Andrea Bryony North

White River Junction, VT - Bryony North, 48, passed suddenly Saturday, October 11, 2014 at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH after a brief illness.

She was born November 3, 1965 in Corbridge, England the daughter of Peter and Rosalind (McLean) Mellor. Bryony grew up in Barrington, RI and graduated from Barrington High School and later attended Katharine Gibbs School and Bryant University.
Loving and devoted: These two words hardly described her approach to motherhood. Her mission in life was to ensure that her children had everything they needed; there was no rehearsal, recital, competition, practice, game, school activity or project that she would not move heaven and earth to ensure that her children could participate in. Bryony did not believe that the limitations of time and distance applied when it came to ensuring that her children were able to do the things they wanted to do. Amazingly, she was always able to make it happen. She was so proud of being a mother that she demanded that her tax return list her occupation as "Mother." She considered this the most important vocation a person could have in life.
Bryony would think nothing of driving to Burlington, VT for a morning soccer practice, then to Massachusetts for a game in the afternoon and finally helping her children for as long as needed with their homework-all in the same day. She relished the challenge of making this happen and would not listen to her husband, who would call her crazy for doing these things. Nor would she fail to get up and without complaint would drive her daughters to skating lessons or competitions across the state or in New York. There were too many nights to count when she was up very late ensuring that a child's Halloween costume was perfect or that each child had all the help and support they needed with their homework or class project. There are too many examples of her actions, which to some might have seemed small or insignificant, that she considered part of her responsibilities as a mother. While it might surprise those who got to know her, she was a shy and reserved person which denied many the opportunity to learn what a warm and caring person she was. Those who knew her, knew she was always willing to lend a hand and help in what ever way she could, whether it was as a volunteer treasurer for local organizations, a Sunday school teacher, a member of the church Vestry, leader of the West Rutland Brownie Troop or helping in her children's classroom at school. One of the activities that she most enjoyed helping with was the Books and Beyond reading program in West Rutland. She would spend countless hours compiling the lists of books read by each child, posting the recognition stars on the school's walls, designing and printing the weekly raffle tickets , as well as the recognition certificates at the end of the year. She was so committed to this activity that she continued to assist in this program after her children left the school. She spent many years as a volunteer for Meals on Wheels and many times brought her children with her because the residents enjoyed seeing little children. She also arranged an annual Christmas concert with her Brownie Troop at Maple Village in Rutland. She was a vital part of her community. She also loved animals, especially cats, leading to several adoptions of stray cats who became treasured members of the family. She joked that she would be "that crazy cat lady" later in life. One of her many virtues which she passed down to her children was a strong sense of fairness and right and wrong. She would not accept that sometimes life was unfair or that rules were made to be broken or even bent. This makes her untimely death especially hard, as it will be the most unfair event to occur in the lives of her children. She is survived by her loving husband Russ and their four children Carlton, Cassandra, Carolyn and Cayley, who will miss her greatly.

Bryony was predeceased by her mother Rosalind and is survived by her father Peter, sisters Lesley Mellor and her partner Connie Whittemore of Goodyear, AZ; Karen Mellor of Barrington, RI; brother David Mellor and his wife Sally of Lincoln, RI; her nephew Andrew Mellor and his wife Kaitlyn of Medford, MA.

A visitation will be held Friday, October 17, at the Trinity Church in Rutland from 2-4PM follow by funeral services at 4PM. A second visitation will be held Saturday 9-11AM at the Knight Funeral Home in White River Junction.
Memorial contribution may be made to the World Wildlife Foundation 1250 Twenty-Fourth Street, N.W. P.O. Box 97180 Washington, DC 20090-7180, or to your local Humane Society.