SCARBOROUGH – Katherine “Kay” Greeley, founder and longtime director of the social services department at Mercy Hospital in Portland, who dedicated her life to helping others, died on Thursday from injuries she sustained in a fall at home. She was 93.

Ms. Greeley, who lived in South Portland for most of her life, began her career teaching in a one-room schoolhouse in northern Maine. It wasn’t long before she decided that her true calling was social work.

Ms. Greeley served as executive director of the Traveler’s Aid Society, a former social services agency in Portland. At the same time, she pursued her master’s degree in social work at Boston University. She graduated in 1960.

She joined Mercy Hospital in the early 1970s to establish its social services department. She served as director until she retired in 1985.

Her nephew Everett Dyer II said she worked closely with patients to find them care in a nursing home or some kind of assisted-living facility. Dyer said she listened to patients and understood their needs.

“Kay loved her work because it allowed her to help people during their times of need,” her nephew said. “She put families at ease with the decisions they had to make.”

In the mid-1980s, Ms. Greeley came out of retirement to work as a part-time social worker at the Elms Nursing Home in Old Orchard Beach. She also volunteered on a weekly basis at the St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen in Portland.

“She enjoyed volunteering there. She got to know the clients and reflected on them fondly,” Dyer said.

Ms. Greeley never married and didn’t have children. Dyer said she was a fixture in his family’s life for as long as he can remember. She was at every family function, including birthdays and holiday celebrations. Dyer said his aunt helped him when his parents were terminally ill in 2005. She stood by him after they died.

“She was always there,” he said. “Kay was like a (second) mother or an older sister to me. … I’m pleased I was able to spend so much time with her. She has pretty much been with me this whole time. I take comfort in looking back at all the good things.”

There’s plenty for him to remember, particularly around family traditions. He remembered as a kid his aunt buying him a small Christmas tree with ornaments. Every year since then, Ms. Greeley bought Dyer an ornament.

Ms. Greeley had a 20-year tradition of taking a summer vacation on Little Diamond Island. Dyer said his aunt would rent a cottage on the island with a couple of her longtime friends. And there were many.

“She loved it there,” he said. “She loved the ocean and the small-community feel. She loved spending time with her friends and family.”

On Sept. 21, Ms. Greeley was getting ready for a picnic lunch at Bug Light Park when she fell at home and hit her head. She died on Oct. 11 from the injuries she sustained in the fall.

“She fought through it, but there are some things you unfortunately can’t fight through,” Dyer said. “I keep thinking about all the good things she did for me and other family members. … I’ll miss her wit, her companionship and her outlook. She was always positive and always someone I could talk to.”

Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:

mcreamer@pressherald.com