Obituary of Cornelia (Nini) Wayland -Smith Hatcher

Cornelia (Nini) Wayland-Smith Hatcher KENWOOD >> Cornelia (Nini) Wayland-Smith Hatcher died at her Kenwood home Tuesday, May 3, 2016 after a long struggle with cancer. Nini was the daughter of Jerry and Betty Wayland-Smith. Born Jan. 10, 1935 in Oneida, N.Y., she was a beautiful person in all respects and will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her. She was a loving homemaker as well as an avid reader, a gardener, and a ready volunteer on all occasions. The upcoming 30th of June would have marked the 60th year of her marriage. After attending local Sherrill schools, she graduated in 1952 from the Northfield School for Girls and in 1956 earned a bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College. Following her marriage to John L. Hatcher, she and her husband left for Philadelphia where he entered the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce and she worked in the University of Pennsylvania library where she made a lot of friends and not much money. Following his graduation, they relocated to New York City. After a few years in New York, they returned to Kenwood. A year later they were seconded to the United Kingdom where Oneida Ltd. had opened a new factory. Nini spent four years in Northern Ireland and four years in England where she made many lifelong friends. After returning to Kenwood in 1970, where she and her husband had both grown up, Nini served on several boards including the Oneida Community Mansion House and Kenwood Benevolent Society. She also worked for Planned Parenthood and was the Mansion House librarian for many years. Nini is survived by her loving husband Lang, sons John, Jeffrey and his partner, Ngoc-Thuy Nguyen, Joseph, and daughter Elizabeth and husband Scott Gayner and grandsons Jack and Will. She is also survived by her brother, Joseph Wayland-Smith and sister-in-law Ellen and their children, Ann Salerno and Douglas Wayland-Smith. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on May 28 in the Big Hall at the Oneida Community Mansion House. A reception will follow in the lounge. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Oneida Community Mansion House or to a favored charitable organization.