Lily May (Moxley) Spaulding

passed away at her home in Tucson on October 7, 2011 at the age of 90. She was born to Sarah Mayo Moxley and Guy Moxley, on October 29, 1920, in Chelsea, Vermont. Her Moxley ancestors had arrived in New England in 1770, and fought in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Lily spent her formative years on a small farm in Chelsea, and, after graduating from Chelsea High School in 1938, she attended nursing school at Heaton Hospital in Montpelier, Vermont, from which she subsequently received her R.N. degree. Although her goal was to become an airline stewardess, which at that time required an R.N. degree, that goal was curtailed when, during the early years of World War II, she married Lewis Spaulding, of Montpelier, Vermont. The couple first operated a restaurant in Bellows Falls, Vermont, where their first son was born. They then moved to Hartford, Vermont, where two more sons were born while Lewis served in the U.S. Army, and where, after his discharge, Lewis operated a gas station. When she wasn't caring for her children, Lily worked as a nurse at the Alice Peck Day Hospital. In 1949 they moved to Randolph, Vermont, where a fourth son was born, and where Lily subsequently worked as a nurse in Gifford Memorial Hospital. In Randolph, Lewis operated various service stations before finally becoming a fuel oil distributor. In 1962, due to Lily's health, the family moved to Arizona, living for a time in Safford, but primarily in Tucson. In Arizona, she worked as a nurse in various hospitals, including Tucson Medical Center, Tucson General Hospital, and the Veterans Administration Hospital. And, while in Safford, Arizona, she worked as a nurse in doctors' clinics. She was a lifelong member of the Congregational (UCC) church. She and her husband were founding members of the Church of the Painted Hills (UCC) in Tucson, and at the time of her death she was a member of Rincon Congregational UCC in Tucson. She was also a member of the Masons' Eastern Star organization. She was widely known for her cooking skills, which she shared at large family gatherings and at church events. Together with her son John, she co-edited a book of culinary history, Civil War Recipes, which was published by the University of Kentucky Press in 1999, and which is still popular among cooks, historians, educators, and Civil War re-enactors. Lily was preceded in death by her husband, Lewis; her half-brother, Frank Gilman and her half-sister, Ruth Gilman Willis. She is survived by her four sons, Lewis of Friday Harbor, Washington; John of Tucson; Richard of Tucson and Norman of Florence; her six grandchildren, Laurie and Heather Spaulding of Friday Harbor, Washington; Cylor Spaulding of Miami, Florida; Scot Spaulding of Clovis, New Mexico and Christopher and Sarah Spaulding of Phoenix, Arizona; and her six great-grandchildren, Ashleigh and Robert of Friday Harbor and Alexis, Alyssa, Aleah, and Alivia of Prescott Valley, Arizona. A genuinely warm and gentle person and the heart of her family, Lily was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by her family and friends. Services will be held at Rincon Congregational Church, 122 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. Arrangements by DESERT ROSE CREMATION AND BURIAL.