This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Longtime Essex resident Marcia Lamphier Pond, wife of the late William (Bill) Pond, died peacefully at her home in Essex on Feb. 18. Born in 1929 in New Britain, Marcia was the daughter of the late Mr. Edwin P. Lamphier, Jr., and Daisy (Fournier) Lamphier.

She graduated from Green Mountain Junior College and went on to a career with the State of Connecticut, ending her career as secretary to the Commissioner of Policy and Management during the Ella Grasso era. First and foremost Marcia had a lifelong love of and for animals. She would have had a horse in the backyard had zoning allowed. Marcia had to settle for the many canines she had over the years. She also had a soft heart for those who were going through tough times in their lives, offering shelter and guidance to help them get their lives back in order.

Some of her earlier activities included cross-country skiing with her husband Bill and best friend Eleanor, as well as a bike ride around the town she loved so much, Essex. In the summer you may have found her and Bill at the Mile Creek Beach Club simply relaxing. Spring was a favorite time for Marcia. It activated the gardener gene that lay dormant in her over the winter months. It was a fresh beginning and you could always see her puttering about in her yard with her plants and flowers.

She is survived by her brother Edwin P. Lamphier III of Simsbury; nephews Peter Scholes (Debra) of Vero Beach, Florida, Stephen Scholes of Columbus, Ohio, and Thomas Scholes (Cheryl) and Todd Scholes (Maria), both of Calabash, North Carolina; and close friend of more than sixty years, Eleanor Garro of Old Saybrook.

The family would like to thank the caring staff of the VNA, Comfort Keepers Agency, and Beacon Hospice for their kindness, compassion, and support during this trying time.

Visitation will be held on Feb. 28 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main St., Centerbrook. Funeral services will be held in the funeral home chapel on March 1 at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow in the Riverview Cemetery, North Main Street, Essex. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Marcia Pond may be made to The Humane Society, 701 Russell Rd., Newington, CT 06111, to give our animal friends a chance of life. To share a memory of Marcia or send a condolence to her family, please visit www.rwwfh.com.