KENNEBUNK — Alphine Carnes Kleeman, 72, passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2015, after a long struggle with ovarian cancer.

She will be remembered as a devoted wife and mother, a great listener, and a cherished friend to many.

She was born Nov. 25, 1942 in National City, California. Her father was a chief warrant officer in the U.S. Navy. At the age of 14, following the death of her mother in a drowning accident, she, her brother, and her father moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Alphine received an RN degree from Norfolk General Hospital Nursing School and then moved to Boston, where she was one of the first cardiac intensive care nurses at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. In 1966, she joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed at the Naval Hospital in Oakland, California.

At the Treasure Island Officer’s Club one evening she met her future husband, Frank, who was a physician also at the naval hospital. On one of their dates, after sailing in San Francisco Bay, Frank, who had earned his pilot’s license, took Alphine flying over the Golden Gate Bridge and then to dinner. They married in 1969 and moved to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts after a honeymoon in Bermuda.

Alphine was a natural beauty and Frank always kept a “bikini shot” in his wallet, bringing it out at family events decades later to her embarrassment.

Nine months after their wedding, Alphine gave birth to Michael, who is a urologist and lives in Bayport, Long Island. She also helped to raise her stepson, Jeffrey Kleeman, who has become a movie producer in Hollywood. In 1973, she gave birth to her second son, Christopher, who is a gastroenterologist in Portland; and in 1974, she gave birth to Julie, who is a corporate attorney in New York City.

As her children were growing up, Alphine resumed her education, earning a bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College, a master of counseling degree from Boston College and a master of social work degree from Simmons College. She was gifted at solving interpersonal conflicts and helping to bring people together.

She enjoyed summer trips to Chatham, Massachusetts, throwing dinner parties, and meeting with friends. Into her busy household, she welcomed a rebellious, young high school student and babysitter, Barbara Boyd, who became a lifelong friend and semi-daughter. Kevin Potter, a math tutor for Mike and eventually a physician, was also “adopted.”

Over the years, the family made many trips to Maine and eventually bought a house on Lake Sebago in 1985. A year later, she and her family moved to Kennebunk, where Frank became chief of urology at Southern Maine Medical Center.

In Maine, she worked as a social worker in the Biddeford and Kennebunk school systems as well as a counselor at Sweetser Children Services and Counseling Services, Inc. She was instrumental in helping her husband start the Biddeford Free Clinic, which has served the uninsured for 22 years.

In 2000, she retired from social work and spent summers in Maine and winters in Florida. She moved to Miami Beach, joining close friends Nancy and Henry Broekhoff. She volunteered as a guardian ad litem for several years.

After nine winters in the Miami area, the Kleemans moved their winter home to Stuart, Florida, where she felt an instant connection with her new neighbors and friends. She became an avid fitness enthusiast, taking instruction from Mike and Tammy in Florida and Daryl in Kennebunk.

She loved being with her children and having long conversations around the kitchen table. She was an excellent cook and often served elaborate multicourse meals. She also loved miniature Schnauzers and enjoyed long walks on Kennebunk Beach with her husband and dog. She kept a beautiful home and had many visitors who would come for coffee, Rummikub, and other board games.

She adored being with her 11 grandchildren, reading stories to them and teaching them to make her famous “Brum Brum” cookies.

In addition to her husband, children, and grandchildren, she is survived by: her stepmother, Louise Sheets; her brother, William Carnes; her daughters-inlaw, Tanya, Angela, and Hayley; as well as nieces, nephews, and many friends.

She was the epitome of a warm, kind, and loving person who could only find the goodness in others. It is with great sadness that we lay her to rest.

A graveside service will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, at Hope Cemetery, Portland Road, Kennebunk.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donation to a charity of your choice.

Arrangements are in care of Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer St., Kennebunk, ME 04043.