Nancy Schlich Tarkinson (b. 1948) died on December 28, 2015 from complications related to Parkinson's disease. Her gentle spirit departed as she was surrounded by her loved ones: her husband of 46 years, Charles "Charlie" Tarkinson, Jr., of Clermont, Florida; her son Andrew of Windermere, FL; son Daniel of Portland, Maine; son Charles "Chad" III of Fort Collins, Colorado; and her niece, Andrea Morrell who cared for Nancy and helped keep her active during the later stages of her disease.

Born in Portland, ME, to Victor and Madeline (Kim) Schlich (both deceased), Nancy grew up in South Portland. She was a lover of warm weather, and spent her last two years in Florida, where she and her husband moved as her illness progressed. She stayed in constant touch with her far-flung family via the blessing of Skype.

Nancy was the first in her family to earn a college degree, having majored in sociology at the University of Maine in Orono. Her devotion to motherhood was exemplary as she lavished love and care on her sons. As newlyweds, Nancy and Charlie resided in Westbrook (ME), then in Portland as they raised their sons, and briefly in Haverhill, MA, and Scarborough, ME.

During the 1980s and 90s, Nancy worked as a paralegal both in the law office of Monaghan & Leahy and in Environmental Claims with OneBeacon in Boston. She also worked as a friendly voice with L.L.Bean and in the real estate industry as an office manager with Keller Williams.

Nancy was a lifelong lover of nature's beauty, especially flower gardens and the ocean near where she grew up. She delighted in sewing, crafting and "feathering" the family nest. She also loved to scrapbook and research her family's genealogy. Those who knew her recall her quick wit, fierce sense of social justice and fairness, as well as her sweet and loving nature.

Besides her husband and sons, Nancy is survived by her brother, Stephen Schlich, and sister-in-law Kit Schlich of Petaluma, CA; daughter-in-laws Hannah Tarkinson of Portland, ME and Anne Tarkinson of Fort Collins, CO; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; brother/sister-in-laws Linda Carey and Dale Rouisse of Old Orchard Beach, ME, Alan and Ruth Tarkinson of Gorham, ME, and Raymond and Janet Totaro of Medfield, MA; also three nephews and four nieces.

The family plans a memorial service for Nancy to be held in Maine in the spring of 2016 after the snow has melted and the first flowers are blooming. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson's Research: Donation Processing, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014 or visit www.michaeljfox.org