Anne “Nancy” Eliot Hiatt, 92, died peacefully on May 9 at Maine Medical Center, after a day full of some song and visits with children and grandchildren. Her lungs and heart gave out, but not her smile and voice. She recognized the faces and knew the name of the visiting family members, each being “darling.”  

Born in Boston on February 21, 1921 to Samuel Eliot and Anne Brown Bradley (Eliot), she excelled at horse riding and sports. She attended The Windsor School, Shipley, Miss Porter’s School and Beaver Country Day School. Wherever she went she made friends, many of whom turned into lifelong friends. She wore a red dress at her debut party, learned how to pluck chickens during the war and served as a candy striper.

She fell in love with Chicagoan Charles Walker Field, who attended school nearby. They married in 1944, settled briefly in New York City, and then built their home in Sneden’s Landing, Palisades, N.Y., where they had five children.

Walker died unexpectedly in 1959, leaving her reeling and learning how to cope and carry on, which became her life’s mantra. She did just that and in 1963 married Robert B. Hiatt, who, many years after they had retired to a farm in Dresden, died in 1990. On she went, later moving to Portland where she attended classes at OLLI (senior college) and read more books than she had ever seen in her younger years.

She loved nature, family and community. She was grounded in her farm life, hosting and teaching grandchildren about animals and the seasons. She served with the Lincoln County Historical Society, arranged an agricultural conservation easement on her farm, and supported numerous other land- and historic-preservation efforts.  

She is survived by her five children, Carolyn Field, Eliot Field, Samuel Field, Rebecca Field Kraai and Rosamond Field; 10 grandchildren, Zerin Whyte, Erony Whyte Martin, Jesse Field, Molly Field James, Tyler Field, Cody Field, Corrie Kraai, Abby Kraai, Ivory Strzalkowski and Tessa Strzalkowski; five great-grandchildren, Stella Field, Coral and Royce Field, Katherine James and Annette Martin.  

A celebration of her life will be held on May 18 at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke at 143 State St., Portland.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Maine Coast Heritage Trust, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, suite 201, Topsham, ME 04086, or to Morris Farm Trust, P.O. Box 136, Wiscasset, ME 04578.  

Arrangements are by Daigle Funeral Home, 819 High Street, Bath.  Condolences may be made online at www.daiglefuneralhome.com/.