WOOLWICH – Doris Nuesse, former director of the skilled nursing unit at Mid Coast Senior Health Center and a longtime volunteer at Morris Farm, died on Thursday. She was 78.

Nuesse began her career as a registered nurse at Madison General Hospital in Wisconsin.

In 1956, she married William Nuesse and left nursing to raise their three children.

In her mid-40s — after she got divorced — she returned to school and earned nursing degrees from the University of Southern Maine and Georgetown University.

Nuesse worked in the skilled nursing units at Bath Memorial Hospital and Mere Point Nursing Center in Brunswick. She served as director of nursing at Mid Coast’s Bodwell Sub-Acute Care Rehabilitation Services Center.

She retired in 2007.

Her daughter, Ann McClellan of Camden, said she was a confident and intelligent woman who had good instincts.

“She was a natural born caregiver. Nursing was a good fit for her,” McClellan said.

Nuesse was remembered by her family on Tuesday as compassionate, creative and practical.

In her early years, she raised her children and briefly co-owned Tomtegard, a Danish interior goods and furniture store in Rockport.

McClellan said she was a good role model for them.

“She was steady and committed to her work in her store and later with her nursing and volunteer work,” her daughter said. “When she made a decision to commit to an effort, she excelled at it.”

In addition to her children, she is survived by her second husband, John Grill.

Nuesse was active in numerous local organizations, including the Woolwich Conservation Commission and the Wiscasset Garden Club.

She also served as deacon of the Day’s Ferry Congregational Church and was a member of its choir for many years.

She was an active volunteer at Morris Farm in Wiscasset and former state representative of the Maine Ending Hunger Project. She was a longtime member of the National Audubon Society and Natural Resources Council of Maine.

McClellan said she instilled an appreciation for nature in her children.

She noted that her mother was involved with Morris Farm for over 15 years. The farm conducts numerous educational programs, including adult workshops and lectures, and home school and after school programs for local children, according to its website.

“Preserving the natural environment was very important to her,” McClellan said. “She loved with intention. She did what she could in her local community.”

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

mcreamer@pressherald.com