Maryse (Ryse) Salmonsen Toomey

DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Maryse (Ryse) Salmonsen Toomey of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and Scarborough, Maine, unforgettable and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, peacefully passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2020. Maryse was born on October 9, 1930, in Rumford, Maine, the only child of Yvette Gonya Salmonsen and Christian M. Salmonsen. Maryse grew up in Rumford and then Ticonderoga and Niagara Falls, New York, where her father was an executive with the Oxford Paper Company. Following her father’s premature death, Maryse, her mother and her grandmother eventually settled in Portland, Maine. Maryse was a precocious child and her family delighted in stories of her antics from the many teachers, neighbors, and friends with whom she shared close and lasting relationships. A favorite is the tale of an 8-year-old Maryse, after being admonished for “talking too much,” storming out of her classroom with her hat, coat, and boots to begin the 5-mile walk home. Picked up by local authorities, she returned to school to share with teachers and administrators that she did not appreciate “being spoken to in that tone.” So began a career of freely speaking her mind and always having the last word. Despite her early truancy, Maryse graduated from Deering High School in Portland and went on to attend Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York.While studying at Marymount, Maryse became ill and was forced to go home to Portland to convalesce for six months. She returned to Marymount, doubling-down on her courses so she could graduate in 1952, with the close-knit group of women who would become her lifelong friends. Following graduation, Maryse moved back to Maine to become a social worker in Portland’s Head Start Program. A couple of years later, returning from a vacation in Europe, Maryse suffered a brain aneurysm while aboard the Queen Mary and underwent life-saving brain surgery in New York City. At a 1958 dinner party, Maryse was introduced by friends to Charles “Chas” T. Toomey. Asked by Maryse to recall his first impression of her, Charles was quoted as saying “I’d never seen a woman eat so damn fast and talk so damn much.” Although not likely the romantic response she was looking for, Charles more than made up for this early misstep, marrying Maryse in 1960 and sharing nearly 60 years of devotion to the love of his life. Ryse and Chas enjoyed many happy years and made lasting friendships while members of the Dartmouth and Higgins Beach communities. They enjoyed vacations with family and friends, weekend ski trips, summers in Maine and winter months in Naples, Florida.Maryse was an active member of many clubs and charities, including the New Bedford Day Nursery, Mother’s Club of New Bedford, Rotch Jones Duff House and Garden Museum, and the New Bedford Whaling Museum, where she served as a docent for many years. She was an active communicant at St. Julie Billiart Church in Dartmouth and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland, Maine. She enjoyed an active social life through membership at both the Wamsutta Club and Portland Country Club.An unparalleled correspondent, Maryse eschewed digital modes of communication, despite her distinctive and difficult-to-read penmanship. She remained in written communication with scores of people from all facets of her life and always touched them with a kind word or witty remark.Maryse was a formidable yet warm and loving spirit who loved entertaining, a glass of chardonnay and long talks with her adoring husband, children, grandchildren, and many friends. She was a consummate conversationalist with a natural ability to connect with whomever she met. She is survived by her devoted husband of nearly 60 years, Charles; two daughters, Alison Toomey Peterson and her husband Scott of Hingham, Massachusetts; Erika Toomey and her husband Steven Torres of Concord, Massachusetts; and four grandchildren, Graham Peterson; and Madeleine, Spencer and Cecily Torres. Her loved ones have nothing but gratitude for the time she had with them. A private family burial will be held at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Dartmouth and a memorial service celebrating Maryse’s life will take place in the Fall. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.Memorial contributions may be made in her memory toThe Boys and Girls Clubs of New Bedford166 Jenney StreetNew Bedford MA 02740orChild and Family Services3057 Acushnet AvenueNew Bedford, MA 02745


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