Walter Earle DeMelle, Jr.

Walter Earle DeMelle Jr., 82, of Lakeville, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on February 1, 2026. 

He met his loving wife of 57 years, Susan Sullivan DeMelle, in middle school and they were married in August 1968.

Born June 3, 1943, in Worcester, MA to Walter and Lucille DeMelle, he graduated from Natick High School in 1961 and Hobart & William Smith Colleges in 1965. He taught English at Hawaii Preparatory Academy on the Big Island in the 1960s and earned a Master’s Degree in Library Science at Rutgers University.

He served as Director of the Edsel Ford Memorial Library at The Hotchkiss School from 1970 to 2011, where he vastly expanded the collection, welcomed the surrounding community, and led the school in technological advancement and information literacy. He oversaw a six-fold increase in the library’s capacity, several major renovations, and the recovery from a devastating middle-of-the-night sprinkler system malfunction which had him running like never before (or since) to save as many books as possible. He purchased one of the first Apple computers in the Northwest corner in the early 1980s, and pioneered the expansion of the library’s audiovisual collections, offering music, films and documentaries to the campus and local community.  

Walter’s kindness, encouragement and reassurance helped countless students adapt to the rigors of life at Hotchkiss. He co-created the School’s Human Relations and Sexuality program in the 1970s and taught public speaking. He was an honorary member of the Class of 1976, which created the first endowed fund established by a Hotchkiss class in order to support the development of the resources of the Edsel Ford Library. He was instrumental in developing the School’s Archives, and led an Oral History Project in which he interviewed many of the School’s prominent alumni from the 20th century.

Throughout his career, he served as a consultant to libraries across the United States and globally to guide their renovations and digital transitions from the Dewey Decimal system. 

He loved to travel, both professionally and with family, visiting China, Turkey, Europe and the United Kingdom extensively. Walter also contributed to the local community, serving on the boards of the Salisbury Forum, the Scoville Library, and the Children’s School of Lime Rock.

Walter enjoyed photography and captured treasured family moments with his camera, taking meticulous care to note dates and occasions, and creating shelves full of family photo albums. He was also a passionate pursuer of family history and spent hours in his retirement doing research on Ancestry.com. Other hobbies included gardening, birdwatching, going to the movies, hosting friends for dinners, writing postcards to his grandson, nieces and nephews, and telling stories. He had a quick wit and a way of making people around him feel at ease. Wherever he was, laughter and joy surely followed.   

Survived by his wife Susan, sons Jeffrey and Brendan, sister Susan Kerrissey, sisters-in-law Nancy Sullivan and Pamela DeMelle, daughter-in-law Christine Rose DeMelle, grandson Luca, best friend Ron Carlson, many nieces and nephews, and extended family. Predeceased by his brother Arthur DeMelle, father Walter and mother Lucille DeMelle.

 A Celebration of Life is planned for Summer 2026. 

In honor of his life, please consider a donation to East Mountain House, the non-profit end-of-life care home in Lakeville. https://eastmountainhouse.org/donate/

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Walter Earle DeMelle, Jr., please visit our floral store.