Adelaide V. Nadler, 96, formerly of Saranac Lake, died on March 31 at Converse Home Assisted Living in Burlington, VT, where she had lived for the past two years.

Born on June 22, 1918, on a farm in Keene, NY, Adelaide was the daughter of Sarah “Sadie” Brennan and Frank Vagnarelli. After graduating from Keene Valley High School, she attended the State University of New York at Albany, where she majored in history and minored in French and English. She earned her master’s degree in history from Cornell University. She then entered the teaching profession, and over the course of her career taught at Miami Edison High School in Florida, Keene Valley High School, and Saranac Lake Central High School, as well as at Champlain College and Ithaca College.

Adelaide and her husband, Albert, both taught at Saranac Lake Central HS for many years while raising their six children. A devoted mother, Adelaide placed great emphasis on family, staying close to her own sisters and brothers throughout their lives. She loved literature and was keenly interested in politics and social justice; she enjoyed good conversation, good friends, family gatherings, playing the piano, and tending her garden. Her devout faith and quiet kindness were defining aspects of her personality, serving as an inspiration to her family and many others. She abhorred injustice and lived her beliefs, reaching out to people whom others might pass by.

She was predeceased by her husband; one son, Kurt; her siblings, Louis, Rita, Francis, Jane, and Thomas Vagnarelli, and a foster brother, Daniel McAuliffe. She is survived by five of her children: Peter, of Ogdensburg, NY; Mary (Gary Lionelli), of Los Angeles, CA; Christopher (Nancy Russell), of Brooklyn, NY; Paul, of Burlington, VT; and Ann, of Binghamton, NY. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Shirley Vagnarelli of Keene, NY; brother-in-law Victor Nadler of Dover, DE; several nieces and nephews; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Before moving to Burlington, Adelaide lived for two and half years at the Neighborhood House in Keene Valley, where she greatly appreciated the regular visits and comforts of home provided by her sister-in-law Shirley and niece Cindy Boynton and her husband, Greg, of Keene.

The family wishes to thank the wonderful, caring staff of the Converse Home; Dr. Karen Sokol of Burlington; and Melanie Pomerantz of the Visiting Nurse Association/Hospice in Burlington, all of whom provided our mother with an above-and-beyond level of comfort and care.

Calling hours are set to take place at the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home on Monday, April 6, 2015 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial is set to take place at 11:00 AM on Tuesday April 7, 2015 at St. Bernard's Church. Burial will take place in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Adelaide’s memory to the Saranac Lake Interfaith Food Pantry or the American Cancer Society.

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