Our community recently lost a wonderful woman, our former Executive Director, Jeanne Roche. Below is a tribute our President wanted to share with our community.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Marginal Way Preservation Fund we want to extend our deepest sympathies to her sons Jake and Dan and her extended family. The Board and the entire Marginal Way Community are grateful for the contributions she made to us as our Executive Director.  Please know that she will be missed, yet her legacy will be forever remembered by the indelible impact she had on our organization.

Jeanne was our second Executive Director and worked with us during 2015-2018. When we first spoke with her about the position she spoke with passion and conviction about the need to work very closely with local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, the Women’s Club, Rotary and similar organizations.  Jeanne was genuinely passionate about the Marginal Way and the community she so proudly served.

She was natural at the position and with her roots in the community she took our message into Ogunquit and surrounding communities, meeting with business owners, residents and visitors to the town.  Everyone knew and liked Jeanne.  She was quick to offer a warm smile, had an infectious laugh and was always ready to offer a strong hug.  She was a regular fixture at our office at the Dunaway Center where she greeted many visitors to the Town with a cold bottle of water for those in need and a map to the Marginal Way for those who were lost. She was dedicated to her role for the Preservation Fund and worked hard to convey our mission and message with passion, clarity and conviction.  The seeds she sewed in those days helped us and the entire community open our eyes to the potential in our mission.

Members of the MWPF Board have banded together to honor Jeanne’s contributions and legacy by donating the funds needed to add her name to the roster of plaque owners forever memorialized at Serenity Point on the Marginal Way. Jeanne will be missed by many.

John Phinney

President and Board Chair