Myles Marisseau

Myles Adams Marisseau passed peacefully from this life surrounded by love, on May 26th. A beloved husband, brother, dogfather, uncle, and friend, Myles was a longtime resident of Gardner, Massachusetts, and the honorary “mayor” of Aruba.

Myles is survived by his devoted wife, Theresa (Stark) of Gardner, his in-laws, Stephen Stark of Claremont, NH, and Deborah and Patrick Garven of Manchester, NH; his sister-in-law, Christina (Stark), and her husband, Andrew Cox of Merrimac, MA; his brother-in-law, Richard Stark, and wife, Juliet of Marianna, FL; his sister, Medora, and wife, Janis of Seattle; his brother Ken and wife, Anna of Mendon, VT; his sister Simone and partner, Steffen of Amherst, NH; his nieces and nephews, Jessica, Nancy, Jack, James, Eduard, and Jacob; and many beloved cousins, including the Rooneys and the Ouellettes. He is predeceased by his parents, Kenneth Marisseau of Provincetown, and Nancy Adams of Gardner.

Myles was a music lover, song writer, talented guitarist, and skier who skied everywhere, from Watatic to Tuckermans to the Italian Alps. After several back surgeries, he switched from flying down the mountain slopes to exploring the Caribbean coral reefs as an avid scuba diver. He maintained lifelong friendships, especially with Doug Waters, with whom he was friends for over fifty years. Family and friends would describe Myles as generous, loyal, philosophical, and funny. He had a green thumb and maintained a daily 420 practice. A day spent with Myles was always a day of laughter and, more than likely, a party.

He and his wife, Theresa, loved to travel together and visited Aruba 15 times, four in the last year of his life. Aruba was truly their second home.

A graduate of Gardner High School, class of ‘83, as well as Umass Amherst, he also studied abroad at the University of Manchester, England, which started a lifelong appreciation of all things British, especially beer. Myles had a career in behavioral health, helping those with traumatic brain injuries, most recently at Umass Medical School.At his request, there will not be any services. In true Myles-style, he celebrated his life on his last birthday with close to 100 of his closest friends and family. The family would like to thank Brookhaven Hospice, especially his primary nurse Nicole, for her compassionate care since January.Myles considered death to be a natural part of life. He worked up until the week of his death and hosted friends sitting around the campfire by the brook in the backyard the day before he passed. He was determined to live life to the fullest and go out on his own terms.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Luna Foundation Aruba, which is a dog rescue that was dear to Myles. Donations are accepted online at www.luna-aruba.com/donate.Myles Adams Marisseau