Prudence S. Giffin, 88, of Manchester and Nelson, NH passed away February 18 after a period of declining health at Summerhill Assisted Living in Peterborough, NH. The youngest of four children, Prue was born in Yonkers, NY on June 29, 1929 to Edric Brooks Smith and Laura Seaver Smith, who died when Prue was only 15. She attended the Halstead School in Yonkers, did a post graduate year at Mary C. Wheeler School in Providence, RI and graduated Wheelock College in Boston, MA in 1947 with a bachelors degree in early childhood education. She taught nursery school for several years in Manchester.
She met her husband and life partner, John H. (Jack) Giffin Jr., in Nelson. Their summer romance became a 63 year marriage during which they were inseparable. They were married in Yonkers in 1952 and settled in Manchester, NH where they raised their two children, and spent summers in Nelson.
After Jack’s retirement, they travelled to Europe and also to many of our national parks to hike, enjoy the spectacular scenery, and take advantage of all that nature has to offer. Nelson, however, was their true love. They spent much time walking the dirt roads, visiting with neighbors, and sitting on the dock at the beach taking in the starry and moon lit nights. As with many enduring couples, it was hard to mention one without the other.
Prue also enjoyed the rigors of daily life, be it washing windows, gardening, or cooking a wonderful meal for her family and passing her skills and wisdom onto the next generation. During the off season, she and Jack frequently headed to the NH seacoast to take walks on the beach, drive along the coast, and enjoy a lobster roll at one of the local restaurants.
Although hampered by the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease toward the end of her life, Prue’s delightful personality and thoughtfulness remained throughout. She was always curious as to the news from Nelson and the lives of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was so appreciative of opportunities to go out for a drive or head for the cottage in Nelson to enjoy an afternoon in the sun and a home cooked meal. She and Jack are and will be sorely missed.
She was predeceased by her parents, her husband and her three brothers.
She is survived by her two children, Jane S. Giffin of Pittsford, VT and John H. Giffin III (Jay) of Nelson, NH and his wife, Sienna; grandchildren Abby F. Giffin and her fiancé Matthew Velez of Marlborough, NH and John H. Giffin IV (Henry) and his wife Kailah of Swanzey, NH, and three great-grandchildren, Karson, Cynthia and Charlotte. She also has a sister-in-law, Deborah G. Rogers of Keene, NH, several nieces and a nephew.
Private services will be held at the convenience of the family in the summer in Nelson.
Charitable donations may be made to the Jackson Laboratory 600 Main St., Bar Harbor, Maine 04609, the Olivia Rodham Library 1 Nelson Common Rd. Nelson, NH 03457 or the Nelson Congregational Church 830 Nelson Rd Nelson, NH 03457.
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