Falmouth - FALMOUTH - Marion Meschter Kane died Aug. 20, 2012. She was born Jan. 2, 1945, in Philadelphia, the second of three daughters to Barbara and Kyrel Meschter. She attended Germantown Friends School and Wellesley College, graduating in 1966, with a degree in English literature. While at Wellesley, Marion met her husband Daniel H. Kane Jr. of Centerport, N.Y., and they were married in 1967. Shortly thereafter the couple moved to San Francisco, where Marion worked for Sierra Club magazine and Dan worked as a patent attorney. During this period Dan and Marion had two sons, Dan and Christopher, and together they spent much of their time exploring the High Sierra of California. In 1972 Dan and Marion moved to Mount Desert Island to help start College of the Atlantic. In addition to raising her young children, Marion worked as feature writer for the Bar Harbor Times and later became the director of public relations at College of the Atlantic. In 1983 she left the college to join former College of the Atlantic president Ed Kaelber in starting Maine Community Foundation and from 1990 to 2000 served as its president. During her time with Maine Community Foundation she played an active role in different communities across the state, giving away more than 20 million dollars in grants statewide. In 2000 Marion moved to Boston to serve as the first executive director of the Barr Foundation, a position she held until she retired in 2008. In addition to her roles with Maine Community Foundation and the Barr Foundation, Marion was active in many other charitable organizations and served on numerous boards ranging from Somes Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary and Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy to Dentaquest Foundation and Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence. Marion's deep love of Maine, and Mount Desert Island in particular, was a defining part of her life. Whether it was swims in Somes Pond, walks around Witch Hole Pond, hikes up Sargent Mountain or whitewater canoe trips Downeast, Marion never grew weary of enjoying Maine's incredible places. In more recent years she traveled the world, spending time with the Kalahari Bushmen in Africa, living for three months in New Zealand, and exploring the jungles of Ecuador. After retiring to Falmouth she did not slow down and spent much of her time enjoying her young granddaughter, Tessa, gardening and creating beautiful watercolor paintings and fabric art.

Marion is survived by two sons, Daniel S. Kane of San Francisco and Christopher C. Kane of Mount Desert; two sisters, Carol Woods of Edmond, Okla., and Louise Tritton of Philadelphia; a daughter-in-law, Katherine Emery; a granddaughter, Tessa Kane; 13 nieces and nephews. Marion was predeceased by her husband, Daniel H. Kane Jr.

A memorial service will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Falmouth Congregational Church, 267 Falmouth Road, Falmouth. Arrangements by Hobbs Funeral Home, South Portland. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Sunset Fund of the Maine Community Foundation or the Maine Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Letters of condolence may be sent to the Kane Family, P.O. Box 934, Mount Desert, ME 04660.