Obituary of Emily Rand Herman

Emily Rand Herman died on July 4, 2019. She had recently celebrated her 100th birthday. Emily was born on June 1, 1919, in Boston, Massachusetts, to William McNear and Lucy Robbins Rand. She spent her early years in Hingham and Lincoln, Massachusetts, and graduated from Smith College in 1941. She taught at Concord Academy for a year and then married William Herman in 1943. Bill and Emily lived in Cambridge and then settled in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, where they raised their four children—Louise, Lucy, Emily, and Geoffrey. The family moved to Hingham and then to Lincoln, Mass. Wherever they lived, Emily got involved in the community, from parent-teacher organizations to international exchange student programs. She also worked for years at the Concord Bookshop. In 1967, Bill and Emily purchased an old farm property in Georgetown, Maine. Eventually they built a year-round house there. Emily again involved herself in the local community, joining the Georgetown Working League and volunteering many hours at the Chocolate Church and the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine. No matter where she lived, Emily followed the Red Sox, gardened with vigor, and sailed when the tides and winds were right. She loved photography, taking pictures of family and friends, beautiful scenes, and the work of apprentice boatbuilders. A fierce competitor, she played every game with all her heart, from tennis and badminton to kitchen floor hockey. She was known as Ummy to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and always had a jar full of cookies for any visitor. Emily made many lifetime friends who gave her joy, including Charles Njuguna Waigi, an exchange student from Kenya, who called her “Mums,” and is to this day a special member of the family. Emily was predeceased by her husband of 72 years, Bill Herman, her brothers Bill Rand and Jack Rand, and her sister, Lucy Everts. Emily is survived by her brother, Peter Rand and his wife Alice, of Cape Elizabeth, Maine; four children, Louise Herman of Jamaica Plain, Mass.; Lucy Kirshner and her husband Kenneth Pauley, of Acton, Mass.; Emily Herman and her husband David Polito, of Georgetown, Maine; and Geoffrey Herman and his wife Susan Herman, of Mt. Vernon, Maine. She also left ten grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and many nephews and nieces. The family would like to thank the staff of HillHouse, of Bath, for making Emily’s last five years so comfortable and happy. A celebration of Emily and Bill’s lives will be held on Saturday, September 14th, at the Georgetown Community Center, between 2 and 4 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Georgetown Working League, the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department, or the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine.