When longtime Shelburne resident Doris Wehrle Maeck passed away at the age of 95 last month, she left behind a lifetime legacy of volunteerism and involvement with the Shelburne community. This Saturday, July 10 at 12:30 p.m. friends and family members will gather at her "South Forty" property for a service of remembrance in her memory.

Doris was born in Massachusetts in 1914. She came to Vermont to attend the University of Vermont, where she met her future husband, John Maeck of Shelburne. After John's graduation from UVM's Medical School in 1939, the two were married and moved to New York City where John completed his residency. The couple returned to Vermont in 1948 and John opened a medical practice and later became the chair of the then Medical Center Hospital of Vermont's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

It was no wonder that Doris and John returned to be near family and to make their home in Shelburne. They first bought property on the lake, next to what is now Shelburne Orchards, and built a summer camp. They later built a year-round home on the site where the couple lived and raised their two children, Sarah and Steven. In the mid-1980s, Doris and her husband started a tree nursery on the property, South Forty Nursery, and after John's death in 1988, Doris continued to run the business.

"It was important to my mother that she be able to stay at that home," explained Sarah Maeck. With the help of HomeShare Vermont, an organization in which Doris had served on the Board of Directors, Doris was able to stay in the home that she and John had built until she passed away last month. Judy Booth, a HomeShare Vermont live-in caregiver, moved in with Doris in 2006 and made it possible for her to continue to stay in the family home.

In addition to her work with HomeShare Vermont, Doris was an active volunteer with several other area nonprofit organizations. She was a longstanding volunteer for the local Meals on Wheels program. She was also involved with the foster grandparent program, SCORE, and volunteered her time with the Red Cross.

"She lived life to the fullest - she enjoyed life and enjoyed people," Sarah shared. Many of those people are expected at this Saturday's memorial service. Phil Mead, who was recruited by John to work at the hospital's OB/GYN department in the early 1970s, will give the eulogy at the gathering. According to Mead, "I was honored to be asked. Doris and John were the best known, most popular ‘academic couple' - John was a famous figure in obstetrics, and Doris was extremely supportive of his work and his department."