MINOT – Naomi J. Leighton, 67, of Old Woodman Hill Road, died Friday morning at her home following a long illness.

She was born in Lewiston in 1940, the daughter of Herbert and Marion (Fernandez) Merrill. She was a graduate of Edward Little High School in the Class of 1958.

Prior to moving to Minot in 1972, she made her home on Goff Street in Auburn. She worked for many years in the local shoe industry at Eastern Die on Winter Street in Auburn.

Naomi loved cooking, music, animals, especially her dog, “Sparky,” and her collection of clowns. She will always be remembered as a people person.

She is survived by her husband of Minot, Ronald E. Leighton Sr., whom she married on June 14, 1958; one son, Ronald E. Leighton Jr., and his wife, Kathleen, of Poland; two daughters, Barbara Watkins of South Paris and Lisa Radcliffe of Lewiston; one sister, Virginia Adams and her husband, Gene, of Haverhill, Mass.; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.