OWLS HEAD — Alice Ann Nash Hurd, 85, died peacefully in her home, on Wednesday, August 7, 2019 at the conclusion of a long struggle with illness.

Alice was born in Pittsburgh, PA on February 5, 1934. She was the final of five children of Mary Keating Nash and Granville W. Nash.

Alice is predeceased by her parents; her sisters, Katherine (Kitty) Nash McKnight Pawloski and her husbands Jack McKnight and Frank Pawloski, Therese Nash Herrington and Dr. Joseph Herrington, and Sr. Mary Louise Nash RSM, all of Pittsburgh, PA; and her brother, Richard (Dick) Nash and his wife Dorothy Nash of East Granby, CT.

Nannee, as her grandchildren and many other young people called her, is survived by her beloved husband of 64 years, Karl T. Hurd of Owl’s Head; her daughters, Carol and her husband David Martz of Rockland, Maureen Hurd of Thomaston, Diane and her husband Frank Henderson also of Thomaston; grandchildren, Jessica Martz, Jennifer Martz, Erin and her husband Ethan Aiken, Colleen and her husband Ian Anderson, Brian Haskell, Meredith and her husband James Fales, Keenan Joyce, Lindsey and her husband Phillip (PJ) Spearing, and Alayna Joyce; step-granddaughter, Rebecca Henderson; step-great granddaughter, Laney Fales; soon expected great granddaughter, Liana Fales; several nieces and nephews; as well as two very close “adopted” daughters, Priscilla Davis and Marla Harkins Manz.

Alice Ann was born in Pittsburgh, PA during the heart of the Depression. As she was the “fifth” child, her father was able to qualify for a government job. She grew up in a close-knit family and enjoyed school participating in “Tumbling” (not what you think) and as a Majorette. She met Karl, the love of her life when there was a streetcar strike and she needed a ride to and from work. Let’s say she only had to pay the first week.

Alice and Karl were married in Pittsburgh June 4, 1955, moved to Rockland to raise a family in 1957, and finally to Owl’s Head in 1959.

Alice found her greatest joy in being a wonderful wife to Karl, homemaker, and mother to her three daughters.

She was also active in St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Rockland, a member of the Daughters of St. Bernard, and later volunteered in the Owl’s Head Elementary School. As her girls grew older, she volunteered with Girl Scouts, New Hope for Women, Hospice, and Freedom Riders. Even her jobs involved helping others as she worked as a teaching assistant at Bancroft Schools North and later as a social worker with Midcoast Children’s Services.

Alice could also be found frequently helping elderly members of the community. But as her family grew older Alice’s most cherished times were those she spent with her grandchildren. Spending time with them, having them for sleepovers, caring for them when they were sick, taking them to appointments, enjoying their achievements in school and athletics; these were some of the best times of her life.

During the last few years as her health began to fail , the table was turned and more and more frequently family members could be found spending time with her, staying for sleepovers, caring for her when she was sick, taking her to appointments, and enjoying her achievements when she worked her way back from a setback. She lost her final battle in her own bed, in the home she and Karl had built and filled with love, surrounded by the love and care of her family and special “adopted” daughters.

Thank you so much for the love, support, and guidance provided by the wonderful Hospice staff. They were always there to answer any questions or concern we had, no matter how often we reached out to them. Thank you also to the volunteers and the Solace Singers who eased mom’s worries and lifted her spirits when they were so heavy.

Family and friends are invited to visit Thursday, August 15, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, August 16, at 1 p.m., at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, 150 Broadway, Rockland. Father Ndifon Fornkwa Hyacinth will officiate. Interment will be held Tuesday, August 20, at 10 a.m., at the Ash Point Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to New Hope for Women, P.O. Box A, Rockland, ME 04841.

To share a memory or condolence with Alice’s family, visit their book of memories at bchfh.com.