Cynthia Elizabeth Howe

Cynthia Elizabeth Howe, 65, died peacefully on Sunday morning, September 18 at her Grantham, NH home. Passionate and present in her life, she gracefully lived her last 5-plus years with ovarian cancer.

Cynthia was born on September 28, 1956 in Hartford, Connecticut to Glover and Jane Howe. She loved growing up with her 3 siblings at Loomis Chaffee School. After high school, she attended Mount Holyoke College and then earned her Masters in Education from Harvard University. In 1978 she married Murray Dewdney. They moved to Meriden, NH in 1988. There she and Murray raised their two sons, Tyler and Morgan, and enjoyed their 32-year careers at Kimball Union Academy.

An educator and mentor to her core, Cynthia dispensed unlimited advice, counsel, and comfort to the many students and faculty who had the good fortune to know her. She loved her students in so many ways, for their intellect, for their good behavior, and for their manners - and she made sure her students had those qualities. A warm and welcoming presence, Cynthia was a friend of learning and a friend of teaching - an educator whose creativity, integrity, and values enriched all who crossed her path.

Cynthia was a woman of wide-ranging interests. She was an avid reader and an excellent gardener whose hot pepper jelly was always a welcome gift. Fly fishing was a passion she enjoyed all her life. Cynthia loved the color purple and appreciated a good IPA. Her home was the home of a houseplant connoisseur and Cynthia still had plants that she had nurtured since college. And she loved watching Tyler and Morgan playing hockey and soccer. There are quite a few youth hockey players who may recall that being in the penalty box usually also meant a conversation with Ms. Howe. A keen observer of life, her kindness and her wry sense of humor were qualities that Cynthia brought to everything she did.

Cynthia was predeceased by her father, Glover Howe, She is survived by her mother, Jane Mackay Howe; her husband, Murray Dewdney; her sons Tyler Dewdney (Emily Dewdney) and Morgan Dewdney; her siblings Ken Howe (Michelle), Robertson Howe (Amanda), Judith Gobbi (Patrick); her extended Dewdney family; and many much-loved nieces, nephews, colleagues, students, and friends.

Cynthia's family is indebted to her cancer care team: Dr. Evelyn Fleming, Dr. Amelia Cullinan, Sasha Steinbaugh, and the nurses and staff at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center and Lake Sunapee Visiting Nurses and Hospice. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hand to Heart Project, P.O. Box 248, Cornish Flat, NH 03746, the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756 and Lake Sunapee Region Visiting Nurse and Hospice, P.O. Box 2209, New London, NH 03257.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 1 at 10 AM at The Meriden Congregational Church in Meriden, NH. People are encouraged to wear something purple to remember Cynthia.