DORIS C. ADAMS-NUNNEMACHER

     Doris C. Adams Nunnemacher, 94, died on Friday Jan. 5, while dreaming of skiing the deep powder that fell outside her window. She lived a rich life, full of wonderful friends and adventures.

The second of five children of Robert Fredrick Adams and Elsie Antonia Nyberg, Doris was born and raised in Holden, MA. She grew up surrounded by a large extended family. In 1943 Doris left Holden to join the Navy. She was stationed in Portsmouth, NH where she met her first husband Robert Blake. After the war, Doris and Bob moved to Akron Ohio where their sons Edward and Dale were born. They returned to Holden in the mid 1950’s to build a new house where their daughter Carrie was born. Doris had a rewarding career working first at the Alden Research Lab as the administrative assistant to the director, and later at WPI as the administrative lead in the mechanical engineering department.

Doris’ second husband was Dr. Rudolf Nunnemacher of Clark University. Doris and Rudi married in 1975 and lived in Sutton, MA. They shared many travels and adventures. Most memorable were their annual student trips to Bermuda. After Rudi’s death, Doris moved to Wells, ME. Never one to sit down for long, Doris split her time in retirement between volunteer activities and her many athletic pursuits. You would most often find her working at Laudholm Farm in Wells, or skiing in Newry. Time with friends on the tennis court, the golf course, or out in the kayaks, rounded out her days.

Doris was a Lifetime Corporation Member of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science (formerly the Bermuda Biological Station). She was also a Founder and Honorary Trustee of the Laudholm Trust/Wells Reserve. Her contributions to both organizations were significant and left her with enduring friendships. Doris was an active member of the Prime Time Ski Club at Sunday River and the Merriland Farms Golf Club in Wells. She was a member of the Chaffins Congregational Church in Holden and the Wells Congregational Church.

Doris is survived by her son Edward Blake and his wife Paula, her daughter Carrie Blake and her wife Didi Wallace, her sister June Pearson and her husband Morton, her sister-in-law Barbara Adams, her brother-in-law Alan Buckley, and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Kimberly, Tanya, Dale, John and Joel and their families, as well as her step children Sallie, Knick, Gretel, and Thea, and their families. She was predeceased by her husbands, her sisters Ruth Medine and Carole Buckley, Ruth’s husband Arthur, her brother Robert Adams, and her son Dale Blake.

We are grateful to all those who helped Doris live so independently, both on the marsh in Wells, and at Sentry Hill in York.

A celebration of her life will be held in the spring when the ground is soft enough to plant a tree in her honor.