Spirited, fun, funny, honest, adventurous and family-oriented. That’s how family, friends and colleagues remember Terri Hatt.

Hatt, program coordinator for Scarborough Community Services’ seniors program, died Jan. 24 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House after a short battle with cancer. She was 53.

Although Hatt was the seniors program coordinator for just one year, her work ethic, combined with her compassion for Scarborough seniors, left an almost unmatchable mark on the community, said Bill Reichl, recreation manager of Scarborough Community Services.

“Terri was always a pleasure to be around,” Reichl said. “She was an extreme team player and she was always willing to help out.”

Hatt was born Oct. 30, 1956, the daughter of Carrol D. and Jeanne (Dunham) Hatt of Bangor and Boynton Beach, Fla.

She graduated in 1975 from Bangor High School, which she had represented at Maine Dirigo Girls State. She attended the University of Southern Maine, studying education. She had a diverse career, with jobs ranging from Freeport Community Education and L.L. Bean to Casco Bay Homecare.

Those who knew her said she had found her dream job as the program coordinator for the seniors program.

“You could tell she loved working with seniors,” said Bud Hanson, senior advisory board member for Scarborough Community Services. “I worked with her for about a year, off and on, and she was totally involved with improving the senior citizens activities in Scarborough.”

As program coordinator, Hatt tried daily to enhance the Senior WOW program in Scarborough, enriching the lives of and promoting community involvement from Scarborough seniors.

She reached out to neighboring communities to create more activities and programs for Scarborough seniors, an effort that Reichl said he admired and cherished.

She also volunteered to help with local youth programs.

That willingness to lend a hand was typical of Hatt, Reichl said.

“Even when she didn’t need to or when nobody expected her to, she would always find time to help out,” Reichl said. “She was a tremendous asset to our community and our programs.”

Hatt is survived by her sons, Paul Kelleher and his partner, Ann McCall, of Boston, and Patrick Kelleher and his wife, Erin, of Lisbon Falls; her brother, David Hatt of California; sisters Wendy Howard of Lakeland, Fla., and Joanna Dalton and her husband, Peter, of St. Augustine, Fla.

Family and friends said Hatt, who leaves two sons, loved spending time with her family, loved the outdoors – especially the Maine coast – and spent the past two years organizing Accappellooza, an evening of a capella music performed by local groups to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine.

A celebration of life was held at the Freeport Performing Arts Center. Hatt’s family has also established a memoriam Web site at thattmemorial.blogspot.com where visitors can leave a message in memory of Hatt.

Donations can also be made to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine at www.somebigs.org.

“I would like to add just one thing about Terri that has not yet been said on the Web site, and that is that she always listened,” said Debbie Jones, the new program coordinator for Scarborough Community Services.

“Many of the seniors that I have spoken with about Terri say that was one of her many qualities they loved. She never scoffed at a new idea and always listened with great interest and warmth.”

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