WARREN – Denise Liane Messier died peacefully in her sleep, Jan. 2, 2006, after a 15-year battle with cancer. She was born July 11, 1953, in Bath, to Jeanine Masse Messier and Paul W. Messier. She was the first born of four, followed by Paulette, Kevin and Natalie. She attended St. John’s Parochial School and graduated from Brunswick High School in 1971. She received her bachelor’s of science degree from Michigan State University in 1975, and then received her master’s of science degree in oceanography from the University of Maine at Orono. After she got her master’s degree, she obtained her waste water treatment plant operator’s license from Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute. In October 1990, she married her beloved husband, Mike Dunn, in a four day wedding event which was called the “Pre-nuptial and Nuptial Games,” attended by her many friends and family members. She had a deep love of nature and the environment and spent as much time outdoors as she possibly could. Not only did she make a successful career of improving the environment, she also worked tirelessly for the Tidewater Association, giving her Sunday mornings, rain, sun or snow to gather water samples up and down the St. George RiverOver the course of her career she worked at Reid State Park, The Darling Center, Mook Sea Farm, Miratech and the Maine State Department of Environmental Protection. At the DEP she was a unit supervisor for uncontrolled sites under the federal facilities and the Superfund program. In October of 2005, she was awarded the very prestigious Evelyn Jephson Annual Award from the Department of Environmental Protection, for her contributions to the environment. She was the secretary of the Georges River Tidewater Association and was a member of the Maine Island Trails Association, Maine Audubon Association, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Georges River Land Trust. She enjoyed gardening, mackerel fishing, traveling, cooking, canoeing, Easter egg decorating, canning, snow shoeing, crafts, hiking, camping and cross country skiing. She was the founding member of the Warren Stitch and Bitch. She was a great instigator of creative and unusual activities, such as “downhill canoeing,” “mud season murders” and the annual haunted woods walk. She was predeceased in 1992 by her father, Paul W. Messier. She is survived by her husband, D. Michael Dunn of Warren; mother, Jeanine Masse Messier of Brunswick; sisters, Natalie Messier and Paulette Messier, both of Brunswick; a brother, Kevin Messier and his wife, Ellen, of Topsham; nephews, Brendan Fickett of Brunswick, Ian Messier of Topsham; nieces, Lianna Messier of Topsham and Kimberly Rose Fickett of Brunswick; and aunt, Celeste and her husband, Brian Perkins, of Harpswell; and many other loving aunts, uncles and cousins; and sister-in-law, Jacky Cunningham and her husband, Robert Cunningham, of Cleburne, Texas and Malcolm Dunn of Ringoes, N.J. She was deeply loved by all of the family dogs and cats. A celebration of her extraordinary life will be held 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, at the Warren Masonic Hall, Route 90. Pot Luck. Arrangements are under the direction of Coast of Maine Cremation and Funeral Service, Waldoboro. Should friends so desire, donations may be made in Denise’s memory to the Georges River Tidewater Association, P.O. Box 336, Thomaston, ME 04861 or The Georges River Land Trust, 327 Main St., Rockland, ME 04841.
DENISE LIANE MESSIER
