LIVERMORE — Members of the Washburn-Norlands History Center community and beyond are mourning the loss of acting Director Nancey Drinkwine, who died unexpectedly on Friday.

Drinkwine, 63, of Hartford was at the Center when she had a heart attack, said her husband, Garnett Rutherford, on Monday. Efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead at a Lewiston hospital, he said.

Drinkwine, a native of Quincy, Mass., moved to Maine in 2002. That is when Rutherford met his future bride. He was attracted to her for her love of life, heart, soul and mind, he said.

“There was something very different about her, very unique, very strong,” Rutherford said. The couple married in 2006.

Drinkwine, an accomplished flutist, began volunteering at Norlands within a year after she moved to the state.

Through the years, she held positions of operations manager and volunteer coordinator, among others. She was also a member of the Board of Trustees.

At times, she could be found in the library dressed in historical costume, sharing the history of the Washburn family with others. At other times, she recruited volunteers and cheered them on and helped in any way she could to organize events and fundraising activities.

When the fire struck Norlands in 2008 and destroyed the barn and the farmer’s cottage, Drinkwine was there to assist in cleaning, restoring and the rebuilding effort.

The day after the fire, Drinkwine was in the Center’s church where the antiques were put after they were saved by firefighters and volunteers. She named each item and what room it had been located in the mansion.

Drinkwine frequently sent emails sharing volunteer opportunities and thanking those who had pitched in for their efforts and dedication.

Drinkwine’s last email to volunteers was sent Sept. 6.

In it she wrote, “For the fourth year in a row we’ve increased the number of visitors who ‘drop in’ for summer tours. There were 95 people in 2008; 338 in 2011. A fantastic increase of 350 percent!”

“We owe a huge acknowledgment — and an even bigger thank-you — to the dedicated team of volunteers who staffed this delightful homestead all summer long,” she wrote.

Visitors were entertained, they were educated, they relaxed on the piazza, they enjoyed nooning on the grounds…in other words, their day at Norlands became part of their wonderful summer memories, Drinkwine wrote.

From there she went on to list future opportunities to build on that success through December.

A note on the Center’s website states that “The Norlands has suffered a deep loss this week.  Nancey Drinkwine passed away very unexpectedly last Friday. Nancey was the acting director of the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center, and had acted as volunteer coordinator. But these are just titles. Nancey was so much more than that to the Norlands. She was our indefatigable cheerleader, our personal friend, a consistent, bright ray of optimism for the organization when it has needed it most. We’ve lost our dear light, Nancey. She is irreplaceable, but we must go on with all that she loved about the Norlands.  It is what she would want us to do.”

The public is invited to a celebration of her life at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, in the Meeting House at Norlands at 290 Norlands Road in Livermore.

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