Gilford---Rena Willis, 82, of Gilford, New Hampshire, went home to her Lord on July 7, 2011. She passed peacefully early in the morning at home under hospice care, after a brief battle with cancer. She spent the days prior to her death with loving friends and family who stopped by to visit. The evening before her death, she was surrounded by family, representing four generations.
Rena, originally from Stratford, New Hampshire, moved to Groveton, New Hampshire, as a freshman, and eventually attended the Laconia School of Nursing from 1947-1950. Her nearly 50-year nursing career included working from 1950-1953 at Lakes Region General Hospital; 1953-1957 in the USAF Nurse Corps - served between the Mitchell Air Force Base in Long Island, New York, and in Wiesbaden, Germany, with the 71st 100th USAF Hospital. She then worked as an RN in Maternity and Orthopedics at LRGH from 1957-1998.
While stationed in Germany, Rena met Benjamin Willis, a soldier in the US Army. Their courtship spanned the continents and they were married on April 27, 1957, in N. Stratford, New Hampshire. They have spent their entire married life serving the Evangelical Baptist Church in Laconia, in various capacities such as the music ministry, Sunday School and youth ministries, Golden View Nursing Home ministry, Child Evangelism Fellowship, and Camp Good News.
Rena was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Florence Blodgett; brother Clarence Blodgett; sister Doris Hammond; beloved husband Benjamin Willis; and grandson Benjamin Green.
Rena’s surviving family members include three daughters, Karen Lee Banks of Greene, Maine; Kimberly Dale Gardner of Walpole, New Hampshire; Kristine Lynn Green of Davisville, West Virginia; and one son, Karlton Scott Willis, of Gilford, New Hampshire. In addition, Rena is survived by two sisters, Arvilla Strawn and Claire Martineau; and 11 grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and many nieces and nephews.
There will be a private committal service for family and close friends at the N.H. State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen on Monday, July 11, 2011, at 1:00pm.
A memorial celebration service, in honor of her life, will be held on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, at 11:00am at the Evangelical Baptist Church, Veterans Square, in Laconia. All who knew and loved her and her family are welcome to attend the service and reception following.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to either Community Health and Hospice, who provided wonderful care for Rena and demonstrated much appreciated compassion to the family; 780 N Main St # 1, Laconia, NH, 03246-2786, or call (603) 524-8444 for more information; or Child Evangelism Fellowship of New Hampshire, 11 Brookwood Drive, Concord, NH, 03301-1800, or call (603) 369-4566.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com .