mother Beatrice, and four brothers, Andy, Tony, Peter and Frankie. She is survived by her sister, Gloria Candage, her sister-in-law, Loan DeRice, her daughter, Paula and her husband, Ben Nadeau, her grandchildren Danielle Cote, Bethany Woodsome and her husband Cory, Celeste Baranyi and her husband Mark, Bob Nadeau, and her great-grandchildren Caleb, Sabelle, Anneliese, and Madison.
A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday June 5, 2010 at the Jones, Rich &Hutchins Funeral Home 199 Woodford St. Portland. Interment will follow at Calvary Cemetery in South Portland. Donations in her memory may be made to St Jude's Children Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Please visit www.jonesrichandhutchins.com for additional information and to sign Mary's guestbook.
Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home & Cremation Services
199 Woodford St.
Portland, ME 04103
207-775-3763
www.jonesrichandhutchins.com
