Nancy Gould Ripley

Nancy Gould Ripley of Peterborough died peacefully July 18, 2017 at Rivermead Retirement Community after a brief period of limited cognition.

The daughter of Isabel (nee Howell) and Lyttleton Bowen Purnell Gould, Nancy was born in New York City on February 16, 1925. Her family lived in Noroton, CT. She graduated from the Low-Heywood School for Girls, Shippan Point, Stamford, CT in 1942, and subsequently made her debut that year at the Bachelors Cotillion in Baltimore, MD.

Following her marriage to John Clark Ripley in 1948 at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York City, the couple lived in New York City; Albany, NY; and Rumson, NJ, before settling in Colts Neck, NJ, for 15 years. Then they moved to Cedar Point Farm, Easton, MD, where, for 30 years, they pursued Mr. Ripley’s farming and other interests. They also had a summer house in Rose Bay, Nova Scotia. They moved to Rivermead in 1997. Mr. Ripley passed away in 2001.

During her life Nancy was a member of the Junior League, The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America, and the Harbor Club of Easton, MD. She was a founding member of Historic Easton, a local preservation advocacy group. Nancy was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church and was active in local garden clubs and numerous other social service organizations.

Surviving Nancy are her three children, Joseph P. Ripley II of Seattle, WA, Annabel R. Ebersole of Williamsburg, VA, and John C. Ripley Jr. of Newington, NH, their spouses, her seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Nancy was an exemplary wife and mother, who served as a role model and inspiration for three generations of friends and family. She was elegant, intelligent, and had a gift for engaging everyone around her.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (54 Portsmouth St. Concord, NH 03301) or the Salvation Army (121 Cedar Street Manchester, NH 03101).