NANTUCKET - On November 18, 2021, Laura (Mae) Elkins Stover passed away peacefully in the arms of her daughter, Karyn Stover Lindsay, in the home they shared at 7 Starbuck Road on Nantucket. Born on February 3, 1924 to Ina Laura (Nelson) Elkins and Ray Chase Elkins in Exeter, New Hampshire, Laura was known throughout her life for her radiant 'goodness and light,' her bright blue eyes and lovely smile––forever kind, thoughtful, and giving, Laura brought love and joy to everyone she met along her remarkable, nearly 98-year journey.

As the middle child, Laura adored her older sister, Dorice (Do-do) and younger sister, Mary and the idyllic childhood they shared. One of her fondest early memories was visiting her Nana and Gramp's farm in Hampton Falls, and while her sisters dutifully learned to knit and cross-stitch, Laura escaped outside, preferring to feed the horses, milk the cows, push the big ensilage wagon from the entrance of the silo out to feed the cows, and to help her cherished Gramp harvest the hay.

Laura was a 1942 graduate of Hampton Academy and High School, where she served as class president, captain of the girls' field hockey and basketball teams, played first chair violin, was a reluctant lead in the school play, and the recipient of numerous academic and character awards.

In 1941, during her senior year of high school, Laura's bucolic life changed forever when her beloved father died suddenly, and then, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, WWII was declared. As the young men in her class joined the military, Laura was committed to helping the war effort as well; after excelling in the civil service exam, she boarded a bus and train bound for Washington, DC, where she accepted a position with the War Production Board in 1942, and then later, in 1944, with the Department of Agriculture. During her free time, she drove for the Diplomatic Motor Corps—chauffeuring diplomats out of the White House and the British Embassy on behalf of the American Women's Volunteer Services—and when time allowed, she frequented the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian Museums.

On November 23, 1944, Laura married her high school sweetheart, Alcot (Al) Haynes Stover, at the Drew Field Chapel in Tampa, FL where he was stationed for B-17 bomber training, prior to going to Foggia, Italy the following year to serve in the Fifteenth Air Force.

In 1956, Laura and Al purchased an historic, 1830 Mansard-style home in Topsfield, MA, and spent the over fifty subsequent years engaged in continuous restoration and renovation, completing the majority of the work by themselves and with family, a source of enormous pride.

Fiercely devoted to her three children—Gregory, Karyn and Andrew—Laura was the quintessential attentive and loving mother, sewing costumes for the entire cast of the school play, baking endless goods, and serving as Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Brownie, Girl Scout, and 4-H Leader. She taught them to ice skate, downhill and cross-country ski; to saddle and ride a horse; to ride a bike and change a flat tire; to drive a standard transmission car; to paddle a canoe; set up a tent and make a campfire; to dig worms, set a hook and catch fish. She taught them to dance, sing, cook, bake, knit, quilt, sew; to plant, weed and tend a garden ––and to laugh, and find joy!

Laura is a longtime member of the Congregational Church of Topsfield where she served as a Deaconess, and as secretary for the late pastor, Dr. Joseph McCorrison. From 1956-1959, Laura worked in the Topsfield Post Office, a community hub, forging lifelong friendships.

From 1962-1989 Laura worked for the David Pingree Wheatlands in Topsfield, MA, affectionately known as "Mr. and Mrs. Wheat," as a social secretary to support Mrs. Wheatland's numerous and diverse philanthropic endeavors, and as the assistant to Mr. Wheatland, curator of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard University. She adored her work with both Mr. and Mrs. Wheatland and their friendship continued until their deaths.

Laura served on the Board of Commissioners for the Topsfield Housing Authority for seven years, overseeing the design, approval, construction and eventual opening of Little Brook Village, built in 1969, which includes apartments for low-income elderly and/or disabled residents.

Laura was an accomplished, self-taught artist and further honed her skills during intense instructional workshops with her mentor, Helen Van Wyk, painter, teacher and author, best known for her PBS television series on oil painting. Laura and Helen became close friends and, along with other fellow students, traveled to Italy in 1981 to study art. In 1994, Laura was invited to submit artwork and text for three revised editions of Van Wyk's books: "Painting Flowers," "Favorite Color Recipes 2," and "Portraits In Oil." Laura later continued her formal art studies with Jack Callahan, R.S. Riddick, Harley Brown, Thomas Buechner, and Paul Leveille.

Laura is a founding member of The Saltbox Gallery, established in 1988 to provide a marketplace for artists in the towns surrounding Topsfield, Massachusetts, where it continues to support the arts today. She was an active member in a score of art associations––from across the Northshore, to Washington, DC, to Nantucket, winning myriad awards and ribbons for her pastel and oil paintings over the past 35 years, including an Award for Excellence from the Florida Miniature Art Society International Exhibit, and First Place for Portraiture from the Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington, DC. Through her business of many years, Bittersweet Studio, Laura offered painting lessons in her home, and completed scores of commissioned pieces for clients, now in countless private homes and corporate offices all around the United States, in Australia and Japan among some. Laura is listed as a notable artist in Marquis' Who's Who of American Women.

In addition to painting, Laura enjoyed horseback riding; hiking and backpacking; breeding and selling Golden Retriever pups; gardening, canning and preserving; learning to play the organ, and studying Classical guitar; making quilts, sewing, and knitting; and making puzzles with her family and friends.  Laura and Al were members of the American Mountain Club's 4,000-Footer Club, having summited all 48 of the 4,000-foot mountains in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest, a consummated bucket list item that occupied many enjoyable hours over many years––in the earlier days, along with their children, and in later years with one of their Golden Retrievers leading the way.

In June 2019, Laura moved to Nantucket to live with her daughter and son-in-law, Karyn and Ken Lindsay. Over the last 2 ½ years, they lovingly cared for Laura and kept her safe from COVID, creating countless happy, poignant memories together––working on her many wooden puzzles; watching Masterpiece Theatre and the Great British Baking Show; sharing FaceTime calls with family and friends; and, fully masked going for car outings all over the island.

Laura is survived by her children: Gregory A. Stover and his wife, Synnove of Plummer, ID; Karyn S. Lindsay, of Nantucket; Andrew N. Stover of Cundy's Harbor, ME, and his wife Janice; her beloved grandchildren Tamara Morris, Gregory Stover, McCall Stover, Courtney Theo; Nathan Lindsay; Kati McGee, Molli McGee, Jill McMahon, and Matthew Tallaksen; and her great-grandchildren: Emily Morris, Taylor Stover, Levi Gardiner, Ella Sandau, Finn and Henry McMahon; and her loving and devoted nieces and nephews and their families, Mary Pat and Jay Gibson, Dick and Linda Horan, Peter Horan, and Meg Horan.

Laura was predeceased by her faithful husband of 68 years, Alcot Haynes Stover (September 2012); by her loving and devoted son-in-law, Kenneth Scott Lindsay (April 2021); her parents: Ina Nelson Elkins (December 1973) and Ray Chase Elkins (November 1941); her sisters, Dorice Frances (Elkins) Horan (July 1978) and Mary Alice (Elkins) Merrill (September 1962).

Laura's family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the Nantucket Cottage Hospital physicians and Interdisciplinary Team for their dedicated and exemplary care, including her primary physician Diane R. Pearl, MD; the compassionate PASCON staff, Libby Tracey and Deborah Dolan; the attentive and caring nurses both in the Emergency Room and on the Medical-Surgical floor; the unflappable Nantucket Fire Department EMTs; the indefatigable Visiting Nurse Association of Cape Cod and Hospice Interdisciplinary Team; and the devoted private duty CNAs, all whom helped Karyn lovingly care for her mother, mentor and muse, in her home, as they both wished.

ARRANGEMENTS: Laura's memorial service and celebration of life will be held at the Topsfield Congregational Church, 9 E. Common Street, Topsfield on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. with a reception in the Emerson Center to follow. Relatives and friends invited. Her service will also be live streamed via TribuCast: https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/835200103 . Assisting the family with arrangements is O'Donnell Cremations – Funerals - Celebrations, 167 Maple St., (Rte. 62) Danvers, MA. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Laura's memory to the Congregational Church of Topsfield, 9 East Common Street, Topsfield, MA 01983. To read an expanded narrative of Laura's life, with photos (posted January 2022), to share a memory or offer condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.