Rilda Letourneau

She was born in Marblehead Massachusetts in 1949 to Kimball and Mary Lou (Lennox) Brown. At the end of High School, she moved to Keene NH. She started taking courses at Greenfield Community College, where she would meet her future husband. She transferred to UNH to complete a bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation. The couple married in 1974 and spent several years living in Boise, Idaho for her husband’s military service. They returned to Keene in 1976 and began their family.

While her children were young, she taught aerobics courses at the Keene Fitness Factory and sold Mary Kay. When her children began school, she began her career as an educator at Fuller Elementary School as a Title I teacher. With a desire to have her own classroom, she went back to school and obtained her teacher license. She was hired at Marlborough Elementary where she taught kindergarten and first grade for many years before her retirement in 2012. She was deeply passionate about teaching children to read and instilling in students a sense of joy and wonder while learning. Her classroom was filled with color and laughter.

She was an active member of the Saint James Episcopal Church where she served on the vestry and altar guild. She also enjoyed singing in Keene’s women’s chorus, Animaterra. She was incredibly active and enjoyed going on runs or taking long walks with her favorite music. She really enjoyed spending time at the family’s summer home in Newbury NH. Always up for an adventure, she spent her summers teaching her children and nieces and nephews about fireflies, caterpillars, stargazing, and swimming in Lake Sunapee.

She will be remembered for her devout faith, her wit and humor, her commitment to teaching, and her dedication to her family.

She is survived by her husband of 51 years, Ed Letourneau of Keene, her son Josh Letourneau and his wife Katie Hansen of Putney VT, her daughter Rilda Kissel and her husband Alex Kissel of Melrose MA, her brother Corky Brown and his partner Michelle Kalis of Granby, Connecticut, her grandchildren Jonah, Willa, Amelia, and Sylvie, as well as several nieces and nephews.

She is predeceased by her beloved sisters Karen Eglintine and Heidi Brown Hewitt.

Her family is incredibly grateful for the compassionate and loving care she received at Maplewood Nursing home. Please consider making a donation to Home Healthcare Hospice and Community Services, PO Box 564, Keene, NH 03431 (www.HCSServices.org) to assist other families who face similar health challenges.

Calling hours will be private. A service will be held on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 11:00 am at Saint James Episcopal Church, 44 West Street. Keene, NH. A private burial will take place in Newbury, NH in the spring.