Faith Karen Grant, 73 of Londonderry, NH died peacefully of a long illness at Parkland Medical Center in Derry on Sunday May 14, 2017, surrounded by family after a life of loving service to her community.
She is survived by her husband of more than 52 years, James Bryce Grant, Jr. (“Jim”) and their sons Daniel Grant of Goffstown and Jamie Grant of Amesbury. She is also survived by Dan’s wife Chrisandra and Faith’s eldest granddaughter Jillian, as well as Jamie’s wife Meg and grandchildren James and Molly. She is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law Gale and Craig Smith, of Salem.
Faith grew up in Salem, NH where she met Jim in a church youth function in 1957, which is the beginning of a 60-year love story that continues on.
Faith graduated from Woodbury High School in 1962 and has attended most of her class reunions. She enjoyed travel, and visited some 20 states including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as several Caribbean islands where she enjoyed being near the ocean. She most enjoyed being with family, friends and neighbors and she loved to laugh. She shared a distinctive laugh (which some have described as a cackle) with her mother Natalie Lewis who predeceased her in 2007.
In September 1963 Faith and Jim were married at the First Congregational Church in Salem, NH. They lived in Salem until 1967 when they purchased a home on Tinkham Lane in Londonderry where they raised their children and lived for 43 years. Faith was a stay at home mom until her boys were in pre-school, at which time she began helping out at the kindergarten where they were enrolled. She was a den mother active in scouting for several years, and she enjoyed outdoor activities with her family including canoeing and winter sports. She greatly enjoyed family vacations at Lake Winnisquam, where she never quite mastered waterskiing but was well known for her own technique of “water sitting”.
Always good with numbers, Faith worked in banking, then bookkeeping and public accounting before becoming the business manager for the Derry News, where she worked for 13 years. As business Manager she became very involved with the Derry Rotary Club, where she served in multiple roles including overseeing the scholarship program for some years.
Faith was both generous and frugal. As a young Homeowner she painted the exterior of her own house, and wallpapered every room herself. She much preferred to give than to receive, and she delighted in re-using or re-purposing things which others might throw away – especially flowers and flowering plants. She enjoyed gardening and transplanting. Her greatest botanical achievement was a beautiful purple lilac from her childhood home in Salem which she eventually transplanted and coaxed back to life in Londonderry, and her lilies of the valley were a perennial source of joy.
In her retirement, Faith loved nothing more than spending time with her grandchildren. She enjoyed planning the annual Easter egg hunt, and participated fully last month on a beautiful Easter Sunday. She wouldn’t let her ailments keep her from little league games, recitals, bike parades, or opportunities to bait a hook for her grandkids.
Calling hours were held on Friday, May 19, 2017 from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm at Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 290 Mammoth Road, Londonderry. A memorial service followed at 6:30 pm in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer that contributions be made in Faith’s memory to an organization dear to you.