ROCKLAND - With a good book and a diet soda with lots of ice by her side, Elizabeth J. Dechene passed away peacefully on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016, in her home.

Elizabeth was born Jan. 10, 1956, in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, a descendant of the Ryan and McCurdy families. She grew up in Baileyville, Maine, and attended local schools, graduating third in her class. When she was young, she enjoyed cheerleading, swimming with her siblings and Girl Scouts, and she was a member of various clubs as well as president of her school's National Honor Society.

Elizabeth could have done anything she chose to do, but her greatest achievement was as a mother to her three children. We didn't always have a lot, but she was adept and passionate about caring and providing for her family.

Elizabeth was a devoted and spiritual woman who was very active in church activities. She loved to read, was a gifted writer and exceptional knitter, recently combining these joys by giving classes at the local library where she also volunteered in the book store. You could count yourself blessed if you had the grace of hearing her laugh. She taught us the beauty in a sunset and that there is almost nothing the sound of ocean waves and a Wasses hotdog can't mend.

She was predeceased by her precious grandmother, Jeannette (Dechene) McCurdy; and is survived by her daughter, Erika (Speed) Young and her husband, Tony, and grandchildren Declan and Brycen of Bangor; her sons, Andrew Speed and his wife, Lori, of Gorham, and Benjamin Speed and his wife, Sarina, and grandchildren Noah and Larkin of Franklin; and six siblings, including sisters, Deborah of Rochester, N.Y., and Marilyn of Woolwich.

A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, April 9, at 1 p.m. at the Rockland Crossroads Church of the Nazarene.

Flowers, donations to the local Home Heating Program or acknowledgements can be sent to Rockland Crossroads Church of the Nazarene, c/o the Rev. Hazel Seavey, 52 Camden Street, Rockland, ME 04841.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home.