ROCKPORT –Laurel Anne Welch Richards, passed away peacefully at her home, February 27, 2018, with her husband by her side. 

Born in Waterville, September 1, 1952, Laurel was the daughter of William F., Sr. and Alfreda Warren Clark Welch. 

She graduated Lawrence High School, Class of 1970 and the University of Maine Orono, Class of 1974. She married Donald R. Richards on July 12, 1975 in Bangor, and they remained married until her passing, a total of 42 years. 

She was a speech therapist, a mother of three boys, a teacher, a homeschooling advocate and instructor, and was active in her local church and several community services. 

Laurel is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Linda Coleman, and her brother William Welch, Jr. She is survived by her husband Donald and her three sons: Benjamin, his wife Lis, and their sons Caleb, Marcelo, and Tiago, of Hudson, New Hampshire; Evan, his wife Teresa, and their daughter Eliza, of Boston, Massachusetts; and David of Rising Fawn, Georgia. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Donna Clark.  

Friends and relatives are invited to visit from 6 to 8 p.m., Friday, March 2, 2018 at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock St. Rockland.  A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 3, 2018 at Lakeview Presbyterian Church, 188 Rockland St., Rockport.  The Rev. Stephen Tracey will officiate.  Private interment will be in the at Rockville Cemetery in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the A.L.S. Family Charitable Foundation, 1 Trowbridge Road, Bourne, MA 02532 or the Deacon’s Fund at Lakeview Presbyterian Church.

To share a condolence or memory with the Richards family, visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com