Kathryn Leora Fitch MacLeay, 90, of Meriden died peacefully at the Cedar Hill Continuing Care Facility in Windsor, VT, on September 21, 2017. Kay was born on November 15, 1926, in Claremont, NH, and was the daughter of Raymond and Emma (Tewksbury) Fitch.
Kay graduated from Stevens High School in 1944 and married G. Gardiner MacLeay, Jr. on July 5, 1947. Gardiner predeceased Kay in 2009. Kay was the Senior Vice President of her high school class and organized many of the class alumni celebrations until several years before her death. Kay and Gardiner owned and ran MacLeay’s General Store in Meriden from 1948 until 1975. Kay served as a United States Postal Service Clerk in Meriden, Claremont, and Reading, VT, and retired from that service in 1985.
Kay was the dispatcher for the Meriden Volunteer Fire Department when it was first organized and was Secretary of the Meriden Fire Association for many years. She served as Plainfield Tax Collector for several years. Kay was a member of the Meriden Grange, the Meriden Bird Club, and the Daughters of the American Revolution organization. She was an active genealogist and a Charter and Life Member of the Plainfield Historical Society which she served as Secretary for many years. Kay and Gardiner were instrumental in researching and having the Meriden Town Hall added to the National Register of Historical Places in NH.
In 1983 Kay represented Meriden on a “Bridges for Peace” group from the Upper Valley which traveled to the Soviet Union and spent 15 days meeting many people and visiting large cities. Kay and Gardiner also loved to travel and visited many places in the US and worldwide.
Kay was a Member of the Meriden Congregational Church and an Associate Member of the Plainfield Community Baptist Church. She and Gardiner volunteered at the Listen Dinners at Sacred Heart Church in Lebanon on Thursday evenings for several years.
Kay and Gardiner loved antiques and after selling the store in Meriden, they enjoyed working for William Smith Auction Galleries for many years in their retirement.
Kay is survived by her brother Arthur Fitch of Lakeland, FL; her brother-in-law Norman MacLeay of Claremont; her children Laura Diane (H. Daniel) Rogers of Latham, NY, and G. Gardiner (Andrea) MacLeay, III of Claremont; her grandchildren Kassie (Jesse) St. Pierre of Newbury, NH, G. Gardiner (Sara Nowlan) MacLeay, IV of Brownsville, VT, H. Daniel (Jennifer) Rogers, III of Cranford, NJ, and Brian (Julie) Rogers of San Francisco, CA; nine great grandchildren; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A service celebrating Kay’s life will be held on Saturday, October 7, beginning at 11:00 a.m. at the Plainfield Community Baptist Church, 1094 Route 12A in Plainfield, NH, with a lunch reception to follow. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a calling hour beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the church on October 7 before the service. A committal service will be private at the convenience of the family. The family requests, in lieu of flowers, that memorial donations may be made to the Plainfield Community Baptist Church, PO Box 84, Plainfield, NH 03781; the Meriden Volunteer Fire Department, PO Box 337, Meriden, NH 03770; or Kimball Union Academy, 64 Main Street, Meriden, NH 03770.
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