Sixty-two years after she reported seeing two Nazi spies who had arrived by U-boat in coastal Maine waters, an incident that vaulted her into the national spotlight, a Hancock woman has died.

Mary Forni, one of two Mainers who became a hero after she saw the spies walking near her home on Hancock Point on Nov. 29, 1944, was 91.

In a 2001 story published in the Bangor Daily News, Forni recalled how she saw the strange-looking men, Erich Gimpel and William Colepaugh, on the side of a rural road as she drove home from a card game.

Historical accounts indicate that the two men probably rowed to shore from the submarine sometime after 10 p.m.

“They just weren’t like normal Mainers in November,” Forni told the BDN. “You just never saw anybody walking without boots when it was snowy like that. It’s a wonder I didn’t stop and offer them a ride.”

But Forni didn’t offer them a ride. Instead, she called a friend, the wife of Deputy Sheriff Dana Hodgkins. Forni later was questioned by investigators about the incident as was Hodgkins’ 17-year-old son, Harvard, who also reported seeing the spies.

On Jan. 2, 1945, then-FBI director J. Edgar Hoover announced the capture of the two spies in New York City.

The case brought national attention to Hancock Point, and the story starring Forni remains a local legend.

“The truth is that Mary Forni and Harvard Hodgkins sounded the alarm that the Germans had landed, and it was their alert that launched the FBI dragnet,” said Richard Gay of Blue Hill, a retired government agent who has written two books about the incident. “They are New England patriots, no less than Paul Revere, and deserve full credit for their place in Maine and U.S. history.”

Gay was the guest speaker at an event in November 2004 celebrating the 60th anniversary of the U-boat landing, which Forni attended.

“I was sorry to hear of Mary’s passing,” Gay said. “She was a feisty woman with a quick wit and keen sense of humor.”

Forni was born in Sullivan and lived in Hancock County until her death.

A memorial service for Forni will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 13, at the Hancock Congregational Church.