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Obituaries » ROBERTA J. NOLAN
NOLAN, ROBERTA JEAN, 86, of Plainfield, died March 31, at the Vermont Respite House in Williston; her family had been at her bedside. Born April 3, 1927, in Barre, she was the daughter of John and Florence (Hibbard) Thurber. She attended schools both in Connecticut and Vermont, and graduated from Plainville (Conn.) High School. On Oct. 10, 1953, she married Donald Nolan in Hardwick; the couple moved several times but spent the majority of their married life in Plainfield. Donald died in May 1993. In earlier years she had worked in a munitions plant in Connecticut and after moving back to Vermont, worked at the North Montpelier woolen mill. Her true love was knitting, which she enjoyed while making hand-knit sweaters for Moriarty’s in Stowe and later at Vermont Originals in Hardwick. Her memberships included the Macedonia Baptist Church in Plainfield, where she was a member of the church auxiliary. Time spent knitting, crocheting and gardening was special to her, and she was also well known for expressing her political views. Survivors include two sons: Michael Nolan and wife, Kim, of Plainfield, and Peter Nolan and wife, Lisa, of East Montpelier; three daughters: Elizabeth DeNauw, of Gilmanton, N.H., Holly Nolan, of Winooski, and Penny Nolan, of St. Albans; along with nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren; two brothers: Donald Thurber and David Thurber and his wife, Diane; a sister, Rebecca Carpenter, and husband, Harold; and two sisters-in-law: Theresa Earle and Ruth Thurber; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by four brothers: John, Gordon, Hayden and Myron Thurber.
