Nancy V. Weare

Nancy Virginia Weare of Exeter, formerly of Newburyport, Boston and Ipswich passed away peacefully at RiverWoods in Exeter on December 12th at the age of 92. She was born at home on Ashland St. in Newburyport, the daughter of Laurence Weare and Helen Rodigrass Weare. An only child, Nancy graduated from Newburyport High School in the class of 1943. She went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts at the Massachusetts College of Art and spent 20 years as an art editor for Ginn and Company in Boston. She returned to school to obtain a Masters Degree in Special Education and taught at the Brown School in Newburyport for 17 years. After retirement Nancy decided to write Plum Island, The Way It Was , about her favorite place in the whole world. Her familys summer camp was at the Knobbs and she enjoyed sailing, swimming, and teaching her dog Nicki, to dig for clams. Her fondest and most vivid memories were of Plum Island. The Federal Government reclaimed the land when Nancys Mother passed on and she was able to find a home on Great Neck in Ipswich over looking her beloved Island, where she lived for 33 years. She took it upon herself to publish a second book on the first American Poet, Ann Bradstreet whom she believed deserved more recognition. As an author, she was often invited to speak at meetings of many local organizations. She was a member of many organizations, including The Ipswich Historical Society, The Museum of Old Newbury, The Maritime Museum, The Sons and Daughters of Old Newbury, The Friends of Plum Island Light, The Museum of Fine Arts, The Peabody Essex Museum, The Whittier Home Museum, The Belleville Improvement Society, and The Red Hat Society. She was a descendant of Susannah Martin, one of the accused Salem Witches. Nancy enjoyed traveling, especially to Ireland, where she visited five times. As an animal lover, she rescued many dogs and cats over the years, including Liza, Ringo, Sugar Van Fleet and Murphy Brown. Charlie Brown and Trevor enjoyed living with her at RiverWoods, where they received a lot of attention from the other residents. She leaves her second cousin, Sally (Blake) Lavery, also of RiverWoods in Exeter and many friends and fans. She was predeceased by her close cousins, Barbara Lagasse of Amesbury, Cary Plummer of Newburyport and Thomas Knowland of NC. Following Cremation she will be buried in the family plot at The Belleville Cemetery. It is planned to announce the date of a Memorial Service early in the new year. Donations in Nancys memory may be made to the NHSPCA, 104 Portsmouth Avenue, Stratham, NH 03885 or to the charity of the donors choice. Arrangements are by Elliott, Woodworth & Rogers Family Funeral Home, 35 Green Street, Newburyport.