Melda Page Obituary (1941 - 2022)

Melda Walter Page, 81, died April 13, 2022 in Augusta, ME, after a long illness. She was born January 10, 1941 in Morristown, NJ. She is predeceased by her husband, Robert Leroy Page in 2013. Her father was James Munday Walter and her mother was Mary Lawson Walter, both deceased. She is survived by a son, Andrew M. Page and his wife Sarah E. Chadbourn of Washington, DC; her brother James M. Walter, Jr. and his wife Sarah Walter of Melbourne, FL; her nephew David Walter and his wife Diana Walter of Dallas, TX. Melda grew up in Bradenton, FL and attended Manatee County schools. She graduated from Manatee County High School in 1959, where she served as editor-in-chief for the school newspaper and played flute and piccolo in the band. In 1963 she graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, GA magna cum laude, with a B.A. in political science. Melda first came to Maine in college, spending summers working as a cook at Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park. She married Robert L. Page of Belgrade in 1964. From 1963-1964 she did graduate work in African Studies at Boston University and received a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Florida State University in 1968. She later completed graduate courses in public administration at the University of Maine at Augusta. After getting married, Melda worked for several years as a children’s librarian in Lewiston, where she established six elementary school libraries. In 1971 she became a staff librarian at the Togus Veterans Administration Medical Center and was later promoted to Chief Librarian and Chief Information Officer. While at Togus she designed information retrieval programs used throughout the entire Veterans Administration, and traveled to VA hospitals nationwide to implement them. She also developed medical library components for the databases that eventually formed the VA’s medical records system. She retired from federal service in 1997. Melda and Bob resided in Belgrade for 35 years, where they raised their son Andrew. From the late 1970s to early 1990s Melda served on the school board for the Messalonskee School District, including a three-year term as board chairman. She also volunteered as a den leader for the Belgrade Cub Scout troop. After retirement Melda volunteered at the Belgrade-Rome food pantry, worked for local political campaigns, and assisted with a research project on the history of the Togus VA hospital. Melda was renowned throughout Central Maine for her gardening skills and the beautiful flowers she grew. She was active in both the Waterville Community Garden Club and the Kennebec Valley Garden Club, where she participated in numerous local and state civic garden projects and gave horticultural presentations throughout the community. She also served as Horticulture Chairman of the Garden Club Federation of Maine and as Director of its Kennebec District. Melda and Bob moved to Granite Hill Estates in Augusta in 2006. In addition to gardening, she loved travel, and especially enjoyed taking river cruises and visiting gardens and flower shows. She doted on her pets over the years, including a rambunctious German shepherd and several mischievous cats. Melda also enjoyed reading widely, particularly mysteries and biographies. Throughout her life she maintained a keen interest in current events and world affairs and was a lifelong reader of her daily newspaper. The family wishes to thank the staff of MaineGeneral Rehabilitation and Long Term Care at Gray Birch; Ann Mckenna and her staff at Renaissance Quality Home Care; Dr. Laura Caron of Family Focused Health Care; Jeanne Gibson and her colleagues at Gibson LeClair and One River CPAs; Steve LeClair for proving a final forever home for Spook; Home Care for Maine; the management and staff at Granite Hill Estates in Augusta; and the many friends and neighbors who visited, ran errands, provided pet care, and assisted with the gardens during Melda’s illness. A celebration of Melda’s life will be held later this year. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine (https://www.gsfb.org/) or the Kennebec Valley Humane Society (https://pethavenlane.org/). Click this link to view additional details about Melda's Services, including any available live streams: https://my.gather.app/remember/melda-page