Nancy Wilder, 89

LACONIA – Nancy Wilder, 89, of 22 Ledgeview Drive, passed away on Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at her home in the Taylor Community.

Nancy was born on Oct. 24, 1926, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. the daughter of Laurence and Mildred (Adams) Eddy. During World War II, her father was in the Army and she moved all over the United States as his postings changed, finally ending up in California. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of California-Berkeley and a master's degree from Southern Connecticut State University. She was a special education teacher for the Belmont and Laconia School District for 25 years. Nancy was a member of the Congregational Church of Laconia.

With her first husband, John Dixon, who worked for the U.S. government, she spent most of her time in the 1950s in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Taiwan with different embassy stations where she was involved in many volunteer activities, raising three children, and teaching in Taiwan at the Taipei American School. She spent the 1960s in Manchester, Connecticut, and was a special education teacher in Hartford, Connecticut. Nancy first arrived ino the Lakes Region 50 years ago when she bought a vacation cottage with her parents on Lake Winnisquam in 1966. She moved permanently to the area in 1969. She married Dr. Charles Wilder in 1977 and they enjoyed their life together as they pursued many outdoor activities including sailing, hiking and bird watching, and skiing, as well as traveling extensively all over the world. One of their favorite places was Lake O'Hara in the Canadian Rockies.

Nancy is survived by a son, Dr. David Dixon, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; a daughter, Mrs. Susan Spulber, of Wilmette, Illinois; a stepdaughter, Dr. Inga Robbins of Egg-Harbor Township, New Jersey; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband Dr. Charles E. Wilder in 2011, her son Robert Dixon and her brother Richard Eddy.

There will be no calling hours or funeral service.

Burial will be held at a later date in the family plot in Riverside Cemetery, Pleasant Valley, Connecticut. Please contact her son at dadixon@ua.edu for more information.

For those who wish, the family suggests memorial donations may be made to the Mayhew Foundation of New Hampshire, P.O. Box 120, Bristol, NH 03222, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000 Dept 142, Memphis, TN 38101-9908.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.