Canaan Town Library – Page 28 – Canaan, NH History

Walter I. Bixby

from the November 16, 1994 issue of The Country Chronicle

Grafton, NH–Walter I. Bixby, 84, of Prescott Hill Road, died suddenly at his home on Saturday, November 5, 1994.

He was born in Haverhill, MA, on October 13, 1910, the son of Walter I. and Elizabeth (Patnaude) Bixby. Mr. Bixby lived in Grafton since 1982. From 1967 to 1982 he resided in Danbury, NH. He was a truck driver for many years and was employed by National Liquor and Beer. He retired in 1970 after working many years for Haverhill Fruit and Produce.

Mr. Bixby’s loving wife, Celia (Silloway) Bixby, died in 1982.

Members of his family surviving include a daughter, Marion Morse of Grafton; two sons, Walter R. Bixby of Haverhill, MA; and William Bixby of Amesbury, MA, along with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Friends called at the Chadwick Funeral Home in New London and burial followed in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Grafton.

Thelma L. Smith

from the November 16 issue of The Country Chronicle

Hartford, VT–Thelma L. Smith, 71, died Saturday, November 5, 1994 at her home. She was born on May 3, 1923, in Pike, NH, the daughter of James and Maude (Kimball) Barlett.

Mrs. Smith grew up in Lebanon, and West Lebanon. She was married to Malcolm J. Smith in 1945 in Lebanon and has lived in Hartford most of the time since then. Mr. Smith died September 10, 1993. Mrs. Smith was a devoted mother and wife.

She leaves two sons: Robert Stone of Lebanon and Malcolm J. Smith, Jr. of Hadley, MA; five daughters–Judith Mossey of Hartford, Louise Woodworth of Orange, Freda Grace of Canaan, Rose Hollis of Enfield, and Ann Steller of Orange; 16 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren; four nieces and a nephew. She was predeceased by three brothers, James Bartlett, Jr., Samuel Bartlett and Johnny Bartlett.

Friends called at the Knight Funeral Home in White River Junction and burial followed in the West Farms Cemetery in Canaan.

Katie Lynn Bassett

from the December 28, 1994 issue of The Country Chronicle

Grafton, NH–Katie Lynn Bassett, 11, died late Thursday, December 15th at her home in Grafton as a result of a house fire. She was born in Frankfort, Germany on June 26,1983 the daughter of Clayton Bassett and Paula (Thomas) Webster. She moved from Germany to California and has lived in Grafton since 1985. Katie was in the sixth grade at Indian River School in West Canaan. She liked horses and especially loved her rabbits. She also liked playing video games. She sang in the Indian River School chorus and played the flute in the band.

Friends called at the Ricker Funeral Home in Enfield on Monday evening from 5-8 p.m. and a graveside service was held Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Grafton with the Rev. Thomas Warner officiating. A memorial fund has been established in her memory.

Survivors include: her father, Clayton Bassett from San Bruno, CA; her mother, Paula Webster of Grafton; a step-father, Jack Webster of Grafton; a step-mother, Barbara Bassett from San Bruno, CA; a brother, Kyle Webster of Grafton; a step-sister, Danielle Culver of San Bruno, CA; maternal grandparents, Joe & Ellie Thomas formerly of Grafton; a paternal grandmother, June Barrington of Grafton; Godparents Wes and Carole Bassett of San Bruno, CA; several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Ruth Ann Hill

from the January 4, 1995 issue of The Country Chronicle

Canaan, NH–Ruth Ann Hill, 35, died December 28, 1994 at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH following a long illness. She was born in Chicopee Falls, MA October 27, 1959, the daughter of Richard W. Poland and Kay (Merrill) Dunham. She was a lifelong resident of Enfield, NH and attended Mascoma Valley Regional High School. She was married to Roy Longley Jr. for 10 years and in October of 1994 she married William E. Hill of Canaan. Her greatest loves were her children, her family, and motorcycles.

Friends called at the Ricker Funeral Home on Route 4 in Enfield on Saturday afrernoon from 2-3 p.m. Funeral services were conducted at the funeral home at 3 p.m. with the Rev. Lorene Eldredge officiating. Burial will be in the spring in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Enfield.

Memorial contributions in memory of Ruth may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Survivors include: her husband, William Hill of Canaan; her father & step-mother, Richard E. & Myra (Anderson) Poland of Windsor, VT; her mother & step-father, Kay (Merrill) & David Dunham of Enfield; Hazel Poland of Enfield; two daughters, Robyn and Magen of West Canaan; a son, Roy F, Longley III of West Canaan; three sisters, Debra Blanchard of Woodstock, VT, Jennifer Dunham of Enfield, Dawn Poland of Wilder, VT; five brothers, Glenn Poland of Grafton; Scott Poland of Ascutney, Mark Poland of West Canaan; Ian Poland of Windsor and Steven Landon of White River Jct., VT plus many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Henry W. Ehrmann

from the January 4, 1995 issue of The Country Chronicle

Hanover, NH–Jurist, professor, author and journalist Henry W. Ehrmann died of heart failure December 25 at Scripps Clinic and Greens Hospital in LaJolla, CA. He was 86.

Professor Ehrmann was born in Berlin in 1908 and studied at the famed French gymnasium in Berlin before earning a degree in law from the University of Freiburg and a doctorate in jurisprudence from the University of Berlin in 1929. He had already become a jurist in Berlin when the Nazis came to power in 1933. Arrested by the Gestapo shortly after, Ehrmann was imprisoned in a concentration camp. With the help of friends and bribery he escaped to the Czech border where he skied over the Sudeten Mountains to freedom.

He worked as a journalist and scholar in France until it fell to the Germans in 1940. Active in helping others escape Hitler, Ehrmann and his wife were the first to use the escape route over the Pyreness Mountains into Spain en route to the United States. After teaching at the New School for Social Research, he directed education programs for German prisoners of war (1943-1947) before joining the faculty of the University of Colorado. In 1961 he joined the Department of Government of Dartmouth College, where he held the Joel Parker Professorship of Law and Political Science and, from 1963-1966, served as the department’s chair. He also taught at the McGill University and held visiting professorships at the universities of Paris, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Mannheim, Berlin, the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton and the University of California at Berkeley and at San Diego, where he taught once a year until 1990.

Ehrmann is perhaps best known for his book Politics in France, which in five printings became an academic best seller and was subsequently published in German. He considered his 1957 Organized Business in France (French translation in 1969) to be his major work because, as he said in a 1980 interview at Dartmouth, “in all modesty, it was a new thing and raised new questions.”

The Ehrmanns’ escape to Spain was featured in the recent PBS special The Exiles. As a foreign scholar, he had the unusual distinction of teaching French politics at the Sorbonne. In 1985, Ehrmann was one of three foreign scholars to receive the first honorary doctorates ever awarded by their prestigious Institute D’Etudes Politques in Paris. He also holds honorary degrees from the universities of Mannheim and Hartford. He has donated his extensive scholarly library to Wesleyan University.

He married the former Claire U. Sachs in 1939. He is survived by his wife, of Hanover, and two sons, Michael M. of McLean, VA and Paul L. of Santa Monica, as well as four grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held in the spring at the University of California at San Diego and at Dartmouth. Any memorial gifts should be sent to Amnesty International in New York or The Southern Poverty Law Center in Atlanta.

Jody Allen Carter

from the January 4, 1995 issue of The Country Chronicle

Roanoke, VA–Jody Allen Carter, 28, former resident of Littleton, and the Upper Valley of NH, died in mid-December of exposure following an apparent climbing accident on Jeters Chapel Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Roanoke, VA. He was born in Lawrence, MA January 6, 1966, the son of Sheldon A. Carter and Maureen L. Shaw. He grew up in Derry, NH and later moved to Littleton, NH where he was a graduate of Littleton High School and he worked as a carpenter and a cook in various area restaurants. In 1990 he moved to Roanoke, VA where he was employed by Control Equipment Co., Inc. of Salem, VA. Jody was an avid bicyclist and loved rock climbing and hiking.

Private services will be conducted at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions in memory of Jody may be made to a charity of one’s choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Oakey’s Funeral Service of Roanoke, VA and the Ricker Funeral Home of Lebanon, NH.

Survivors include: his mother, Maureen L. Shaw of Enfield; a brother, Darren Carter of Enfield; a son Zachary Allen Carter of Cornish; a maternal grandparents, Maurice & Louise Shaw of Hampton, NH; many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Ethel May Tibbets

from the January 4, 1995 issue of The Country Chronicle

Lebanon, NH–Ethel May Tibbets “Tootie” Tibbits, 75, died Sunday, Dec. 25, 1994 at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Ctr. in Lebanon, NH. She was born in Jamaica, VT July 7,1919, the daughter of the late Delmar & Phoebe (Lackey) Stone. She was married to the late Forrest Tibbits July4, 1939 and had been a resident of this area since 1946. She had worked for many years as a Nurse’s Aide at the Alice Peck Day Extended Care Facility in Lebanon, and was a member of the Lebanon Eagles.

There were no calling hours. Graveside services were conducted Thursday afternoon, Dec. 29th at 1 p.m. in the Valley Cemetery in Lebanon. The Ricker Funeral Home of Lebanon was in charge of the arrangements.

Survivors include: a son, Delmar Tibbits of Spartansburg, SC; a son James Tibbits of Enfield Ctr.; a son, Richard Tibbits of Canaan; a son, William Tibbits of Canaan; a son, Harry Tibbits of Enfield Ctr.; a daughter, Carol Moodie of East Plainfield; a son, Paul Tibbits of Canaan; a daughter, Marie Wolfson of Enfield; a son, Thomas Tibbits of Lebanon; a sister, Freda Day of Fairlee, VT; a brother, Albert Stone of Lebanon; a brother, William Stone of Wilder, VT; 20 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceeded in death by her husband, Forrest Tibbits; and four brothers, Delmar Stone, Lyman Stone, Clifton Stone and Harry Stone.

Zepheryn G. Clarke

from the January 11, 1995 issue of The Country Chronicle

Canaan, NH–Zepheryn G. Clarke, 86, of Canaan, died Tuesday, January 3, 1995, in Plymouth, NH following a long illness.

Mrs. Clarke was born April 25, 1908, in Canaan, VT, daughter of Joseph and Cornelia (Valentine) Gamache and was a graduate of Canaan (VT) High School. In 1927, she graduated from the Plymouth Normal School.

Mrs. Clarke taught elementary school in Bristol, NH, Colebrook, NH, and Canaan, NH, until 1938, when she married Frank Clarke. In 1943, she returned to teaching in Canaan, NH.

Between 1948 and 1962, Mrs. Clarke worked with her husband in his insurance business, following which she returned to Canaan Elementary School, where she taught until her retirement in 1973.

Mrs. Clarke served on the Canaan Budget committee and was the town treasurer from 1979 to 1980. She was also a member of the Indian River Grange and the Order of Eastern Star.

Mrs. Clarke taught piano for many years and was the organist and choir director for the United Methodist Church from 1942 to 1984. She was a member of the church for more than 50 years and very active in church activities. Mrs. Clarke served for five years as president of the United Methodist Women and as trustee for two separate terms.

Survivors include a grandson, Christopher A. Dunn of Canaan, NH; a sister, Pauline Ramsey of Florida; and three great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Clarke was predeceased by her husband in 1973, and her daughter, Susan Clarke Dunn, in 1974.

Friends called at the Ricker Funeral Home in Enfield Thursday evening between 7 and 9 p.m. Funeral services were conducted at 11 a.m. on Friday at the Canaan United Methodist Church with the Rev. Lorene Eldredge, pastor, officiating. A reception followed the service in the Methodist Church vestry. Burial will be in the spring at Wells Cemetery in Canaan.

Maxine Almira Collins

from the January 11, 1995 issue of The Country Chronicle

Enfield, NH–Maxine A. Collins, 85, died Wednesday, January 4, 1995 at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH following a brief illness. She was born in Enfield, NH, Sept. 10, 1909, the daughter of the late Edwin & Julia (Gallager) Collins. A lifelong area resident, she attended Enfield Schools and graduated from the Enfield Village School. She was employed by the Enfield Post Office for several years. She later owned and operated Currier’s Trailer Park in Enfield from 1966 until 1992.

Friends called at the Ricker Funeral Home, Route 4 in Enfield, NH on Tuesday from 1-2 p.m. A funeral service will follow the funeral home at 2 p.m. with the Rev. Lorene Eldredge officiating. Burial will be in the Oak Grove Cemetery in Enfield, NH.

Memorial contributions in memory of Maxine may be made to the Canaan, NH Meals On Wheels.

Survivors include a great-niece, Candy Braley of York Beach, ME; a great-great-nephew, Jerimey Braley of York Beach, ME; a great-great-niece, Maigan Braley of York Beach, ME; a sister-in-law, Helen Collins of Lebanon and many cousins.

Arrangements were by the Ricker Funeral Home in Lebanon.

John H. Hodgson

from the January 11, 1995 issue of The Country Chronicle

Orford, NH–John H. Hodgson II, 86, of Main St., died Wednesday, January 4, 1995 at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

He was born Feb. 6, 1908 in Brooklyn, NY son of Walter and Florence (Purcell) Hodgson.

Mr. Hodgson was a publishing business executive at the Book-of-the-Month Club. Following his retirement, he devoted 10 years to restoring the Samuel Morey house in Orford in which he and his wife, Alice Doan Hodgson, lived for 40 years.

Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Cynthia H. Barton; a son, John H. Hodgson III; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A private family service in memory of Mr. Hodgson will be held at a later date.