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It is with sadness that we share the news that Marie Vincent, 72, has crossed the bar. Marie was many things to many people and to many of us, she was simply a very good friend. She was well known in the lighthouse community and a long-time active member of the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society. More recently she co-published the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s journal “The Keeper’s Log” from its headquarters in Washington State in addition to many other volunteer projects.
Marie participated in many activities for the Chapter such as running its shop for many years making improvements so Chapter members could buy quality merchandise that declared their enthusiasm for lighthouses. She was also a member of the newsletter team and she contributed to its layout while also writing many of the articles. Marie handled many aspects of the publishing process including editing, and would even deliver the files by hand to the printer and would pick them up and distribute them when they were done . . . often with the help of her husband Jerry. The first Chapter “Newsletter Party” was held at their home.
If that wasn’t enough, Marie was part of the core team that organized the first (and subsequent) Lighthouse Challenges. Additionally, she co-authored a Chesapeake Chapter Lighthouse Puzzler book fundraiser and was an active preservation volunteer who frequently worked at Fort Washington, Thomas Point Shoal, and the U.S. Coast Guard Exhibit Center. Another important lighthouse project Marie embraced and improved upon was documenting the historic U.S. Lighthouse Service inspection records. This massive undertaking involved going to the National Archives in Washington, DC and copying their stored inspection records for various lighthouses. But these paper records were difficult to search through, so in early 2001, at the request of Coast Guard personnel, Marie used her computer skills to create a database so the records could be organized, searchable and available to everyone (this resource can be accessed on the U.S. Lighthouse Society website). Marie’s work at the Coast Guard Exhibit Center earned her an official Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. Coast Guard.
Marie had many interests including but not limited to lighthouses, cats, trivia, baseball, reading, community theater, and Snoopy. She participated in community theater in Reston, Virginia where she met her future husband Jerry Waters who eventually introduced Marie to lighthouses. They both served on the Chesapeake Chapter’s board of directors, loved to travel and were often seen on Chapter and later Society lighthouse trips. Marie always had cats, usually more than one, and each had a unique personality. Marie loved Christmas, and if you visited her home anywhere near the holidays, you would see it filled with decorations and the latest Snoopy holiday displays which her husband Jerry made sure she always had. When she and Jerry moved west to Washington State, they became more involved in the U.S. Lighthouse Society and it was not too long before Marie was running the on-site gift shop at the Point No Point Light Station in addition to her duties co-publishing “The Keeper’s Log” journal, at which she excelled.
Marie had been battling cancer for a number of years and put up an incredible fight enduring chemotherapy treatments and surgeries with the help and support of her adopted Lighthouse Society family. Through it all, Marie’s mind stayed sharp even though her body was giving out, and she kept busy to the end. She enjoyed playing games long distance over the phone with family and friends and continued to play an integral role at the U.S. Lighthouse Society. Marie passed away at the hospital peacefully in her sleep with family by her side. She leaves behind her cat Rainbow who is going to live with dear friends. For those of us who knew her personally, her passing is a huge loss and she will be greatly missed.
She was one of a kind!
This story appeared in the
Jul/Aug 2024 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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