FARMINGTON — Laura Nathalie Melcher, 89, of Wilton passed peacefully the evening of Friday, April 14, with her loving family at her side.

She was born Sept. 20, 1927, in Corinna, a daughter of Cony and Elnora (Neil) Williams. She received her education in Wilton and Farmington schools and on Nov. 24, 1946, married her grammar school sweetheart, Arthur Paul Melcher, on the Melcher Family Farm in Wilton. Together, they enjoyed working shoulder-to-shoulder on the farm, in the hayfields and caring for the animals. She knew the meaning and the value of hard work and enjoyed tending to her beautiful flower gardens. Laura also worked picking apples and was employed at the corn canning factory in Farmington, along the banks of the Sandy River.

She enjoyed cooking, baking, reading and creating family keepsakes with her embroidery and particularly her crocheting skills. Laura’s greatest treasure was her family. She was a caretaker for many beloved family members throughout her lifetime, and she always enjoyed being in the company of the many close and extended family members who found their own hearts always welcomed in her farm home, a place that she shared with her husband for 68 years.

She is loved by her children, Susann Melcher of Wilton, and Larry Melcher and his wife, Mary, of Jay; their sons, Nicholas “Nick” Melcher and his wife, Krista, of Jay and their little boy, Tanner Paul Melcher; and Gregory “Greg” Joseph Roland Melcher of Bridgton; her brother-in-law, Raymond Wiers of East Wilton and his boys, Ronnie Gerrish, Randy and Ricky Wiers; her sister-in-law, Deanne Williams of Livermore and her children, Julie Welch and Peter Williams; and her husband’s cousin (who thought of her like a sister), Orene Berg of Massachusetts, and her children, Gary Berg, Stevie Berg and Tammy Coe; nephew and nieces, Gary (Bev) Cushman, Bonnie (Paul) Jones and Brenda (Mike) Bradstreet, Alice (Sid) Linscott, Patricia Frye, Charlotte Owens and Marjorie Owens; and many grandnieces and grandnephews.

She was predeceased by her husband, Paul, who died on Jan. 15, 2015; two sisters, Margaret Owens and Dot (Williams) Wiers, who died on April 11, 2016; her sister-in-law, Eleanor “Enzy” Cushman, who died on April 9, 2017; her brother, Harold Williams; and nephew, Terry Williams.

Her family would appreciate sharing memories, tributes and condolences on her memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com.

Laura N. Melcher