Beth Ellen Burrage (née Sanborn), 77, of Topsham, Maine died peacefully while surrounded by her family on September 10, 2024 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice House after a brief battle with cancer.

Beth was born and raised in South Portland, Maine. She was educated in South Portland public schools and graduated from Colby College where she met her future husband Tom. She pursued formal teacher training at Boston University's School of Education and then attended Clark University where she earned a master's degree in American literature for her work analyzing William Faulkner's short stories.

After marrying in 1970, Beth and Tom spent their early years together in Massachusetts enjoying Boston and Worcester working, learning and earning the degrees that powered their post graduate lives. They then moved to Connecticut where Beth focused on being a devoted mother to Peter as well as kindling her lifelong dedication to the improvement of women's health. She initially began as a volunteer at Planned Parenthood in Old Saybrook, CT and thirty years later she retired as their clinic manager. Calling on her formal training in teaching, she provided guidance and comfort to innumerable young women and men over those many years. Beth loved to move and to be physically active. She loved to dance growing up, to do Jazzercise in the '80s, to do step aerobics through the 2020s, and then transitioning to yoga, nature trail walking, and personal training thereafter. Beth loved books and was a voracious reader: Contemporary books, classic books, books about Maine, books by Maine authors. She loved talking about books with like-minded women and her book groups were raucous and joyful occasions with her laughter often driving their conversations through twists and turns.

Beth's well-deserved retirement meant a return to their beloved Maine and time with her dad as well as being a grandmother to her three loving and spirited granddaughters. At Highland Green in Topsham, Beth and Tom found a wonderfully alive and supportive community filled with many friends who joined them in both physical and intellectual pursuits. Beth was actively involved in the community and served as a board member of Highland Green's co-op for many years. She also served the larger Midcoast Maine community as a board member and grant reviewer for the Maine Women's Giving Tree, a charitable organization dedicated to funding non-profit groups that focus on the needs of local women, children, and families. Owing to her mother's ancestry, Beth had an interest in all things Scandinavian. She had always enjoyed Nordic noir films and Scandinavian police dramas and retirement also provided Beth an opportunity to travel. In recent years, she and Tom went on multiple incredible trips exploring in and around Norway, Iceland, and Greenland, soaking in the landscapes, the history, the people, and the temperature.

Beth was the only child of Arline Sanborn (née Jorgensen) and Oakley R. Sanborn who both predeceased her. She leaves behind her husband Tom, son Peter, daughter-in-law Joi, and her three devoted granddaughters.

Special thanks for providing Beth remarkable care and compassion go out to the Neurosurgery, Medicine, and nursing teams at Maine Medical Center, the Marshall and Susan Gibson Pavilion for Medical Oncology, and Gosnell Memorial Hospice House. A private interment will be held in Cape Elizabeth. A Remembrance ceremony will be held for friends and family later in the fall.

Hobbs Funeral Home 230 Cottage Road, South Portland is in charge of the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Planned Parenthood of your choice or to the Maine Women's Giving Tree https://mainewomensgivingtree.org/donate/