Anna Ciccarelli, a retired registered nurse at Maine Medical Center in Portland who assisted in the delivery of an estimated 7,800 babies, died Sunday from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 77.
Mrs. Ciccarelli worked at what is now Maine Med’s Family Birth Center for 40 years before retiring in 2000.
She was remembered by loved ones Tuesday as a dedicated nurse whose life centered on work and family.
“She loved bringing new life into this world,” said her son, Guy Ciccarelli III of Lisbon Falls. “She loved helping people. She was always there when we needed her.”
Mrs. Ciccarelli, a longtime Portland resident, seemed to easily balance her roles as a nurse, wife and mother. She was married to Guy Ciccarelli Jr. of Lisbon Falls for 57 years. The couple raised a son and a daughter, Maria Murphy of Falmouth. Mrs. Ciccarelli was also a loving grandmother to six grandchildren. And yes – she was in the delivery room for their births, too.
Her children spoke with pride and admiration about her life and all that she accomplished as a nurse, mother and grandmother. Her daughter recalled the big Italian Sunday dinners – with spaghetti, homemade meatballs and sauce – that her mother hosted.
“We’ve always gravitated to our mother’s house,” Murphy said. “She was the central focus. … She was always in the center of every celebration in a way that will never be duplicated now.”
Her son remembered the years she played basketball and pass with him. He said his mother encouraged and inspired him to follow his heart. So when it came time for him to try out to play third base for the city’s baseball team, he went for it. As a left-hander, he had been discouraged from playing that position.
“Everyone told me I couldn’t do it. She told me I could,” he said. “I made the all-star team for the city of Portland three years in a row. I was the only 13-year-old on a team of all 15-year-olds. … My mom was a step above. There was nothing we couldn’t do as kids. There was nothing we couldn’t do in our lives. She made that clear to us.”
.When her children were grown, Mrs. Ciccarelli returned to study at the University of Southern Maine, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing in the mid-1980s. Throughout her career, she was encouraged to apply for management positions, but declined so that she could stay on the floor to help patients. For a few years, she worked as a nursing supervisor. In that role, she had a hand in teaching many new nurses.
When she retired, there was a big celebration for her at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland. At the event, her colleagues asked attendees to raise their hands if Mrs. Ciccarelli played a part in teaching them the ropes at Maine Med. Half of the attendees raised their hands.
“It was overwhelming to see,” her daughter said.
Mrs. Ciccarelli, the matriarch of her close-knit family, survived four brushes with cancer. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1979, lung cancer in 2000 and 2013, and lymphoma in 2014. Her son said throughout all of her illnesses, she kept a positive and joyful attitude, and still managed to take care of everyone around her.
More recently, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The Ciccarellis recently went to live with their son and daughter-in-law, Melissa Ciccarelli, in Lisbon Falls.
Her son expressed deep gratitude that she is now at peace.
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