Marilyn T. Houghton

Windsor, VT - Marilyn T. Houghton passed away peacefully at Cedar Hill Continuing Care Facility in Windsor, Vermont, on December 31, after a long period of declining health. She was surrounded by the love of her family, with her daughter and son-in-law at her side.

Known as "Lynnie" to her family and friends, she was born in Windsor on September 16, 1934, to Paul Clayton Trask and Eva Valentine (Lemery) Trask, the third of four daughters. Because of the difficult economic conditions of the 1930s and early 1940s — or because, as she phrased it, her father had "itchy feet" — the family moved numerous times during her childhood. Lynnie attended schools in Windsor, Hartland, Barre, South Barre, and South Royalton, and she completed her education in Brattleboro, staying with her married sister in order to graduate from Brattleboro High School in 1952.

After graduation Lynnie moved to Plainfield, New Hampshire, where her parents were living, and soon found employment in the Purchasing Department at Cone Automatic Machine Company in Windsor. At Cone's she met a handsome young draftsman and Navy veteran named Royal Houghton who was to be the love of her life. Lynnie and Royal were married on March 11, 1955, at the Community Baptist Church in Plainfield, N.H. They began their married life in an old house in Bridgewater, near Royal's hometown of Bridgewater Corners. In 1958 they moved to a new house in Ascutney, where they lived for more than 65 years. In 1961 they were blessed by the birth of their daughter Patti.

Lynnie stayed at home when her daughter was a baby, but she returned to the labor force when her daughter reached school age. She became the secretary and hot lunch agent at the Ascutney Elementary School, positions she held for several years. Then she embarked on a career as a legal secretary, working for Leahy & Denault (Claremont, N.H.), Alex Evarts (Windsor, Vt.), Charles V. Spanos (Claremont, N.H.), and Trine Bech (Hartland, Vt.). She took great pride in being a professional working woman, and she discovered that she genuinely enjoyed her new career. She appreciated the history revealed by deed searches and was amused by the quaint phraseology to be found in legal documents.

Because public school education was always important to her, Lynnie later returned to the field as the special education billing technician for the Claremont Supervisory Union. She completed her career as the bookkeeper for her son-in-law's business, Watts-Up Electric Service in Ascutney.

Lynnie was also a dedicated volunteer. She began her volunteerism by offering her secretarial skills to the newly formed American Precision Museum in Windsor. For many years she taught Sunday School classes for the United Methodist Church in Windsor. She served as a member of the Ascutney School Board and became the first female chair of the board. She also served on the Board of Trustees for the Weathersfield Historical Society, on the Board of Trustees for Martin Memorial Hall in Ascutney, and on the Weathersfield Ancient Roads Committee. Although many people knew that she diligently cleaned up trash around the Ascutney school, few people were aware that she and her husband supported the school in ways they preferred to keep anonymous.

Lynnie's life was enhanced by the pastimes she enjoyed. An avid reader, she was especially fond of the Regency novels written by Georgette Heyer. A writer in her own right, she penned many poems and short stories.

Lynnie and her husband were enthusiastic members of the 251 Club of Vermont; they spent countless weekends visiting and photographing all the towns and villages in the state and discovered many secluded picnic spots along the way. Lynnie loved exploring trails and back roads, either on foot or by car, and she could not imagine living anywhere but in her beautiful home state.

Lynnie loved to cook for friends and family and saw the meals that she created as presentations of her care and affection. When she was growing up, her mother disliked having other people in her kitchen, so Lynnie did not know how to cook when she got married. She was quick to learn, however, and alarmed her husband by attempting to make Baked Alaska for their very first dinner party — an attempt that was completely successful! All of her life she took great pleasure in trying new recipes for holidays and birthday parties; no one knew what kind of daring menu she would undertake, but everyone knew that the result would be delicious.

Her family was extraordinarily important to her. Most important of all was the time she spent with her granddaughter Cecelia. Nana and Cece rejoiced in many happy hours together, reading, playing pretend, swimming, and cooking. Lynnie cherished every moment, and she was overjoyed when Cece asked her to be the matron of honor at her wedding.

Lynnie was preceded in death by her parents, her dearly beloved husband Royal, who died in 2023, her older sisters, Mary Jacqueline (Jackie) Manning and Rosamund Ellen (Buddy) Bedard, and her Basenji buddy Louie. She is survived by her daughter Patti and son-in-law John Arrison of Weathersfield, her adored granddaughter Cecelia and grand-son-in-law Joseph Tarr of Weathersfield, her younger sister Pammelia Cheryl Trask of Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, and her nieces and nephews

Despite struggles with memory loss, Lynnie retained her infectious giggle and beaming smile nearly to the end of her long life. Her family would like to extend their profound thanks to the staff at Cedar Hill, who cared for Lynnie with extraordinary kindness and consideration, and to the hospice staff from Visiting Nurses of Vermont and New Hampshire, who cared for Lynnie with dedication and compassion.

A graveside service for Lynn and Royal will take place in the spring. Knight Funeral Home of Windsor, Vermont, has been entrusted with arrangements; condolences may be expressed in an online guestbook at www.knightfuneralhomes.com.