Retired Labor and Delivery Nurse
ACTON, ME — Edith M. “Dee” Kasprzak passed away peacefully on March 13 surrounded by her loved ones. She was 83.
Dee was born in Melrose on October 14, 1941 to Kenneth and Ruth (Lavange) Stiles. She was one of five children in a close-knit family. She graduated from Melrose High School in 1959 and Melrose-Wakefield Hospital School of Nursing in 1962. In 1964, she married her high school sweetheart Michael J. Kasprzak. Together they shared over 60 years of marriage, moving across the country and building a life filled with love, laughter and unwavering support.
Dee was a nurse for decades beginning in Labor and Delivery at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, then continuing at WW2 Veterans Memorial Hospital in Meriden, CT where she worked in both Labor and Delivery and the Emergency Room. Later, she transitioned to Occupational Health at Pratt & Whitney. She brought hundreds of babies into the world with gentle hands and a steady heart and cared for patients in their most critical moments with compassion and calm. She was also a talented artist, an incredible cook and a generous gift-giver always thinking of others and sharing her warmth in big and small ways.
Dee was the heart of every room she entered. Whether hosting a gathering, hitting the dance floor or offering a listening ear, she made people feel welcome and loved. She was the kind of friend who always showed up, the kind of mother who always answered the phone and the kind of grandmother who passed on her magic.
She is survived by her husband Michael; daughters Pamela K. Mandeville (Peter) and Kerri Lyn Kasprzak; granddaughters Samantha R. Glidden (Quinten) and Hayley Edith Prevatt (Josh); and her great-grandson Charlie J. Prevatt. She also leaves behind her brother Kenneth R. Stiles, Jr. (Sandra); sister Rae E. Stiles (Bob Christiansen); and many cousins, nieces, nephews and dear friends. She was predeceased by her beloved son Michael Thomas Kasprzak and her sisters Judith Stiles Spencer Kousoulas and Beverly Ellen Stiles Faso.
Dee lived with deep love and great resilience. She faced life’s hardest moments with grace and never lost her joy. She gave so much to so many and her spirit will live on in every story told, every recipe shared and every garden that blooms. She will be missed more than words can say.
Visiting hours will be held on Monday, March 24 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer St., Kennebunk, ME. A funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday, March 25 at 11 a.m. at St. Martha’s Church, 30 Portland Rd., Kennebunk with a gathering to follow. A Celebration of Life will be held in early summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation to Gosnell Memorial Hospice House/Hospice of Southern Maine, 390 US Rt 1, Scarborough, ME 04074 or online at hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/donate or in memory of Dee’s beloved son Michael to The Eric Brazier Memorial Fund, C/O River Ridge Center, 3 Brazier Ln., Kennebunk, ME 04043. To share a memory or leave a message of condolence, please visit Dee’s Book of Memories Page at bibberfuneral.com. Arrangements are in the care of Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer St., Kennebunk, ME 04043.