Food for thought...
if you end up wanting a trail-a-bike in a few years when your daughter wants to ride with you, you need about 2 inches of the non-suspension part of seat post showing to attach it (unless you go with a Burley piccolo). So if your wife might be pulling one of those, keep it in mind when you fit the bike.
Here's why your wife may not want a cruiser, and will appreciate all those gears. Pulling the trailer (if she's going to do that) is not trivial. It isn't hard, but you do end up going in a different gear than if you weren't pulling it. I rented one on vacation, and was pulling about 100 lbs (2 kids plus trailer plus stuff) on flat surfaces. I had no trouble at all doing it, but I was using pretty wimpy gears! And I hadn't biked in a few years.
The Navigators seem nice. Also to test ride in my book were the trek 7x00s and 7x00FXs, the Giant Sedona and Cypress. Also Specialized makes the Crossroads and the Expedition, I would have tested them if my LBS had one in my size. Basically each company makes a 26" wheel and a 700c wheel hybrid. Depending on where your wife will be biking (paved vs. non-paved) one type of wheel may be more appropriate. But the biggest thing is just to have her get on a test ride...fit is everything. Any of those are good entry level bikes from what I know, and are pretty comparably equipped.
Do you need a front suspension fork? Probably not. Is it a bad thing to have? Probably not.
Seriously, just have her test ride. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of the entry level comfort bikes from a brand like Trek or Giant, so if she feels better or likes one more than another, go for it, b/c that will make her want to ride it more.