Joyce M. Coffin, 85, of Hampstead, NH, died Friday January 7, 2022 at the All American Assisted Living facility in Londonderry, NH. The love of her life, Lawrence W. Coffin was devoted to her for their fifty-six years of marriage. Joyce was born in Cambridge, MA on May 22, 1936, a daughter of Francis and Margaret (Kelly) Dilworth. She attended Matignon High School, where she graduated as an exemplary student and went on to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Framingham State College. After college, she taught at Woburn Elementary for six years, during this time she enjoyed spending her summers on Cape Cod where she met Lawrence who she married in 1964. Joyce then moved to Harwich, MA where she taught at Harwich Elementary School for eight years before having her daughter Laurie J. Coffin.
Joyce was a devoted mother and opted to leave teaching to raise her daughter and take care of her family. During this time she would often take her family to their Beaver Lake cottage in Derry, NH; a tradition that was passed down from her family. She also enjoyed spending Sundays with her husband and daughter fishing and having picnics on Monomoy Island, occasionally taking the boat to Nantucket.
Joyce always kept an inviting home to Laurie’s friends, whom she referred to as her “little chickens” which led to Laurie’s best friend spending four years living at the house and was loved as if she was her own daughter.
Later in life she and Larry enjoyed traveling across the country, some of their favorite stops were Atlantic City, Savannah, Walls, Mississippi, Sedona, Arizona, always ending in Laughlin, Nevada where they spent months enjoying the local entertainment. In 1995, after Larry retired, they moved to Hampstead, NH on Sunset Lake where she continued the summer tradition passed down by her family with her grandchildren. She enjoyed twenty five years of making memories with her grandchildren whom she loved deeply never missing an opportunity to create new memories for them.
Besides her husband and daughter, she was the grandmother to Stephen and Matthew Naylor and Holly Salisbury. She was sister in law to Robert and Nancy Coffin of West Harwich, MA, and Gary Coffin of Dennisport, MA, Craig and Bonnie Mashoke of Yarmouth, MA and Diane Coffin of Harwichport, MA.
Following cremation, family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service on January, 23rd at Doane, Beale and Ames Funeral Home, 260 Main St., West Harwich, MA from 12 – 2pm. Joyce was a devout Catholic and formed a strong friendship with Father Jack Kurps at Sacred Heart Church in Walls, Mississippi. Therefore we ask that in lieu of flowers you make a donation to Sacred Heart Southern Missions, 6050 Highway 161, Walls Mississippi 38686. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium of Derry and Londonderry are assisting the family with local arrangements.