BLUE HILL – After a courageous battle with brain cancer, Marjorie “Mardi” Gay passed away peacefully Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, surrounded by her adoring husband and loving family at a Bangor hospital. She was born May 28, 1939, to Douglas and Dorothy Byers of Andover, Mass.
A longtime summer visitor and permanent resident of Blue Hill, Mardi was active in Ellsworth Rotary, sang with Bagaduce Chorale and EllaCapella, and the choir of Blue Hill Congregational Church. Well versed in music and theater, Mardi attended American Theater Wing in New York, where she performed in the first televised Tony Awards. Through the years, Mardi participated in numerous community theater groups bringing to life such characters as Maria von Trapp, Adelaide, Dolly, Lady Thieng, Yente and many others. Her angelic voice was well-known and well loved. After raising her family, Mardi went back to college, graduating with highest distinction from University of Maine in 1989 with an Associate of Science degree, and winning the President’s Award for academic excellence. While working as a substance abuse counselor in the Kelly Program at Eastern Maine Medical Center and Acadia Hospital, she graduated UMaine cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in human services in 2001. Mardi participated in Maine’s first online external degree program in behavioral science at the UMaine center in Ellsworth. She served on the board of directors at University of Maine at Machias and wrote a number of academic papers, including the widely acclaimed “The Culture of Addiction in Successful Treatment.” This paper may be seen at www.mardibyers-gay.com. Her career included five years as consultant for Maine Office of Substance Abuse, Augusta, and serving on the state licensing board. As a Department of Health and Human Services consultant, Mardi visited county attorneys and judges state-wide, and was a pioneer in the shift to alternative sentencing in the Maine drug court system. An avid Red Sox fan, Mardi was in a box seat behind home plate when Ortiz hit his 50th home run. She attended Concord Academy where she played goalie on the field hockey team. Diving to catch the final egg, Mardi won the annual egg-toss event at Acadia Hospital. At age 15 she won the Blue Hill Yacht Club junior racing championship. Rarely speaking of her past accomplishments, Mardi owned and piloted a Cessna-172 as manager of Greenville Airport, and later produced a documentary film of the Kennebec River, using a helicopter as filming platform and Respighi music as background, for what was perhaps the first of the scenic overflight genre to follow in Maine. “Mamu” as she was known to her grandchildren, loved spending time with her family, knitting, gardening, and blazing travel trails with her “Honey Bunch.”
Mardi is survived by her beloved husband of nearly 29 years, Richard “Dick” Gay; two daughters, Ruth Tainter and husband, Troy, and Sara Leighton and husband, Rick; two sons, Bill Billings and wife, Amy, and Jeb Billings wife, Chris; grandchildren, Erik and Victoria Tainter, Billy and Kimberly Billings, Taylor and Samuel Hodgkin, Virginia and Margaret Brooks, and Hannah, Jackson and Matthew Billings; sister, Corinne Soucy and husband, Dr. Bob; and brother, Bill and wife, Suzi Byers; and stepchildren, Jacquie Leighton and husband, Barry, Patty Olson and husband, Barry, Cindy Quaas and husband, Stewart, Michael Gay and wife, Holly.
A celebration of Mardi’s life will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Blue Hill Congregational Church with a reception afterwards. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in memory of Marjorie Gay to CancerCare of Maine, 33 Whiting Hill Road, Brewer, ME 04412. Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com.
Marjorie ‘Mardi’ Gay
