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07/06/2023 03:03 PMDorothy “Diane” Anne Mela (née Meeker), a loving and loved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, formerly of Essex, passed away peacefully on June 20 in Peabody, Massachusetts. She was born in New Rochelle, New York, on Dec. 19, 1929, to Muriel Angelyne Mendes Meeker and Leland Henry Meeker.
After attending Mt. St. Mary Academy in Newburgh, New York, she received her B.A. degree from the College of New Rochelle in 1951 and her MSW degree from the University of Connecticut in 1971. Later, she attended the University of Hartford, pursuing a degree in counseling.
After graduating from college, she pursued her passion to help families by managing foster care and adoption for the Westchester Department of Family and Child Welfare and the Burke Foundation Cerebral Palsy Clinic, White Plains, New York. She subsequently served as a social worker for the Middletown school system and was active on advisory committees, including the Community Psychiatric Clinic of Middlesex CT Hospital and the Essex, CT Visiting Nurse Association. Upon retirement, she taught swimming to young children at the YMCA and volunteered in the Middlesex Hospital Hospice Program. In sum, her career was dedicated to making the lives of others better.
Always active, she was an avid swimmer, skier, tennis player, sailor, kayaker, and hiker. Loving the company of others, she was an active member of the Essex Corinthian and Baldwin Yacht Clubs and the Old Saybrook Women’s Club. In 2007 after retirement, she settled in Hingham, MA.
She is predeceased by her dearly and deeply loved husband, Richard L. Mela, with whom she enjoyed sailing and socializing. In addition, she is predeceased by three brothers and one sister and was close to all of them. She is survived by her son, Robert Steven, and his wife Sylvia, and their children, Jacob and Lily of Lexington, Massachusetts; and her son Dr. Carl Frederick Mela, and his wife, Rebecca, and twin grandchildren, Nathaniel and Christen of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Part of a large family, she is also survived by 11 nieces and nephews and their children and two stepsons, Alan Mela of Lake Oswego, Oregon; and Kenneth Mela of Sparks, Nevada; and their families. Her husband’s sister, Elaine Mela Grabel, resides in Palm Springs, California.
Funeral arrangements will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Linden Ponds Benevolent Care Fund (LPBCF) or The Trustees of Reservations. The LPBCF, at 781-534-7077, provides support to residents who, despite careful planning, outlive their financial resources. The Trustees of Reservations preserve Massachusetts sites of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value, and donations can be made at www.thetrustees.org/support.