Wilma Hale Jewell

WilmaHale Jewell, 95, of Dublin Road, Jaffrey, died Monday December 1, 2008 at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.

She was born June 30, 1913 in Rindge NH, daughter of the late Walter A. and Eula F. (Jones) Hale.

Wilma received her elementary education in Rindge schools and graduated in1931 from the Ashby (MA) High School. She graduated in 1941 from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Library Science.

Later in life she returned to school and earned her Masters degree in Education from Keene State College. Wilma began her teaching career in Greenfield, NH and also taught at the Jaffrey Grade School. She was a resident of Jaffrey since 1956 and had previously lived in Rindge and Greenland, NH.

She was a member of the Jaffrey Historical Society, the Rindge Historical Society, the New Hampshire Chapter of the Mayflower Society, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and the Mary Varnum Platts Peterborough Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was also an active member of the First Church in Jaffrey, UCC and was a former member of the Womens Society of the First Church.

Wilma was an avid reader and did a crossword puzzle every day. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, bird watching and geology. She loved to travel, especially to Florida to visit family during the winter.
She traced family histories through her love of genealogy. She was a born naturalist and until this past summer she would police her portion of Dublin Road and pick up bags of litter and trash. Wilma still drove her own car, lived independently at home and managed all of her own personal affairs.

On June 21, 1941 she married David Oliver Jewell who died March 10, 1989.

Survivors include her son Dexter L. and his wife Suzanne Jewell of Jaffrey; four daughters Dorothy J. and her husband David Shattuck of Englewood FL, Deborah J. and her husband William Stewart of Jaffrey, Dorna J. and her husband Donald Nason of Englewood FL and Deana J. and her husband Mark Desorda of Barefoot Bay, FL and her daughter-in-law Ruth Jewell of Rindge, NH; eighteen grandchildren; thirty-five great grandchildren; six great-great grandchildren.

In addition to her husband of 48 years, she was predeceased by her son Daniel L. Jewell in 1991 and her grandson Richard T. Jewell in 1990.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Jaffrey Historical Society, 123 Main Street, Jaffrey NH 03452; or to the Rindge Historical Society, School Street, Rindge NH 03461; or to the Mary Varnum Platts Peterborough Chapter of the DAR, 470 Dublin Road, Jaffrey NH 03452.

Burial in the family lot in the Cutter Cemetery on Harkness Road in Jaffrey Center, will take place on her birthday Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 11:00AM.

There will be no calling hours.

Funeral services will be held Thursday December 4, 2008 at 2:00PM in the First Church Congregational UCC, Laban Ainsworth Lane in Jaffrey Center. Rev. Luther P. Durgin of Winchester NH will officiate.