Marcia Dyer Berman, 82, of South Portland, passed away at Avita of Stroudwater Memory Care in Westbrook on Oct. 18, 2021, following a long struggle with complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Marcia was born in Portland, Oct. 28, 1938, the youngest of three children of Granville and Ethel Lamb Dyer, attended South Portland High School (class of ’57), and graduated from Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1960. Marcia became a certified pediatric nurse practitioner through USM-Maine Medical Center in 1971 and worked in the Health Department for the city of Portland, including at the Reiche School, then in private practices with several Portland-based pediatricians including Dr. Susan Talbot, M.D., Dr. Paul Ritger, M.D., and Dr. Christine Bennett, M.D., staying on as some of these practices became part of InterMed.
Marcia adored helping children, and after nearly 30 rewarding years in practice, she was always delighted to be stopped by adults around town who remembered being her patients when they were children, and whose own children or grandchildren were patients of hers as well. Once retired, Marcia continued to offer healing to others as an AIDS buddy during the height of the AIDS epidemic and as a hospice volunteer. She cared deeply about the well-being of her community and could often be seen marching with PFLAG, registering people to vote, and adding her voice to environmental and animal protection causes.
Marcia was a longtime member of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church, where she served as president, was a devoted member of the choir, enjoyed time at the UU’s Ferry Beach Retreat & Conference Center, and, with her husband Jack, was on the Welcoming Committee, always eager to help new members feel comfortable.
Marcia was married for over 43 years to her beloved husband, Jack. They lived in the Loveitts Field home in which Marcia and her brothers grew up; adopted many cats over the years; cherished their church activities and community; and loved traveling together. Marcia kept music and color in her life — she was an accomplished singer, sometime artist, and an avid gardener, tending lovingly to the vast gardens her mother planted in the 1940s.
Marcia is survived by her daughter Anne Corvi and life partner, Emma Dryden, of New York City; brother, Dexter Dyer of Florida; nephew David Dyer and wife Donna of Casco and Stewart, Florida; cousin Cindy Castaline of Saco; niece Laurie Moulton and husband Nick of Portland; great-nieces Stephanie Rowland, Tiffany Dyer, and Maria Little-Kinner; step-daughter Diane Halstead and husband Michael of Tennessee; step-daughter Jane Martin and husband Jim of Standish; step-grandchildren Matthew, Alyson, Morgan, Jordan; and four great-grandchildren. Marcia was predeceased by her brother, Ron (Govinda) Dyer, and her husband, Jack Berman.
The family expects to host a celebration of Marcia’s life in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Marcia’s memory be considered to: Southern Maine Agency on Aging at the Sam L. Cohen Center, 30 Barra Road, Biddeford, ME, 04005 (www.smaaa.org/giving).
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