Henry "Hank" W. Drury

Hank W Drury (1934-2026) Born in 1934 to Henry and Emily (Weiss) Drury, Hank grew up in Weehawken, NJ. The youngest of six, he came of age during the Great Depression and World War II, attending Jackie Robinson’s first minor league baseball game in the United States, in Jersey City, on April 18, 1946. Hank played basketball at Weehawken High School. He enjoyed going with friends to jazz clubs in Manhattan as a young adult. Listening to baseball games on the radio, he became a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and Ted Williams (a fellow left-hander). 

After high school, Hank enlisted in the US Army and was sent to Germany, where he served in the artillery. The GI Bill enabled him to earn a BA at Rutgers University in 1955. While working in publishing and banking in Manhattan, he met his second wife, Eleanor; in the early 1970s, they moved to the Monadnock Region. 

Hank was a member of the Peterborough Unitarian Church, Harris Center for Conservation Education, Rotary Club of Peterborough, and Hancock Memorial Day Committee. He loved coaching youth sports, played pickup basketball and participated annually in the Hancock Old Home Days Betty Pels Run for the Honey 5k race. He met Lilla Lyon while canvassing during the 2004 presidential campaign. They both became committed organizers with Hancock Democrats. Together, Hank and Lilla enjoyed life in Hancock as well as travel to Japan, Cuba, Europe, Morocco, Mexico, Downeast Maine, and New York City. 

Hank took pleasure in conversation and often regaled friends and family with stories, rich in historical detail, that drew on his varied careers and keen sense of humor. During his many years in Hancock, he cherished greeting friends and neighbors while buying his daily coffee and New York Times from Fiddleheads Café and the Hancock Market. In 2020, he and Lilla moved to the Nubanusit Neighborhood & Farm in Peterborough, where he was lucky to spend his final years in community with generous and kind neighbors. He passed away peacefully at home on March 3, 2026. 

Hank is survived by his wife Lilla Lyon, his daughter Emily Drury of Harrisville, his son and daughter-in-law Mark and Jackie Sibblies Drury of Brooklyn, NY, his ex-wife Eleanor Drury of Harrisville, and many beloved nieces, nephews and their children. 

A celebration of Hank’s life will be announced in the spring. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Hank’s name to Home Healthcare Hospice & Community Services (HCS), Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE), and the Hancock Town Library.