A nurse known for her kind heart and having played a significant role in the lives of orphaned children in Haiti, is being remembered as a “beacon of compassion”.

The staff of the Dialysis Unit at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital honoured the life of Marianne Herbert, whom they describe as a “remarkable woman, adoptive mother, cat lover and sport enthusiast”.

The team said Ms Herbert touched the lives of many during her 42 years of tenure at the hospital.

A spokeswoman for the Bermuda Hospitals Board dialysis team said: “Marianne found her niche in the nursing profession when she joined the nursing team at the Dr Beresford Swan Dialysis Unit.

“Her final 35 years of employment were with us as a nephrology nurse and transplant co-ordinator.

“Marianne had a knack for making patients feel seen and heard as individuals. She did not just connect a patient to the machine, monitor them and disconnect them at the end. She was always present with a listening ear, giving gentle reassurance and sometimes firm guidance for living with their chronic illness.

“Patients knew that they could count on her, and subsequently ‘Mama’ became her adoptive name, even among the staff. On one occasion, she was called Mama by an older patient and her amused response was, ‘My, my, I have children my age’.”

Born in Kent, England, in 1948, Ms Herbert wanted to be a nurse from the age of 10.

She trained at Guy’s Hospital in London in the Intensive Care Unit and also studied as a midwife.

She moved to Bermuda in 1973 to work in the ICU before transferring to the Dialysis Unit, where she remained until her mandatory retirement in 2014.

Ms Herbert was a renal transplant co-ordinator for 27 years — and that was her passion.

The BHB team added: “New nurses joining our unit would automatically be taken under her wings. She did not guard her knowledge, but shared it willingly. She maintained a level of excellence in the unit.

“As a transplant co-ordinator, she shone. Every kidney transplant under her watch, and there were many, was a cause for celebration.

“Her patience, guidance, expertise and unwavering support made the process so much easier for all involved.”

Ms Herbert spent a significant part of her later years supporting the Feed My Lambs Ministry, a charity that provides aid to impoverished children in Haiti.

Her first trip to Haiti in 2015 changed the direction of her life. She launched the Feed My Lambs feeding programme, which fed up to 700 children three meals a week.

Ms Herbert loved the children at the Feed My Lambs orphanage and bonded closely with four girls whom she went on to sponsor, helping to pay for their food, clothing housing, medical needs and schooling.

The team at the charity said: “We will forever miss Marianne — a mother, a nurse, a problem solver and a true friend to the Feed My Lambs family.

“Marianne has been a part of Feed My Lambs for over ten years and during this period she made multiple trips to Haiti. She spent time sorting clothes for the children, discussing the curriculum with the school principal, providing medical care, distributing food to the hungry, and spending quality time talking for hours with the children in the orphanage and school.”

Ms Herbert also spearheaded a raffle to raise funds for housing for students that the charity supports at a university in Port-au-Prince.

Feed My Lambs added: “Marianne made a huge impact in the many lives she touched. We will be forever grateful for her kindness and her memory will always be in our hearts.”

Ms Herbert started a small business called Hustle for Haiti, where she would look after people’s pets to raise money for Feed My Lambs.

She was also a dedicated volunteer for Age Concern and its advocacy committee.

Claudette Fleming, the charity’s former executive director, said: “Marianne got actively involved with Age Concern during our advocacy campaign for work beyond 65 years. She was among those who provided her name, face and story regarding the unfairness of retiring at 65 when you are capable of working for longer.

“Marianne was still living in Bermuda when Age Concern was invited to join a special sub-committee of the Trade Union Congress under the leadership of Bermuda Public Services Union president Jason Hayward. That committee provided recommendations to Parliament for the raising of the retirement age to 68, which was adopted into practice by the Public Service.

“Later, before her departure to the UK, Marianne volunteered during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic as a part of our ‘Seniors helping Seniors’ hotline.

“Marianne fought a good fight and she touched many lives in many caring ways. We are richer for having been blessed by her service to Bermuda.”

Ms Herbert was an avid sports fan and participated in tennis, field hockey, road running, triathlon, swimming, tennis, gymnastics and ice-skating.

She played in tennis tournaments with her father and on the prestigious courts of the All England Tennis Club at Wimbledon in the British Junior National Championships.

She also played hockey at youth level for East Kent and represented Bermuda at national level.

Ms Herbert was very fond of cats and was known for feeding the feral population at various locations around the island.

She volunteered with several charities, including the Pals thrift shop and the Bermuda Feline Assistance Bureau.

Marianne Herbert, nurse, sportswoman and generous volunteer, was born on February 24, 1948. She died June 2, 2025, aged 77