Cheryl Ann Marcucci Maine

Cheryl Ann Marcucci Maine left for heaven on July 7, 2020 from complications of a rare neurological disorder called corticobasal degeneration. She bore this debilitating disorder and its symptoms for several years with an abundance of grace, good humor, practicality, and humility. She was the adored wife of Arthur H. Maine for more than 41 years. Cheryl was born in Newport RI on June 10, 1954. She was the daughter of the late Hector G. Marcucci and Pauline (Polly) Munafo Marcucci. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her son, Timothy H. Maine of Wakefield, her daughter, Catherine Maine (Willem) Khoe of Wasilla AK, and two grandchildren, twins Anthony Maine and Hailey Maine also of Wakefield. She was the sister of Terri Marcucci Fitch of Newport, Polly Marcucci Hadfield of Freehold NJ, and Paul Marcucci of Fall River MA. Cheryl attended St. Augustine School and Thompson Junior High School and graduated from Rogers High School in 1973. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from URI in 1977, an Associate in Nursing from CCRI in 1982, then returned to URI for her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1997. She began her nursing career at Rhode Island Hospital, eventually spending 27 years at South County Hospital as a staff nurse, then as a nursing coordinator, then as an assistant nurse manager. She served on several hospital committees and developed a successful orientation program for new nursing graduates. Cheryl spent several additional years with VNS Home Health Care Services as a clinical instructor. In addition to her nursing career, Cheryl also served as office manager for her husband Arthur’s contracting business. For Cheryl, nursing and teaching was her calling. It wasn’t just something she did - it defined who she was as a caring, patient, understanding, and empathetic person. She was exactly suited for nursing, always calm and competent, firm but gentle, and patients found it easy to trust her. Her family used to tease her for her ability to remain unflappable in the midst of chaos. “Water off a duck’s back”, they called it, when Cheryl easily shrugged off the drama. Years later, when she learned of her medical diagnosis, she asked her sister to write her obituary. And then she asked, with an impish grin, “So, what are you going to say about me?” And her sister replied with this quote: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Cheryl was shocked. “That is my favorite prayer”, she exclaimed! Cheryl’s stubbornness was family legend throughout her life. As a child, she had a bounce in her step that even made strangers stop and smile. Cheryl could be trusting and naïve at times – and it gave her family and friends many opportunities to tease her. It helped that she also had amazingly curly hair, she was named after a tugboat, and she was always naturally optimistic. She was crazy about the Red Sox and the tv show, Columbo. If anyone needed nursing help, she would run from home, stethoscope flying around her neck, and give you her full attention – up to and including sleeping in a chair by a hospital bedside so she could personally supervise your care. She also cared for her mother-in-law, and later, her parents when they grew older. She would do anything for her children and even more for her grandchildren. She was proud of Tim and Catie and of the adults they became. And Cheryl and Arthur felt blessed to be close to their grandchildren, Anthony and Hailey, from the day the twins were born. Cheryl and Catie spent hours on the phone sharing everything. Tim will always be grateful for her help and patience with the twins. Anthony will always remember her insistence that he and Hailey pay attention at school so that they could be successful. Hailey loved her grandmother’s beautiful eyes and stunning smile and how she chased them when they forgot their bike helmets. In short, Cheryl left a legacy of service to her family. She married the love of her life, Arthur Maine, in 1979. Two had traded teasing insults for a couple of years when Cheryl worked at the Newport Creamery and Arthur would come in for endless cups of coffee. When he finally asked her for a date, she was reluctant – but they were engaged three months later. Cheryl always made Arthur’s birthday an opportunity for serving friends and family her terrific sauce, meatballs, and lasagna. Arthur complained that people came to his birthday party for the great food – not to offer him best wishes. The two also enjoyed entertaining family and friends at summer cookouts and hosting holidays. They were always holding hands. Her husband was her hero in every sense of the word. He was also her primary caregiver these last few years – and forever and always her biggest supporter. Cheryl was always close to her sisters. She and Terri shared a bedroom and often fell asleep holding hands across their beds. Cheryl and Terri delighted in teasing their baby sister, Polly. A favorite game was sending toddler Polly back and forth between the two for hugs. When brother Paul came along, they took turns helping to care for him. They shared many of the same friends in the neighborhood – and spent hours together playing handball on the patio and kick ball in the street, backyard camping in pup tents, taking lunch to the beach, bike-riding around Ocean Drive, and ice-skating on the local pond. Eventually, Cheryl, and then Polly, followed Terri to URI where all three sisters joined Alpha Xi Delta Sorority. They claimed it made them sisters twice over. The girls also reprised their roommate days - Terri and Cheryl were roommates for a semester when Terri was a senior. Then Cheryl and Polly roomed together when Cheryl was a senior. Only your siblings know the inside jokes and the secrets that were kept from the parents. Only your siblings will remember the stories of grammar school, climbing on the flour sacks, Mom’s twist cookies, and the time Terri almost hung Cheryl (true story). Only your siblings will remember Dad’s pizza on Saturday nights, fishing off Grandpa Paul’s boat, riding Meatball the donkey, playing bocce with Papa Guido, and Nana’s teddy bear pancakes. One day Cheryl, and Terri were playing in the back yard at the old house on the corner of Marchant Street. They saw a large truck swing onto Harrison Avenue carrying a fully assembled, brightly-colored swing set on its flat bed. They stared in awe and envy as the truck proceeded past the front of their house. This was exciting! Who in the neighborhood was the lucky recipient? The two little girls hoped it would be a close neighbor, as they weren’t allowed beyond their block. It must be for the family next door, they told each other. They have seven children, after all. The truck parked on Marchant Street and two men hopped out of the cab. After endless minutes, the straps holding the swing set were removed. The men positioned themselves at either end of the set and easily lifted it up and off the truck bed. The swing set seemed to soar through the air. It hovered. It wavered. The swings and see-saw swayed violently. Suddenly, as if it had sprouted wings, it sailed OVER THEIR FENCE AND INTO THEIR YARD! The two girls were numb with delight. From that day, the swing set represented heaven to the girls. When a pet died, they would console themselves with the thought that it was playing on a swing set in heaven. Worn out toys, a lost bracelet, the mysterious disappearance of a stuffed toy’s button eye – all relegated to swing set heaven. Awful things, like oatmeal, liver, and scratchy dresses were never sent to swing set heaven. This secret was never shared with the parents., who might have been mystified by the importance the girls placed on this event in their young lives. But, even as adults, certain situations would find Cheryl and her sister occasionally stealing a glance at each other . . . and one would mouth the words “swing set” and the other would nod in secret agreement. In the end, Cheryl was a gift to all who knew her. Her innate optimism meant that she never lost that sense of a child’s delight for a shiny new swing set. She never lost that natural inner peace and happiness that gave her the boundless capacity she had to be able to care so much, love so deeply, and laugh so often. A memorial service in celebration of Cheryl’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please make a contribution to a charity of your choosing.