Orono, Brunswick, Dexter and Radburn, N.J., New Jersey - Shirley Aline Ellms Hatch of Orono, Brunswick, and Dexter, Maine, and Radburn, New Jersey, died on February 7, 2020, after a period of declining health.

Shirley was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 14, 1923, to Vivienne (née Frame) and Edward Ellms. She grew up in Radburn, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City, where she developed a love for the cultural arts. Shirley passed her childhood summers blissfully on her grandparents' farm in Ripley, Maine. In March 1946, when she married Lloyd Harvey Hatch, Jr., she moved to Dexter, Maine, which brought her near the grandmother and countryside she cherished.

Shirley was blessed with four daughters, Prudence, Elizabeth (Randy), Sarah, and Susan. She instilled in her girls a love of learning, filling their home with encyclopedias, books of history, science, art, and poetry and introduced them to her vast collection of classical music. Sunday afternoons in winter were devoted to old movie watching or games and puzzles. She also encouraged her daughters to read classic and modern fiction, sometimes, as with the Catcher in the Rye, ruffling some feathers at the school. An enthusiastic photographer, Shirley also inspired her children to take up photography. She took them to Lakewood Theater and to New York City; Newport, Rhode Island; and Boston, Massachusetts, to see French films, visit museums and historical houses, and to shop for clothes. While she loved beautiful dresses for church and school, she also encouraged her daughters to wear pants and cut their hair short, giving them childhoods free of the gender norms of the day and allowing them the freedom to be independent kids having adventures.

Shirley instilled in them a love of natural beauty, taking them to the countryside to pick wildflowers and to Acadia and Isleboro to breathe in the sea air. She also led their Girl Scout troops and encouraged them to experience camping. Always focusing on health and physical self-improvement, Shirley inspired her daughters to exercise, practice yoga, ski, skate, swim, and boat. Equally focused on their souls, she made sure that they received spiritual training through the Episcopal church and by attending Bishopswood church camp.

A lifelong birdwatcher, Shirley relished her special spot on Dexter's Lake Wassookeag where she spent many idyllic hours reading, observing loons, swimming, and paddling her canoe. In her fifties, she discovered a love for yoga and practiced it religiously into her late eighties. A dedicated member of Dexter's Episcopal Messiah Church for many years, she volunteered her time running rummage sales and helping the church acquire its own building. After her children left home, she grew a big garden and traveled, visiting New Mexico; Arizona; Washington, DC; Washington State; London; and France. Shirley remained a lifelong learner, subscribing to the New York Times, especially enjoying the arts section and the daily crossword puzzle.

In 2002, Shirley moved to Brunswick to live at Thornton Oaks. Here, she found kinship with others who shared her interest in nature walks, film, opera, and church going. While living in Brunswick, she was an active member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. In 2017, she moved to Orono to live at Dirigo Pines, where her life was brightened by the birth of and regular visits from her great-grandson, Otto. Her enjoyment of music and reading was endless.

To the end of her life, Shirley kept a framed photo of her grandparents' farm in Ripley close at hand. Attached to the photograph was May Sarton's poem "Green Song".

Here where nothing passes,

Where centuries have stayed

Alive under the grasses,

Gently the heart is laid.

Oh, breathe these meadows in

Till you are filled with green,

A drunkard of the scene

Your dreams will wander in.

Then set the eyes to graze,

Set urban eyes to browse

These rich, brief summer days

Among the trees and cows.

And sleep away all care,

Lay rushing time to rest,

And rise up light as air,

Green-fed and meadow-blessed.

May Sarton

In addition to her three surviving daughters, Randy of Bangor, Sarah (Tom) of South Portland, and Susan (Tom) of Seattle, Shirley is survived by seven grandchildren, Christopher, Andrew, Anne, Deirdre, Rebecca, Malachi, and Julian; four great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her daughter, Prudence; her husband, Harvey; and her two sisters, Bobbie and Jinny.

The family would like to thank the dedicated caregivers at Dirigo Pines and Beacon Hospice staff - Mary, Sue, Michelle, and Jack, as well as Loving Touch for their support and help during Shirley's last days.

At Shirley's request, there will be no funeral. Graveside services for the family will be private. Those wishing to remember Shirley in a special way may donate to the National Audubon Society, 225 Varick Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10014 or to the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St., Bangor ME, 04401, 207-947-8336, https://www.bangorpubliclibrary.org/donate-annualfund/

Condolences to the family may be expressed at brackettfh.com