Wolfboro, N.H. — Roberta Mildred Batchelder, 90, entered into eternal rest on Thursday, April 20, 2017.
She was born in Kingston, N.Y. on July 30, 1926, the daughter of Gladys (Burton) and Joseph Vollmer. She grew up in Kingston and was a graduate of Kingston High School.
Roberta worked at Lake Mohonk, New York, where she met her late husband, Neal A. Batchelder of Concord, N.H. They were devoted to each other and were married for 32 years.
Neal and Roberta spent most of their married lives in Keene, N.H. where they raised their 4 children, Rev. David A. Batchelder and his wife, Lynn of York Beach, Maine, Dr. Carl R. Batchelder and his wife, Patricia, of Plymouth, Mass., Nancy J. Franklin and her husband, Paul, of Plainfield, N.H., and Barbara A. Byers and her husband, John, of Wolfeboro, N.H.
Roberta was a warm, devoted mother to her children and a doting, generous grandmother to Stephanie, Eric, Kay, Amy, Christopher, Laura, Stephen, Aaron, Hannah, and Kristen. She was a cherished great-grandmother to Maggie, Camden, William, Adori, Blythe, Colin, Leah, Wes, Wally, Liza, Elizabeth, Ella, Nick and Lauren.
She will be greatly missed by her dear sister, Marie Dressel of Kingston, N.Y. She was predeceased by her elder sister, Dolores Fina also of Kingston. She leaves several nieces and several grandnieces and grandnephews in New York as well. Aunt “Bertie” was also loved by countless Batchelder nieces, nephews, and their families throughout New England and beyond.
A joyful, outgoing person, Roberta was known for her ready laugh, her devotion to family and to church, her love of her home and her many friends, and her talent for oil painting. A prolific artist, she was a member and participant in the Keene Art Association. Her beautiful paintings captured her “joie de vivre” and can be found in many homes throughout Keene and most especially revered in the homes of her family.
Roberta enjoyed traveling the world with her husband, Neal, and later with her art group. Her generosity and her caring ways shall be treasured forever by all who knew her.
Roberta sold her beloved custom-built home in Keene in 2015. She had moved to Kittery, Maine in 2014, residing there for almost a year before finally being cared for lovingly, by her daughter, Barbara and her husband, John, in their home in Wolfeboro.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 6th at 11 a.m. in the Trinity Lutheran Church, 100 Maple Avenue, Keene. Burial in the Monadnock View Cemetery, Keene, will be private. It is fitting that Roberta will be once again at home in Keene, along with her husband, in the place which they loved best.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Roberta’s memory to the Central New Hampshire VNA and Hospice, PO Box 1620, Wolfeboro, NH 03894, or to the Huggins Hospital Adult Day Program, 240 South Main Street, Wolfeboro, NH 03894, or to the Cheshire Health Foundation, to benefit the health and wellness mission of the Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth Hitchcock, 580 Court Street, Keene, NH 03431.
The Foley Funeral Home of Keene is assisting the family with the arrangements.
To leave online condolences to the family, please visit www.foleyfuneralhome.com.
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