Lorna Nickerson Kaufman 1940 – 2022 HARPSWELL – Lorna Nickerson Kaufman, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, friend and colleague passed away peacefully her home in South Harpswell on June 14, 2022. She was surrounded by the love of family, at the age of 81. Lorna and Gordon married in 1966, spending a lifetime together. Lorna was born in Brunswick, Maine in 1940 to Elmer and Elizabeth Woods Nickerson. Lorna’s father was career military and she grew up on bases around the country and in Germany. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire in history, her master’s degree in education and learning disabilities from Lesley University and her Ph.D. from Boston College in developmental and child psychology. She taught children with reading problems for the next 10 years in an inner city school system. After receiving her Ph.D., she worked in the top Boston clinics (Children’s Hospital, the Eunice Shriver Center, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School). She went into private practice, establishing Kaufman Educational Associates in 1995 where she helped children and families of all types who had one thing in common, a child with reading and linguistic problems. Lorna was president of the New England Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, President of the Massachusetts Council for Learning Disabilities, a Member of the Board of Directors of the International Dyslexia Association, Chairman of the New England Joint Conference on Learning Disabilities, and a Member of the Governor’s Special Education Advisory Group for Massachusetts. She taught for several years in the Graduate Language and Literacy Program at Simmons College in Boston and in the School of Education at Wheelock College. In 2015, she authored a book entitled “Smart Kid, Can’t Read: 5 Steps Any Parent Can Take to Get Help.” The book represented a lifetime of experience to help families navigate the school systems in order to help their children, as she had for decades. Lorna and Gordon traveled extensively throughout their lives and loved learning about new places and new cultures. They took many trips to France over the years, enjoying the cuisine with friends. Lorna spent many seasons taking care of her garden in South Harpswell, her favorite place, where she and Gordon have retired. She is survived by her husband, Gordon Kaufman, her children Leigh Kaufman Leveen, California, and David Kaufman, Boston, her grandchildren Asher Leveen and Eden Leveen, California, James and Andrea Nickerson and their sons, Noah and Jacob Nickerson, Utah, Amber Nickerson, Alaska, and her daughter Lorraine McConnell and her son Skyler Ray-Benson Davis. Lorna was preceded in death by her two brothers, Mark Nickerson of Colorado and Milton Nickerson of Alaska. To leave a note of condolence or share a memory, please visit http://www.brackettfh.com .

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