PORTSMOUTH, NH-Melba F. (Nugent) Power, 86, of 125 Elwyn Avenue died Tuesday, May 6th in York General Hospital, York, ME. Her husband of 56 years, James R. Power died in 1999. She leaves 2 sons, Richard R. Power of El Paso, TX and Edwin R. Power of Lockhart, TX; 3 daughters, Elizabeth E. Crane of Austin, TX, Marguerite L. Power of Staten Island, NY, and Kathleen M. Morris of Grapevine, TX; a brother, John Howard Nugent of Worcester; 11 grandchildren; 20 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. A daughter, Anne L. Levesque and a sister, Mary Hazel Chamberlain predeceased her.
She was born in Worcester the daughter of John F. and Bessie M. (Tabor) Nugent and lived in Washington, D.C for 5 years, Barrington, NH for 27 years and Portsmouth for over 20 years. She graduated from South High School in Worcester. She was a member of St. James Church in Portsmouth, NH. Mrs. Power along with her husband raised horses and traveled to all 50 states, Europe, Africa and Asia. She loved gardening and was a master at needlecrafts. She brought joy to hundreds, dozens of friends and family members who were able to present their newborns with her handcrafted Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. Gifts that children treasured as friends from the cradle through college and beyond.
The funeral will be Saturday, May 10th from O’Connor Brothers Funeral Home, 592 Park Avenue, Worcester, MA with a Mass at 10:00 AM in Blessed Sacrament Church, 555 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA. Burial will be in St. John’s Cemetery, Worcester, MA. A calling hour will be Saturday, May 10th from 8:30 until 9:30 the morning of the funeral. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Richie MacFarland Children’s Center, 11 Sandy Point, Stratham, NH 038