Joanne D. Cummings

PETERBOROUGH Joanne Cummings, 97, died peacefully at her home at RiverMead on May 3, 2011. She was born May 23, 1913 at home in Athol, Mass. to Joseph J. and Inez E. Dearborn. She was raised in Concord and graduated from Concord High School. She was also a graduate of Bradford Junior College and Simmons College. Early in her career she worked for Sen. Styles Bridges in Concord. There she met her husband Paul. They shared over 60 years of marriage together before his death in 2001. Most of her life was spent working in her home, but she was always at the beck and call of her husband to fill in for someone at the Peterborough Transcript. She was author of a popular feature in the Transcript called Her Point of View a column which ran each week. She was very involved in her church, the Union Congregational Church, and was responsible for organizing, and serving as first president, of the womans fellowship there. She served on many committees and was very involved in raising money for the church. She was the den mother for her sons Cub Scout troop and took many classes in jewelry making at Sharon Arts Center. She loved to garden and had a wildflower garden at her home, she also enjoyed decorating her lovely home. She played tennis doubles each week well into her 70s with a group of friends. She also loved to swim. She enjoyed travel taking trips across the country, to Europe and the Far East on two different occasions. She and her husband were among the first Americans to visit mainland China. She and her husband spent 10 years wintering in Tucson, AZ. No matter where she was, her door was always open to whoever might call. Always interested in current events she was a daily subscriber to the New York Times for more than 60 years and was very interested in politics. She was a member of the Granite State Doll Club for many years and had a significant collection of dolls. She loved birds and one day after much patience had a chickadee eat seed out of her hand. She enjoyed antiquing and was a great New England cook. But most of all she enjoyed her family, especially her grandchildren, and was a wonderful grandmother. She as a wonderful advocate for many and will be dearly missed. Her family includes her daughter Betsey Cummings from Piti, Guam and a son Joe Cummings and his wife Elaine of Peterborough. She has five grandchildren; Timothy McTighe and his wife Esther from Fez, Morocco; Kate Maggs and her husband Wesley from Peterborough; Peter Cummings and his wife Eliza Allen from Hancock; Robert Cummings from Somerville, Mass. and Tobyn Cummings from North Conway. She leaves three great grandchildren, Fletcher and Campbell Maggs of Peterborough and Jonas McTighe of Fez., nine nieces, including a special niece Deborah Dearborn of Rye, New York, and four nephews, plus a brother John Dearborn from Deerfield. Her brother Emery predeceased her. Also, she leaves her wonderful caregiver Bev Gienty.

In lieu of flowers contributions can be made in her memory to the Union Congregational Church, 33 Concord Street, Peterborough NH 03458.

A celebration of her life will be held May 23, her 98th birthday, at the Union Congregational Church in Peterborough at 11 a.m.