Laura Tarleton

" Laura “Laurie” (Raymond) Tarleton, 44, of Cottage St, died suddenly on August 27 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Born in Clinton, MA, October 30, 1960, she was the daughter of Bertrand Raymond of Lunenberg the late June (Hayes) Raymond. Laurie grew up in Lancaster, MA before moving to the Exeter, NH area in approximately 1980. She married the late William “Bill” Gallant in 1984 and raised with him two children, Cameron and Abigail Gallant. She attended Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton, MA and college at the University of New Hampshire. Throughout her life, Laurie worked as a teacher’s aide, nurse’s aide and with special needs children and adults. Following Bill’s death in 1995, Laurie met Michael Tarleton of Epping, NH and his three children, Nathan, Andrew and Christopher. The couple moved to Belchertown, MA in 1997 with their five children. They married in July, 2003. An integral part of the Belchertown community and its school systems, Laurie lived her dream of providing a gathering place for her and Michael’s family and friends and the many friends of their children. She was an avid gardener and theirs was a home alive with activity, flowers, the smell of home-cooked meals and the melody of love and laughter. Musically-inclined and athletic herself, Laurie was involved in every sport, music and extra-curricular activity in which her children participated. Besides her father, Laurie is survived by her husband Michael, their five children, Cameron, Abby, Nate, Andrew and Christopher, along with her brother Michael Raymond of Lancaster, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, sisters and brothers-in-law, and countless relatives and friends from the Exeter, Lancaster and Belchertown areas. A Celebration of her Life will be Friday, September 2 at 11:00 a.m. in the Belchertown Congregational Church followed by burial in South Cemetery. Friends may extend their sympathy to the family during calling hours at the funeral home on Thursday from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Though Laurie loved flowers, a trust fund has been set up for the benefit of the children and donations may be made to Tarleton/Gallant Children Fund, c/o Citizens Bank, 33 Main Street, Belchertown, 01007."