STRONG – Rena Eunice (Walsh) Melvin, 76, passed away peacefully at her home in Strong on Saturday, Jan. 10, in the presence of her loving family and her tomcat, Ted.

The youngest daughter of Eunice Idell Woodsome and Ranald Charles Walsh, she was born Dec. 4, 1932, at the family farm on Wheeler Hill in Phillips. She lost both parents by the age of 17.

On Aug. 21, 1954, she married Navyman Harold “Sonny” Lloyd Melvin and spent 20 years as a military wife traveling the country gathering friends, memories, and what would ultimately become the cherished family recipes. Upon retiring home to Maine, she worked as an inspector at Forster Manufacturing and, later in life, quietly served as primary caretaker of her husband for 14 years.

She happily placed others before herself, and gave without expecting anything in return. Family was her life. She found great joy in her role as Nana, showering her grandchildren with love and affection. She also loved the light of dawn, with its coffee and intimate conversation. She filled the farm with smells of home cooking, copies of Better Homes & Gardens, and plants she inherited from her matriarchs. She truly set an impossible standard.

She is survived by her husband, Harold Melvin; two sisters, Hazel Gordon and Grace Davenport Williams; her legacy continues through her children, Dave Lloyd Melvin, Sheryl Leigh (Melvin) Coolong and husband, Scott, stepson, Michael Melvin and wife, Cathy; and her three grandchildren, Amanda Leigh Coolong, Joel Scott Coolong and Jonathan Dylan Melvin Lambert Richards.

She was predeceased by two sisters, Mildred Howard and Doris Tyler; and her beloved stepson, Timothy Melvin.

We love you, Rena. Your sweet, gentle spirit touched all who had the privilege of knowing you.