Esther Huntley, 97, of Meriden passed away peacefully on May 28. Esther was born February 28, 1920 in Colebrook, New Hampshire. She was predeceased by her husband, Cmdr. George W. Huntley, USN, and her daughter, Diane Huntley, as well as her siblings: Mervyn, Norman, Clement, Leonard, Vern, Glendon, Victor and Hilda. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Bette and Bob DeMayo, her grandchildren: Kristen, Robin, Gary, and eight great-grandchildren: Lilliana, Genevieve, Troy, Olivia, Robert, Ryan, Brittany, Zachary, and many nieces and nephews. Upon the death of her husband, Esther moved to Connecticut and was an RN in Pediatrics at the Meriden-Wallingford Hospital. She worked nights while she raised her two daughters single-handedly. Esther enjoyed the adventure of traveling, beachcombing, camping and bowling. She loved flowers, especially roses, and hot lobster rolls! Esther was an avid sports fan (especially rooting on her Red Sox), a fierce cribbage player, and was quite talented in arts/crafts. She was a gifted artist, with a special interest in painting both landscapes and wooden figurines/nutcrackers. Esther suffered a stroke in 2011 and lived at the Meriden Center until her death. Her family would like to give special thanks to the staff who cared for her so skillfully and cheerfully.
There will be a memorial gathering on June 8, 2017 at the Center Congregational Church, 474 Broad Street in Meriden. Friends and relatives are invited to join the family for a visiting hour from 9 to 10 am, with a brief service at 10 am. Esther will be buried with her husband at the Golden Gate Cemetery in California. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to Arts For Healing Inc., 24 Grove Street, New Canaan, CT 06840.