Hanover, N.H. —
Nina and John, her husband of 69 years, were a loving partnership. They grew up in Houghton, Mich., in the state’s Upper Peninsula. She attended the University of Michigan and lived in East Lansing, Mich., for 12 years when John taught at Michigan State University. Her lifelong association with the League of Women Voters (LWV) began then and she served on the state board as the lobbyist in the capitol. Her daughters remember visiting the capitol with her and meeting the governor. The family was active in the Audubon Society and enjoyed weekend birding trips. Nina compiled a life list of birds from around the country and the world.
The family moved to the East Coast in 1959 and lived in Mountain Lakes, N.J., for 17 years and then Chappaqua, N.Y., for 24 years before moving to New Hampshire. Nina loved Cape Cod and spent weekends and then entire summers at the family cottage in Chatham on the Oyster Pond River.
Nina was active in the New Jersey LWV and became state president. She also served on NJ state committees and was appointed chair of the Energy Committee. She enjoyed her six years on the board of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. In 1974 she ran a spirited but unsuccessful campaign for US Representative. She went on to work at ABC Network News in NYC; she became manager of the political unit, traveling the country to arrange for reporting of returns from elections of national importance, retiring in 1986.
In retirement Nina served on the local conservation board and as president of the 1000-member Saw Mill River Audubon. She and John decided to build a nature walk for the handicapped. She raised the money; John did the engineering work, and with a labor force of 80 volunteers, the boardwalk was constructed in the Pinecliff Sanctuary in Chappaqua. Nina and John consider it one of the most satisfying of their projects; seeing the first wheelchair roll down the walk was their reward. Their travels took them through the U.S. and Canada, and to Central America, Europe, the British Isles, Africa, and Russia. Several of the trips were arranged by Nina and a friend as fund raisers for the Audubon.
Nina loved the opera, listening to the Saturday Metropolitan live radio broadcasts, and attending live performances at the Met in NYC and the HD programs in Spaulding Auditorium. She was a crossword puzzle aficionado and once competed in Will Shortz’s American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Despite living in New England for many years, Nina remained a fan of the New York Yankees. She was also an avid reader and took paperback copies of Russian novels on her daily commute. She enjoyed the ILEAD courses at Dartmouth, particularly those about politics and current events.
Nina is survived by her husband, John; daughter Bonnie, husband Jeff, and their children Maryann and Elizabeth; daughter Maryann, husband Doug, and their children Anna and John; six great-grandchildren; and a sister, Keitha Trudgeon.
The family is appreciative of the loving support of the Kendal staff and community. Gifts in Nina’s memory may be made to the Kendal Cadbury Fund, 80 Lyme Rd, Hanover, NH 03755 or the League of Woman Voters of New Hampshire, 4 Park St, Suite 200, Concord, NH 03301. There will be a celebration of Nina’s life at Kendal on September 26.