Jeannette Callas Cloues

KEENE – Jeannette Callas Cloues, 91, died Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, at Langdon Place in Keene.

Jeannette was born on Dec. 30, 1923, in Brooklyn, N.Y. She was raised by her grandparents, Oakman and Augusta Webber, who owned a guest house and country store in Davisville. Her mother, Helen Callas, visited frequently and often took Jeannette to Boston for shopping and sightseeing. Jeannette attended elementary school at the nearby one-room schoolhouse; here she changed the spelling of her first name, adding the second "n," mimicking the movie star Jeannette MacDonald, and she also skipped a grade because she would have been the only student in that grade. She went on to attend Simonds Free High School in Warner, graduating as valedictorian in 1940 and falling in love with a recent graduate, Alfred "Sam" Cloues Jr., who drove her school bus. Jeannette went on to take classes in bookkeeping, office management, and shorthand at Concord Business School.

On Sept. 27, 1942, Jeannette married Sam while he was home on military leave. She then accompanied him to several Army training bases across the country. In the fall of 1943, when Sam shipped to the South Pacific, Jeannette returned to Warner where she worked in the office of the Ela Box Company which made wooden ammunition boxes for the Army.

After the war, Jeannette and Sam bought the house on "the Plains" on West Main Street in Warner which would be their family home for the next 50 years. Here they raised their three children, Edward, Richard and Jeanne. Jeannette devoted herself to the roles of mother, wife, and homemaker. She also was active in local civic life, joining the Rebekah Lodge, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Wilkins-Cloues-Bigelow American Legion Post, and the P.T.A. With her daughter, Jeanne, she was also active with the Girl Scouts. Later in life, Jeannette turned her attention to gardening, creating beautiful flower beds featuring lilies and hostas which were the "talk of the town." She also relished the role of grandmother to her five grandchildren.

In 2003, Jeannette and Sam moved to Langdon Place, an assisted living center in Keene. Jeannette remained here after Sam's death in 2006.

Jeannette's children and grandchildren fondly remember how she could always find joy in even the simplest aspects of daily life. She was a true homemaker and happiest, as she often said, just "puttering" around her home. Her flower gardens, sugar cookies, and love of cats were legendary. She had a remarkably happy and even-tempered disposition, loved the classic song Blue Skies Smiling at Me, and always saw the bright side of everything. She had a beautiful smile right to the end. She was a kind and gracious woman who taught her family so much about living life moment-to-moment and finding the best in each day. "Ma," "Mum," or "Grandma" -- Jeannette was indeed a blessing.

Jeannette is survived by her children, Edward Cloues and wife, Mary Matthews Cloues of Lower Gwynedd, Pa. and Webster, Richard Cloues and wife, Judy Carr Cloues of Stone Mountain, Ga. and Jeanne Cloues and wife, Marcia Weil of Walpole; by her five grandchildren, Matthew Cloues, Kacey Cloues, Jacob Cloues, Mary Elizabeth Cloues and Dustin Shields-Cloues; by her two great-grandchildren, Lily and David Cloues; and by her companion cat Honeybun.

The family will hold a private graveside memorial service at the Pine Grove Cemetery in Warner.

Fletcher Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 33 Marlboro St., Keene, has been entrusted with the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Monadnock Humane Society, 101 W. Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446.