Nellie Irene (Walls) Rich, wife of the late Lyford Judson Rich, died peacefully at home with her family on Aug. 21, 2000, after a brief illness with cancer. She was born March 23, 1919, in West Tremont, the daughter of Alvin and Bessie (Reed) Walls and the granddaughter of Nathan Adam and Emma (Mitchell) Reed and Otis and Katherine (Murphy) Walls.

Nellie attended the Tremont schools and graduated from Pemetic High School in Southwest Harbor in 1937. During World War II, she worked at the Viedes Root defense plant in Hartford, Conn., for five years. She returned to Maine in 1978, following her retirement from Parker Brothers in Salem, Mass., after 17 years of service.

Nellie was a past member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Southwest Harbor and an active member of the Tremont Ladies Aid.

Nellie was predeceased by her husband of 53 years. She leaves behind five children, Fred Rich and his wife, Virginia, of Town Hill, Thomas Rich and his wife, Julie, of Chelmsford, Mass., Pamela Reed of Southwest Harbor, Valeria Allen and her special friend, Tom Brown, of Haverhill, Mass., and Crystal Vorrasi of Virginia. She also leaves behind her sister, Mildred (Rich) and her husband, Lawrence Dodge, of Bernard; two brothers, Nathan Walls and his wife, Myrtle, of Ellsworth and Gerald Walls and his wife, Jo Ann, of Bass Harbor. She will be sadly missed by her 11 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.