She had celebrated her 100th birthday on May 4, along with dozens of family members at Thayercrest, her home on Main Hill. Close relatives flew in for the occasion from as far away as Singapore and Oregon.
Beulah Perkins, as she once was known, was born in Alton in 1912 and graduated from Alton High School with the Class of 1930. From there she attended Keene Normal School for three years, emerging with a teaching certificate, and in 1934, she taught grades 1 through 4 for a year in a one-room school house in Bedford.
“I loved teaching and I loved the kids,” she recalled during an interview earlier this year.
While still in high school, Beulah had mastered the piano, and by chance, this led to her meeting the man she would marry — Jim Thayer. Jim played saxophone in a band, and when they lost their piano player for an event at Alton Bay Pavilion, Beulah was recruited.
Her parents carefully chaperoned the couple as their friendship developed and deepened, and were naturally a little concerned at their age difference — at the outset Beulah was 16 and Jim was 21.
Jim Thayer, Farmington born and bred, attended Harvard Business School and then went to work in Farmington National Bank. When it encountered difficulties during the Great Depression, Beulah recalls that Jim and some associates went to Washington, D.C., with a rescue plan, and managed to resurrect it. Farmington National Bank was associated with Jim Thayer for the next six decades.
He and Beulah were married on June 14, 1934, and the couple built a house on land owned by his mother further up Main Street from Thayercrest, where she lived at the time.
She very quickly came to love the town, and became involved in the multiple clubs of the area. All three of her children, Sylvia, Jim and Rick were born here.
Beulah was been active in the Eastern Star, Farmington Woman’s Club, the Girl Scouts, Farmington Historical Society, the Goodwin Library board of trustees, Farmington School Board, the Congregational Church, and the Women’s Fellowship. She was a Sunday School teacher, the Junior Choir director and served on the Board of Wardens.
She was a member of the Mary Torr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Dames of the Court of Honor and the Daughters of the Colonial Wars.
Beulah was involved with Frisbie Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Strawbery Banke, and served as a FMH volunteer. She spent many years involved in projects with the school children of Farmington, and continued to take a very active interest in the lives of her own three children, nine grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
In the 1990s, Jim and Beulah Thayer decided to contribute $2 million toward the construction of the current Farmington High School and worked with the Assistant School Superintendent Jack Henderson to bring it before the voters. This was roughly a third of the total cost, with the state chipping in another third. The people of Farmington, appreciative of the Thayers’ generosity, passed the bond with a record majority.
Former County Commissioner Ron Chagnon, who chaired the Farmington School Board at the time, said, “Jim, Beulah and Sylvia came to the meetings, and Beulah was more active than anybody, but they didn’t want any recognition, whatsoever. We had to convince them to let us name the entrance (to the high school) Thayer Drive. They were not for fame and glory — they just loved the town of Farmington. They were nice, nice people.”
The Thayers also financed the construction of the addition to the Goodwin Library and major repairs to the Congregational Church spire.
Goodwin Library Director Debbie Christie said that when she took over the position, Beulah made it known that the downstairs portion of the new addition was to be a children’s room.
“That became the groundswell,” said Christie, adding that the book shelves and furniture was donated by Beulah Thayer.
“She always believed that our future is in the hands of the children,” Christie said.
President of Farmington Historical Society Dottie Bean is also an active member of Farmington Congregational Church and Farmington Woman’s Club, organizations that Beulah Thayer belonged to for many decades.
Said Bean, “She is leaving a big hole. She did an awful lot for an awful lot of people that no one knows about. She touched a lot of lives in this town. It wasn’t just the big things — she helped a lot of people.”
President of Farmington Woman’s Club JoAnn Doke, remembers Beulah Thayer with great affection.
“She led me through two presidencies. She was so helpful and gracious and always there to give advice, as well as being generous. She could be called upon to help with anything. It is a big loss,” said Doke.
After her husband died, Beulah carried on with the family’s philanthropic work, and a few years ago following consultations with her family, announced that she would renovate Farmington Town Hall, and hire master carpenter Martin Gilman to supervise the extensive project. It included installation of state-of-the art sound equipment and a screen for multimedia presentations, new stage curtains and lighting, new seating and tables for functions, and much more.
Speaking on Wednesday, Gilman, a former town selectman, said, “The Town of Farmington is going to miss her terribly. She has been good to the whole community.”
To mark her 100th birthday on May 4, the bells in the tower of the Farmington Congregational Church were rung 100 times. The bell ringer, a longtime member of the congregation and a choir member, Norman Greeley, said he gladly volunteered for the job in light of everything that Beulah Thayer had done for the church over the decades.
Her memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. at the First Congregational Church of Farmington, on Monday, Oct. 29. This will be followed by a reception at the church to which everyone is invited.
Memorial gifts, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Goodwin Library Memorial Fund in care of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, 422 Main St., Farmington, N.H.
She had celebrated her 100th birthday on May 4, along with dozens of family members at Thayercrest, her home on Main Hill. Close relatives flew in for the occasion from as far away as Singapore and Oregon.
Beulah Perkins, as she once was known, was born in Alton in 1912 and graduated from Alton High School with the Class of 1930. From there she attended Keene Normal School for three years, emerging with a teaching certificate, and in 1934, she taught grades 1 through 4 for a year in a one-room school house in Bedford.
“I loved teaching and I loved the kids,” she recalled during an interview earlier this year.
While still in high school, Beulah had mastered the piano, and by chance, this led to her meeting the man she would marry — Jim Thayer. Jim played saxophone in a band, and when they lost their piano player for an event at Alton Bay Pavilion, Beulah was recruited.
Her parents carefully chaperoned the couple as their friendship developed and deepened, and were naturally a little concerned at their age difference — at the outset Beulah was 16 and Jim was 21.
Jim Thayer, Farmington born and bred, attended Harvard Business School and then went to work in Farmington National Bank. When it encountered difficulties during the Great Depression, Beulah recalls that Jim and some associates went to Washington, D.C., with a rescue plan, and managed to resurrect it. Farmington National Bank was associated with Jim Thayer for the next six decades.
He and Beulah were married on June 14, 1934, and the couple built a house on land owned by his mother further up Main Street from Thayercrest, where she lived at the time.
She very quickly came to love the town, and became involved in the multiple clubs of the area. All three of her children, Sylvia, Jim and Rick were born here.
Beulah was been active in the Eastern Star, Farmington Woman’s Club, the Girl Scouts, Farmington Historical Society, the Goodwin Library board of trustees, Farmington School Board, the Congregational Church, and the Women’s Fellowship. She was a Sunday School teacher, the Junior Choir director and served on the Board of Wardens.
She was a member of the Mary Torr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Dames of the Court of Honor and the Daughters of the Colonial Wars.
Beulah was involved with Frisbie Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Strawbery Banke, and served as a FMH volunteer. She spent many years involved in projects with the school children of Farmington, and continued to take a very active interest in the lives of her own three children, nine grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
In the 1990s, Jim and Beulah Thayer decided to contribute $2 million toward the construction of the current Farmington High School and worked with the Assistant School Superintendent Jack Henderson to bring it before the voters. This was roughly a third of the total cost, with the state chipping in another third. The people of Farmington, appreciative of the Thayers’ generosity, passed the bond with a record majority.
Former County Commissioner Ron Chagnon, who chaired the Farmington School Board at the time, said, “Jim, Beulah and Sylvia came to the meetings, and Beulah was more active than anybody, but they didn’t want any recognition, whatsoever. We had to convince them to let us name the entrance (to the high school) Thayer Drive. They were not for fame and glory — they just loved the town of Farmington. They were nice, nice people.”
The Thayers also financed the construction of the addition to the Goodwin Library and major repairs to the Congregational Church spire.
Goodwin Library Director Debbie Christie said that when she took over the position, Beulah made it known that the downstairs portion of the new addition was to be a children’s room.
“That became the groundswell,” said Christie, adding that the book shelves and furniture was donated by Beulah Thayer.
“She always believed that our future is in the hands of the children,” Christie said.
President of Farmington Historical Society Dottie Bean is also an active member of Farmington Congregational Church and Farmington Woman’s Club, organizations that Beulah Thayer belonged to for many decades.
Said Bean, “She is leaving a big hole. She did an awful lot for an awful lot of people that no one knows about. She touched a lot of lives in this town. It wasn’t just the big things — she helped a lot of people.”
President of Farmington Woman’s Club JoAnn Doke, remembers Beulah Thayer with great affection.
“She led me through two presidencies. She was so helpful and gracious and always there to give advice, as well as being generous. She could be called upon to help with anything. It is a big loss,” said Doke.
After her husband died, Beulah carried on with the family’s philanthropic work, and a few years ago following consultations with her family, announced that she would renovate Farmington Town Hall, and hire master carpenter Martin Gilman to supervise the extensive project. It included installation of state-of-the art sound equipment and a screen for multimedia presentations, new stage curtains and lighting, new seating and tables for functions, and much more.
Speaking on Wednesday, Gilman, a former town selectman, said, “The Town of Farmington is going to miss her terribly. She has been good to the whole community.”
To mark her 100th birthday on May 4, the bells in the tower of the Farmington Congregational Church were rung 100 times. The bell ringer, a longtime member of the congregation and a choir member, Norman Greeley, said he gladly volunteered for the job in light of everything that Beulah Thayer had done for the church over the decades.
Her memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. at the First Congregational Church of Farmington, on Monday, Oct. 29. This will be followed by a reception at the church to which everyone is invited.
Memorial gifts, in lieu of flowers, may be made to the Goodwin Library Memorial Fund in care of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, 422 Main St., Farmington, N.H.
FARMINGTON — Beulah Thayer is the matriarch of the Thayer family, which has done so much for the town of Farmington, and she will have her 100th birthday on Friday, May 4. Her big celebration, though, will be the next day, when she will be joined by 46 family members at Thayercrest, her home on Main Hill. Close relatives will be flying in from as far away as Singapore and Oregon, and many places in between.
Beulah Perkins, as she once was, was born in Alton in 1912 and graduated from Alton High School with the Class of 1930. From there she attended Keene Normal School for three years, emerging with a teaching certificate, and in 1934, she taught grades 1 through 4 for a year in a one-room school house in Bedford.
“I loved teaching and I loved the kids,” she recalled, while seated comfortably on a Thayercrest couch near a package of her favorite Milanos, delivered by a thoughtful visitor.
While still in high school, Beulah had mastered the piano, and by chance, this led to her meeting the man she would marry — Jim Thayer. Jim played saxophone in a band, and when they lost their piano player for an event at Alton Bay Pavilion, Beulah was recruited.
Her parents carefully chaperoned the couple as their friendship developed and deepened, and were naturally a little concerned at their age difference — at the outset Beulah was 16 and Jim was 21.
Jim Thayer, Farmington born and bred, attended Harvard Business School and then went to work in Farmington National Bank. When it encountered difficulties during the Great Depression, Beulah recalls that Jim and some associates went to Washington D.C. with a rescue plan, and managed to resurrect it. Farmington National Bank was associated with Jim Thayer for the next six decades.
He and Beulah were married on June 14, 1934, and the couple built a house on land owned by his mother further up Main Street from Thayercrest, where she lived at the time.
“I hated to move to Farmington,” said Beulah, but noted this was only a brief reaction, and she very quickly came to love the town, and become involved in the multiple clubs of the area.
“I have loved Farmington for 78 years,” added Beulah, noting that all three of her children, Sylvia, Jim and Rick were born here.
“Do you love Farmington?” she asked in a tone that hinted “No” might be the wrong answer.
Daughter Sylvia Thayer (who is married to Phil Zaeder) passed over an impressive list that she and her mother had compiled of organizations that Beulah has been involved in over the years.
“Now, this is not to sound like an obituary,” was her gentle instruction.
Beulah has been active in the Eastern Star, Farmington Woman’s Club, the Girl Scouts, Farmington Historical Society, the Goodwin Library board of trustees, Farmington School Board, the Congregational Church, and the Women’s Fellowship. She has been a Sunday School teacher, the Junior Choir director and has served on the Board of Wardens.
She has been a been a member of the Mary Torr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Dames of the Court of Honor and the Daughters of the Colonial Wars.
Beulah has been involved with Frisbie Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Strawbery Banke, and served as a FMH volunteer. She spent many years involved in projects with the school children of Farmington, and continues to take a very active interest in the lives of her own three children, nine grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
In the 1990s, Jim and Beulah Thayer decided to contribute $2 million toward the construction of the current Farmington High School and worked with the Assistant School Superintendent Jack Henderson to bring it before the voters. This was roughly a third of the total cost, with the state chipping in another third. The people of Farmington, appreciative of the Thayer’s generosity, passed the bond with a record majority.
The Thayers also financed the construction of the children’s room addition to the Goodwin Library and major repairs to the Congregational Church spire. After her husband died, Beulah carried on with the family’s philanthropic work, and a few years ago following consultations with her family, announced that she would renovate Farmington Town Hall, and hire master carpenter Martin Gilman to supervise the extensive project. It included installation of state-of-the art sound equipment and a screen for multimedia presentations, new stage curtains and lighting, new seating and tables for functions, and much more.
Today, Beulah is active in Farmington Woman’s Club and enjoys a game of bridge with the best of them. She attends church, pops into the library on occasions, and keeps a sharp eye on what is happening both locally and further afield.
“She doesn’t like politics,” Sylvia chipped in, as her mother offered an enigmatic smile.
To mark her birthday on Friday, May 4, the bells in the tower of the Farmington Congregational Church will be rung 100 times, starting at 6:30 p.m.
The bell ringer will be a longtime member of the congregation and a choir member, Norman Greeley, who said he gladly volunteered for the job in light of everything that Beulah Thayer has done for the church over the decades.
“It should take more than three or four minutes, once I get them going, but I think I will need someone with me to keep count,” said Greeley.
FARMINGTON — Beulah Thayer is the matriarch of the Thayer family, which has done so much for the town of Farmington, and she will have her 100th birthday on Friday, May 4. Her big celebration, though, will be the next day, when she will be joined by 46 family members at Thayercrest, her home on Main Hill. Close relatives will be flying in from as far away as Singapore and Oregon, and many places in between.
Beulah Perkins, as she once was, was born in Alton in 1912 and graduated from Alton High School with the Class of 1930. From there she attended Keene Normal School for three years, emerging with a teaching certificate, and in 1934, she taught grades 1 through 4 for a year in a one-room school house in Bedford.
“I loved teaching and I loved the kids,” she recalled, while seated comfortably on a Thayercrest couch near a package of her favorite Milanos, delivered by a thoughtful visitor.
While still in high school, Beulah had mastered the piano, and by chance, this led to her meeting the man she would marry — Jim Thayer. Jim played saxophone in a band, and when they lost their piano player for an event at Alton Bay Pavilion, Beulah was recruited.
Her parents carefully chaperoned the couple as their friendship developed and deepened, and were naturally a little concerned at their age difference — at the outset Beulah was 16 and Jim was 21.
Jim Thayer, Farmington born and bred, attended Harvard Business School and then went to work in Farmington National Bank. When it encountered difficulties during the Great Depression, Beulah recalls that Jim and some associates went to Washington D.C. with a rescue plan, and managed to resurrect it. Farmington National Bank was associated with Jim Thayer for the next six decades.
He and Beulah were married on June 14, 1934, and the couple built a house on land owned by his mother further up Main Street from Thayercrest, where she lived at the time.
“I hated to move to Farmington,” said Beulah, but noted this was only a brief reaction, and she very quickly came to love the town, and become involved in the multiple clubs of the area.
“I have loved Farmington for 78 years,” added Beulah, noting that all three of her children, Sylvia, Jim and Rick were born here.
“Do you love Farmington?” she asked in a tone that hinted “No” might be the wrong answer.
Daughter Sylvia Thayer (who is married to Phil Zaeder) passed over an impressive list that she and her mother had compiled of organizations that Beulah has been involved in over the years.
“Now, this is not to sound like an obituary,” was her gentle instruction.
Beulah has been active in the Eastern Star, Farmington Woman’s Club, the Girl Scouts, Farmington Historical Society, the Goodwin Library board of trustees, Farmington School Board, the Congregational Church, and the Women’s Fellowship. She has been a Sunday School teacher, the Junior Choir director and has served on the Board of Wardens.
She has been a been a member of the Mary Torr Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Dames of the Court of Honor and the Daughters of the Colonial Wars.
Beulah has been involved with Frisbie Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and Strawbery Banke, and served as a FMH volunteer. She spent many years involved in projects with the school children of Farmington, and continues to take a very active interest in the lives of her own three children, nine grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
In the 1990s, Jim and Beulah Thayer decided to contribute $2 million toward the construction of the current Farmington High School and worked with the Assistant School Superintendent Jack Henderson to bring it before the voters. This was roughly a third of the total cost, with the state chipping in another third. The people of Farmington, appreciative of the Thayer’s generosity, passed the bond with a record majority.
The Thayers also financed the construction of the children’s room addition to the Goodwin Library and major repairs to the Congregational Church spire. After her husband died, Beulah carried on with the family’s philanthropic work, and a few years ago following consultations with her family, announced that she would renovate Farmington Town Hall, and hire master carpenter Martin Gilman to supervise the extensive project. It included installation of state-of-the art sound equipment and a screen for multimedia presentations, new stage curtains and lighting, new seating and tables for functions, and much more.
Today, Beulah is active in Farmington Woman’s Club and enjoys a game of bridge with the best of them. She attends church, pops into the library on occasions, and keeps a sharp eye on what is happening both locally and further afield.
“She doesn’t like politics,” Sylvia chipped in, as her mother offered an enigmatic smile.
To mark her birthday on Friday, May 4, the bells in the tower of the Farmington Congregational Church will be rung 100 times, starting at 6:30 p.m.
The bell ringer will be a longtime member of the congregation and a choir member, Norman Greeley, who said he gladly volunteered for the job in light of everything that Beulah Thayer has done for the church over the decades.
“It should take more than three or four minutes, once I get them going, but I think I will need someone with me to keep count,” said Greeley.
Born in Athol, MA on May 26, 1931, he was the seventh child of Louis and Gertrude (Ward) Marble.
A graduate of Athol High School, he earned his degree in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston in 1954. Married that same year to Shirley Cone, also of Athol, he served in the US Army for three years, being stationed for a time in Germany. After leaving the Army he continued to serve in the reserve and formally began his career as a pharmacist. The young couple moved to Manchester, NH, and Donald worked for a pharmaceutical wholesale company where he had the opportunity to work in pharmacies across the state filling in for owners on vacation. It was through this experience that he met Wilfred (Twink) Osgood in Farmington, NH, and in 1965 he joined Mr. Osgood as a partner in Osgood’s Pharmacy and ultimately became its sole proprietor. Donald served the town of Farmington for fifty-three years as a respected member of the business community, as a deacon and a warden at the First Congregational Church, as a member of the local Kiwanis chapter, and in supporting various causes through the pharmacy. For twenty-five years he managed the Interfaith Food Pantry overseeing food pickups, distribution days, and the keeping of financial records for the organization.
An avid skier, he took advantage of the ski areas in NH, primarily Gunstock, and in the summers, he took his family to cottages at Merrymeeting Lake in New Durham, NH, and Wells Beach, ME. The family found time to visit the numerous attractions and historical sites of New England, and enjoyed travelling to see family members in Maine, Massachusetts, and Ohio. As their children grew, he and Shirley visited them as they moved across the country. Always known for his quick smile, helping hands, patient demeanor, and generosity, Donald moved to Bedford Falls Care Facility in 2018.
His ability to interact with anyone was a gift that graced the lives of many for his empathy had no bounds. Though he did not suffer fools, he always sought to understand them, and he looked for the good in everyone. He was a servant leader long before the term was poplar for his goal in life was to care for his family and his fellow man. His word was as good as gold, and he could find humor in almost every situation –some of which he instigated! That twinkle in his eye now lights a star in heaven.
He is preceded in death by his wife Shirley, his parents Louis and Gertrude, and his siblings: Kingsley, Henry (Ward), Kathryn, Jane, Robert, and Richard. He is survived by his children Lyndon and Janice Marble of Manchester, NH; Dwight and Sharon Marble of Rochester, NY; Scott and Holly Marble of Colorado Springs, CO; Laura and Keith Lambert of Portland, OR; seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, nine nieces and nephews, more than twenty grand nieces and nephews, and numerous great grand nieces and nephews.
Calling Hours will be Thursday, December 7, 2023, 5:00pm-7:00pm at Peaslee Funeral Home in Farmington, NH. A funeral service will be held Friday, December 8, 2023, 1:00pm at First Congregational Church of Farmington. A graveside service will take place Saturday, December 9, 2023, 11:00am at Jones Cemetery in Orange, MA.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that contributions be made to the First Congregational Church of Farmington in Donald’s honor.
This is a digital file and does not reside in the physical museum collection.
FHS- Kyle Leach
Born in Athol, MA on May 26, 1931, he was the seventh child of Louis and Gertrude (Ward) Marble.
A graduate of Athol High School, he earned his degree in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in Boston in 1954. Married that same year to Shirley Cone, also of Athol, he served in the US Army for three years, being stationed for a time in Germany. After leaving the Army he continued to serve in the reserve and formally began his career as a pharmacist. The young couple moved to Manchester, NH, and Donald worked for a pharmaceutical wholesale company where he had the opportunity to work in pharmacies across the state filling in for owners on vacation. It was through this experience that he met Wilfred (Twink) Osgood in Farmington, NH, and in 1965 he joined Mr. Osgood as a partner in Osgood’s Pharmacy and ultimately became its sole proprietor. Donald served the town of Farmington for fifty-three years as a respected member of the business community, as a deacon and a warden at the First Congregational Church, as a member of the local Kiwanis chapter, and in supporting various causes through the pharmacy. For twenty-five years he managed the Interfaith Food Pantry overseeing food pickups, distribution days, and the keeping of financial records for the organization.
An avid skier, he took advantage of the ski areas in NH, primarily Gunstock, and in the summers, he took his family to cottages at Merrymeeting Lake in New Durham, NH, and Wells Beach, ME. The family found time to visit the numerous attractions and historical sites of New England, and enjoyed travelling to see family members in Maine, Massachusetts, and Ohio. As their children grew, he and Shirley visited them as they moved across the country. Always known for his quick smile, helping hands, patient demeanor, and generosity, Donald moved to Bedford Falls Care Facility in 2018.
His ability to interact with anyone was a gift that graced the lives of many for his empathy had no bounds. Though he did not suffer fools, he always sought to understand them, and he looked for the good in everyone. He was a servant leader long before the term was poplar for his goal in life was to care for his family and his fellow man. His word was as good as gold, and he could find humor in almost every situation –some of which he instigated! That twinkle in his eye now lights a star in heaven.
He is preceded in death by his wife Shirley, his parents Louis and Gertrude, and his siblings: Kingsley, Henry (Ward), Kathryn, Jane, Robert, and Richard. He is survived by his children Lyndon and Janice Marble of Manchester, NH; Dwight and Sharon Marble of Rochester, NY; Scott and Holly Marble of Colorado Springs, CO; Laura and Keith Lambert of Portland, OR; seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, nine nieces and nephews, more than twenty grand nieces and nephews, and numerous great grand nieces and nephews.
Calling Hours will be Thursday, December 7, 2023, 5:00pm-7:00pm at Peaslee Funeral Home in Farmington, NH. A funeral service will be held Friday, December 8, 2023, 1:00pm at First Congregational Church of Farmington. A graveside service will take place Saturday, December 9, 2023, 11:00am at Jones Cemetery in Orange, MA.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that contributions be made to the First Congregational Church of Farmington in Donald’s honor.
This is a digital file and does not reside in the physical museum collection.
FHS- Kyle Leach