Elizabeth "Libby" McNamara

Elizabeth "Libby" McNamara of Hanover, New Hampshire, passed away on Monday, April 24, 2023.

The daughter of Peter and Isabel Downey, Libby was born on November 11, 1943, in St. John's Newfoundland, and raised in New York City, where her family settled in 1946. Libby attended the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in the Bronx and earned a bachelor's degree from Mercy College before embarking on her career as an educator.

Libby married John McNamara in 1976 and, together with their three children, resided in Connecticut and Wisconsin before ultimately moving back east to Massachusetts. After pausing her career to be a full time mom, Libby earned her master's degree in elementary education at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and returned to the classroom in 1981, teaching at the Meadowbrook School in Weston, Massachusetts, for 22 years.

Libby and John built a house in Brownsville, Vermont, in 1995, ultimately becoming full-time residents in 2003. Libby taught for another three years at the Albert Bridge School in Brownsville before finally retiring for good.

An intrepid traveler devoted to lifelong learning, Libby's many trips included destinations across the US, Canada, Europe, Japan, and even the Arctic Circle in Nunavut. Closer to home, Libby enjoyed watercolors, quilting, hiking and snowshoeing.

Libby was preceded in death by her first husband, Joseph McGovern, in 1973 and is survived by her husband of 46 years, John McNamara; her children Brian McNamara, Peter McGovern and Amy Merritt; and grandchildren Lucy McNamara, Ellen McNamara, Caitlin Merritt, and Evan Merritt.

A private funeral mass will be held Friday, April 28th. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the Academy of Mount St. Ursula (www.amsu.org/donate).

The Rand-Wilson Funeral Home in Hanover, NH is assisting the family