Alice Mary Pierce

Alice Mary Pierce, 85, of Portland, died Saturday, April 2, 2011 at the Holbrook Health Center at Piper Shores in Scarborough after a long illness.
Alice Mary was born in Portland on November 18, 1925, the sixth of seven children of Leonard and Anna (Putnam) Pierce. She grew up in Portland and spent summers in Cumberland Foreside and on Nickerson Lake in Houlton, Maine where the Pierces have close family ties. She graduated from Waynflete School in 1942 and Smith College in 1946 as a history major.
In 1947, Alice Mary went to Germany to work as a civilian for the Displaced Persons Branch of the Civil Affairs Division, which resettled thousands of Europeans after World War II. After returning home, she worked for the Canal National Bank, then taught 4th grade at Waynflete School. She kept in touch with many of her students throughout her life. She later worked for the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University where she became Assistant Director for Administration.
On moving back to Portland, she worked as a fundraiser for the Maine Historical Society, Waynflete School, and the Victoria Mansion, and continued her involvement with these organizations for many years. She served on the Board of Trustees of Waynflete from 1983 to 1994 and became a Trustee Emerita in 1995. In 2008, she received the Drake Award for her years of outstanding service to Waynflete.
Although Alice Mary had no children of her own, she was the true matriarch of her extended family. She was beloved by her siblings, in-laws, 20 nieces and nephews, and their families. She hosted an annual clambake at her summer home (known affectionately as "The Rats' Nest") in Cumberland Foreside that became a favorite tradition for connecting four generations of Pierces.
Passionate about both history and personal stories, Alice Mary devoted countless hours in her later life to genealogical research and writing a family history.
Alice Mary loved golf, gardening, travel, and spending time with friends and family. She was devoted to her friends, many of whom she had known since childhood. She enhanced every gathering with her lively conversation, sense of humor and genuine interest in everyone she met. Her unique blend of old world manners, open mindedness, warmth and wisdom made her a wonderful listener and trusted confidant for all generations. She loved life, as evidenced by one of her favorite expressions: "Isn't that grand!"
She leaves her sister, Lucia Pierce Smith of Scarborough; three sisters-in-law: Sally Pierce of Cumberland Foreside, Barbara Pierce of Houlton, and Corinne Pierce of Corinth, MS; 20 nieces and nephews, 42 grandnieces and nephews, and 5 great-grandnieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her four brothers, Leonard, Jotham, Francis and Benjamin Pierce, and her sister, Jane Pierce Kittredge.
The family wishes to thank the nurses and staff of Holbrook Center and Home Partners, and the many caregivers who so lovingly cared for Alice Mary and kept her active in her final years.
A celebration of Alice Mary's life will be held at the Portland Country Club on Saturday, April 30th at 3 pm.
Burial in the Pierce family plot in Houlton will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Maine Historical Society, 489 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101; or the Nickerson Lake Conservation Fund, c/o Philip Jordan, 27 Court Street, Houlton, ME 04730.
Arrangements by Jones, Rich & Hutchins, 199 Woodford St., Portland
Please visit www.jonesrichandhutchins.com for additional information and to sign Alice Mary's guestbook.