Lucie Caron Estberg of Severna Park, MD, passed away on February 21, 2023 after a heroic battle with Alzheimer’s. She leaves behind her husband, Charles “Rick” Estberg, son Robb Estberg of Baltimore, sister Janine Caron of Nashua, NH, and several other relatives in NH.
Lucie was born and attended school in Nashua. She graduated from Rivier College in that city with a BA in French and education. After teaching middle school for several years, she began a career with the National Security Agency.
In January 1980, on her first day at NSA, she met her future husband, Rick Estberg. They were married in Nashua in May 1982. In addition to Robb, the couple had an older son, Charlie, who sadly died in April 2020. She retired from the Agency in 2017.
With her family, she spent three European assignments, in Berlin and Stuttgart, Germany, and at NATO in Belgium. Taking every advantage possible, she and her husband visited over 30 countries during their 40 years of marriage.
Her hobbies included singing with the Parkway Chorale and volunteering at a local consignment shop, but her true avocation was working at animal shelters. Over the course of 20 years, she volunteered innumerable hours working at shelters in Maryland and at one of Belgium’s largest facilities, near her home in Waterloo. She was affectionately known locally as “the cat whisperer,” in recognition of her ability to calm even the wildest cats prior to their adoption.
A Celebration of Life was held on Saturday April 22nd at Barranco Funeral Home, 495 Ritchie Highway Severna Park, MD 21146. Donations may be made in her name to the Last Chance Animal Rescue in Waldorf, MD, or the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA.
