BRUNSWICK — Susan Doucett Nickerson passed away on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013, at the age of 89 at Mid Coast Hospital from complications following a recent stroke. She was a resident of Thornton Oaks in Brunswick, Maine.

Sue, born on Aug. 3, 1924, in Newburyport, Mass., was the daughter of Josephine and Robert Driver and the sister of Henrietta Driver Larson. She attended Newburyport High School and the Sandia School in Albuquerque, N.M., before attending Smith College in Northampton, Mass., from which she graduated in 1946.

While attending Smith, Sue met her future husband, James A. Doucett Jr. They married on Dec. 22, 1945. Their first daughter, Sandy, was born in Germany while they were living there after WWII where Jim, by then an M.D., was serving as a doctor in the Army of Occupation. They had three more children, Deborah, James and Elisabeth, following their return to the United States. Sue and Jim settled in Olean, N.Y., following the completion of Jim’s residency in pediatrics in NYC. Jim was a partner in the Olean Medical Group.

Jim passed away in 1984. After eight years Sue married Jerry Nickerson of Cape Rosier, Maine. They were married for 19 years, spending summers in Maine and winters in Olean, until they moved to Brunswick in 2009. Jerry passed away in 2011.

Sue was very involved as a volunteer for Smith College, the Olean Parent Teacher Association and the NAACP. She was a member of the First Presbytarian Church in Olean, N.Y., and the First Parish Church of Brunswick, Maine. She also served as the director of the Olean Mental Health Association for ten years. She had many interests, playing golf and tennis, sailing with Jerry on Penobscot Bay, kayaking, walking and skiing. She also loved her bridge games. She was an avid reader, particularly enjoying the New York Times and the New Yorker, as well a good mystery. Sue was also, and above all, an accomplished gardener, and after leaving her own garden behind in Olean she kept her hand in by helping two of her daughters establish gardens of their own.

Sue was a wonderful friend, loyal and caring, keeping in touch with many that she met across the years. She was adventuresome and curious about the world. All four of her children remember trips with her throughout their childhoods, during which she would pack everyone into the car and head off to “explore” and see some new part of the country. She was very proud of her Yankee heritage and made sure her children understood their family history and how they were connected to the world. She loved Maine and spending time by the water at Cape Rosier. The most important things in the world to Sue were her family, her friends, and living a good, honorable life.

She is survived by her four children and their spouses, her four beloved grandchildren, and 13 nieces and nephews.

Burial will take place in Newburyport, Mass., at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine or the Olean Public Library in Olean, N.Y.

Arrangements are under the direction and care of Brackett Funeral Home in Brunswick.

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