Phyllis Herrick
AUGUSTA – Phyllis Herrick, 76, whose scholarly work enhanced the understanding of the role of women in the history of Maine, and Augusta, in particular, died Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, in Waterville, after a three-year illness.
As a nontraditional student working toward a master’s degree in women’s studies at the University of Maine, Herrick established the Women’s History Trail of Augusta in 2001 as part of her master’s thesis project. The trail covers 43 sites throughout the city, beginning at Fort Western and ending at City Hall. It includes information, spanning four centuries, about women who lived and worked in Augusta. She was also a dedicated volunteer of many years at Kennebec Historical Society and in the effort to restore Augusta’s Colonial Theater.
The daughter of Phillip and Elisabeth (Lindberg) Herrick of Harmony, Herrick was a 1963 graduate of Harmony High School. That year she also was chosen by the Skowhegan Lions Club and local automobile dealers to serve as Miss Autorama. It was the first time she had entered a contest of any kind. She later competed in the state-wide Miss Maine competition.
She lived for many years in Brookline, Mass., where she worked for the town school committee. She returned to Maine in 1989 to work at the University of Southern Maine’s Edmund S. Muskie School.
In addition to her interest in Maine history, she was known for her love of fashion. The elegant outfits she sewed and chic vintage pieces she gleaned at local thrift shops made her a standout at any gathering. She was adept at needle arts, and making toys, pillows and other items that she donated to fundraising events at the school attended by her granddaughter in New York City.
She was predeceased by her parents; and her older brother, Carl Herrick.
She will be greatly missed by her son, Charles von Herrlich and daughter Kaarin von Herrlich, both of New York City; granddaughters Maddalena Sofia von Herrlich and Charlie Joan-Elien von Herrlich; her partner, Christopher Faris of Richmond; brother, Frederick and wife Regina of Harmony; her aunt, Barbara Herrick of Dover-Foxcroft; many nieces and nephews and their families; and her cousins.
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