ROCKLAND — Mary Ann Carey, 84, long-time local dance instructor, died peacefully March 2, 2013, at Woodlands Memory Care Center in Rockland.

Born in Waterville Oct. 2, 1928, she was the daughter of Dr. Raphael and Christine Poulin.

As a child Mary Ann was taught to dance the routines that her mother learned watching the movie musicals. She performed in many variety shows and talent contests around the state and was known as "The Little Shirley Temple of Waterville."

She attended St. Francis of Assisi Parochial School and Mt. Merici Academy before transferring to Waterville High School, graduating in 1945.

In 1947, Mary Ann married E. Richard Carey. They moved several times during the early years of marriage as Dick was transfered to Illinois, Kansas, and Louisiana as a result of his employment. It was at this time that she began work as a dance instructor.

Upon returning to Maine, the family lived in South Portland, Waterville and Thomaston, before finally settling in Rockland.

Mary Ann used her training as a dance instructor to open the Mary Ann Carey Dance Studio in 1958, which she operated for five decades.

She and her husband were performers in many productions by the Camden Theater Guild. They were both charter members of the Downeast Jazz Society.

Mary Ann and Winola Cooper were instrumental in reviving the Rockland High School Kippy Karnival Variety Show in the 1960s. For many years she was a consultant and judge for the Maine Lobster Festival Sea Goddess pageants.

Mary Ann and Dick traveled extensively throughout their time together. After Dick's retirement from banking, they bought Travel Inc., a travel agency Mary Ann had been working with. They continued their travels until Dick's passing in 1989.

Pre-deceased by her parents; husband; granddaughter, Leslie Carey; beloved aunt, Eleanor Poulin; and her step-father, Edward Bonenfant; Mary Ann is survived by her children, Tim Carey and his wife, Della, of Rockland, and Marty Carey of California; her grandchildren, Lindsey Carr and her husband, Casey, of Washington, Matt Carey of California and Heidi Cushman of Marco Island, Fla.; her great-grandchildren, Hannah and Hailey Carr, Joshua Haskell, and Christopher and Ben Pollis; a sister, Margaret "Betty" Lamond and her husband, Bill, of Guilford, Conn.; her sister-in-law, Arlene Brown of Battleground, Wash.; as well as several nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their deepest appreciation to Kno-Wal-Lin Hospice and to the staff, past and present, of Woodlands Memory Care facility in Rockland for the compassionate and professional care they provided our loved one.

Services in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home in Rockland will be announced in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Autism Society of Maine, 72B Main St., Winthrop, ME 04364.

To share a memory or story with Mary Ann's family, visit her Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.