Arthur Charles DiMauro

The son of Attilio (Art) and Elizabeth (Betty) DiMauro, Art grew up in the Thornton Heights neighborhood of South Portland, Maine, and graduated from South Portland High School, where he ran track and made lifelong friends. He was inducted into the Order of the Arrow, became an Eagle Scout, and drew values that echoed throughout his life from his time in the Boy Scouts.

In his long academic career, Art graduated from the University of Maine, and obtained graduate degrees from the University of Denver, University of Maine, and Boston University, including a Master’s in social work, and both a Master’s and Doctorate in education.

Art devoted his life to the welfare of others, especially young people. At the helm of Harbor Schools and Family Services for more than 30 years, he was instrumental in bringing stability, security, and compassion to the lives of countless troubled children. He cherished the Harbor Schools family of students and staff throughout his life. A licensed clinical social worker, he maintained a private psychotherapy practice counseling both children and adults, and was tremendously dedicated to his clients, stopping work only recently due to his illness. His long career as an advocate for children included active engagement in the Massachusetts Association of Approved Private Schools, which resulted in deep and lasting friendships.

Art loved golf, and perhaps more, the countless friendships he made through the game. He was a long-time member of the Haverhill (Mass.) Country Club, and later the Willowdale Country Club in Scarborough, Maine, where his father had been club champion for many years. He took great pleasure from movies, gardening and working in the yard at the home he loved; and he was an accomplished painter, particularly interested in capturing scenes of the Maine coast. Always confident in society’s potential for good, he was fascinated by politics, and a voracious consumer of local and national news. A committed Democrat, he enjoyed spirited political discourse with friends. He played the guitar; loved country music, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles; and was a devoted fan of the Red Sox, the Patriots, and all manner of local high school sports. Skiing was another passion; he learned to ski on the icy New England slopes, skied as much as possible when living in Denver, and later returned to ski the Rockies many times with his family and friends.

Art was a member of the West Newbury (Mass.) and Pentucket Regional School committees in the 1980s. After returning to Maine in 2006, he became engaged in the church of his childhood, the Thornton Heights United Methodist Church, where he was a trustee, member of the leadership team, and member of the board of the child-care center.

Art treasured his family. He was a devoted father, husband, grandfather, uncle, and brother, and cared deeply about his connections with his many aunts, uncles, and cousins. For years he organized annual golf days with his uncles, and he delighted in connecting with his extended family at countless DiMauro and Rossetti family reunions.

His friends were also precious to him. Through work, family, and his many interests, Art made enduring friendships in every community to which he belonged, as his life took him throughout Maine, northeastern Massachusetts, and Colorado.

Higgins Beach was one of Art’s favorite places. He loved the beach and its community of dog and plover fans, and over the last decade he could be found there twice a day, even in the bitterest conditions, walking with his wife Lizzie and their loyal dog Ollie, and spoiling all the dogs as the unofficial treat guy. Seeking compromise between dogs on the beach and protection of the piping plover, he was involved in Dog Owners of Greater Scarborough (“DOGS”), and volunteered as a plover monitor.

Art is survived by his adoring family, including his wife Lizzie; son Dominic; daughter Danielle, her husband Mark, and their children; sister Madeline and her husband Duke; brothers-in-law Rob and Tom; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Patty; and his sister Linda.

The family wishes to thank New England Cancer Specialists and Northern Light Home Care and Hospice for their excellent and compassionate care.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial at Thornton Heights United Methodist Church in South Portland at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 22. In lieu of flowers and gifts, the family encourages donations in Art’s memory to a child or animal welfare organization of the donor’s choice.