Nancy Marks Perkins

1928 - 2013

PETERBOROUGH - Nancy Marks Perkins, 85, died peacefully on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013, at the Monadnock Community Hospital in Peterborough, surrounded by family.

She was born on Jan. 7, 1928, in Chicago, Ill., daughter of the late Samuel Irving Marks and the late Anna Walker Marks.

She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., in 1950, with a B.A. in English, and received an M.A. in Education from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1972. She was a life-long student and practitioner of proper English.

Nancy was a devoted alumna of Mount Holyoke College, serving as President of the Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Louis, Mo., Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Clubs, and as a Regional Admissions Coordinator for the Midwest. She was an active member of the New Hampshire Mount Holyoke Alumnae Club. From 1988 through 1991, she served as President of the Alumnae Association of Mount Holyoke College and, in 1990, received the Alumnae Association Medal of Honor for her leadership and for bringing "excitement and renewed appreciation for Mount Holyoke" through her "warmth and interest in others." From 1989 through 1994, she served on the Mount Holyoke College Board of Trustees. A peripatetic "ambassador of goodwill" for Mount Holyoke, she traveled to every continent. During the early 1950's, she was an editor at Writer's Digest in Cincinnati, Ohio.

For many years, she taught high school English in Cincinnati, Ohio, and St. Louis, Mo., and was a part-time English teacher at ConVal Regional High School in Peterborough. She also taught Adult Teachers of English in China for two summers and later sponsored one of her Chinese students to move to Canada.

Nancy was a resident of Peterborough for 26 years, and was a tireless community leader and volunteer. She served as an active board member of the Monadnock Transitional Area Shelter (MATS), and was active in the Peterborough Historical Society and other local groups. She organized the Peterborough Readers Book Club.

She was a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Peterborough, serving on the Altar Guild, as a Lay Reader, and as a volunteer in the church's Serendipity Shop.

Among her many interests, Nancy loved cooking, gardening, reading, doing the New York Times crossword puzzle, water and snow skiing, penguins, vacationing in the Georgian Bay area of Canada, and attending the Boston Symphony, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, the Peterborough Players Theater, and the Peterborough Players opera simulcasts from the Met in New York.

Nancy is survived by her husband of 62 years, Linn Bruce Perkins; her children, Carl Scott Perkins (Donna J. Bobbish) of Clifton, Va., Anne Margaret Perkins (Michael J. Michenfelder) of St. Louis, Mo., Priscilla Perkins Moore (John C. Filippini) of Fairfax, Va., and John Samuel Perkins (Carmen) of Nixa, Mo.; her grandsons, Clayton Samuel Perkins and Austin James Perkins of Nixa, Mo.; her great-grandson, Vincenzo Becker Pelireto, of St. Louis, Mo.; her sister-in-law, Delores Marks Ruth of Hinsdale, Ill.; and her nephew, Stephen Allen Marks of Clifton, Va.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Samuel Irving Marks, Jr. her grandson, Aaron Arthur Becker, and her son-in-law, Jeffrey Lynn Moore.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, at All Saints Episcopal Church, Peterborough.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Monadnock at Home, P.O. Box 422, Jaffrey, NH 03452; the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, 46 Concord St., Peterborough, NH 03458; All Saints Episcopal Church, 51 Concord St., Peterborough, NH 03458; and the Monadnock Community Hospital, 452 Old Street Road, Peterborough, NH 03458.

Jellison Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. To view an online obituary please visit www.jellisonfuneralhome.com.