Dr. Virginia Emery

Virginia O B Emery, PhD, passed away peacefully on January 11, 2026. She was 87 years old. At the time of her death, she was living in Cleveland, OH, but previously she lived for 50 years in Concord, NH. For 34 years she was married to her best friend and husband, Dr. Paul E Emery. He passed away in 2013, and for 9 more years she remained in the Bow, NH home they had shared for 30 years.

Virginia Olga Kennick was born on April 9, 1938. She grew up in Cleveland, OH, as the daughter of William J. Kennick and Antoinette (Misjak) Kennick, both of Slovenian descent. Her Slovenian heritage was important to Virginia, and over her life she was involved with many activities and organizations relating to her ancestry. She excelled in her studies through high school, and won many “debate” competitions on her school’s Debate Team, which won the national competition her senior year.

She went on to earn a BA in Slavic Languages from The University of Chicago; then a MA in Sociology from Indiana University at Bloomington. Later, she returned to The University of Chicago where she earned her PhD in Human Development, with a specialty in Gerontology. Education was the most important thing to Virginia. She taught in the Department of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School for 30 years, earning numerous prestigious awards for academic research over several decades.

For just one example, she was the 1995 recipient of “The International Psychogeriatric Association Award.” Dr. Emery wrote dozens of research papers that were published in a wide array of academic journals. In 1994 she co-wrote and edited a university-level textbook titled “Dementia: Presentations, Differential Diagnosis, and Nosology.” A second, expanded edition was released in 2003. As a life-long learner and academic, Dr. Emery was a “Life Member” of both American Mensa and International Mensa, “High IQ societies.” For many years, she was involved with activities for her local region’s NH Mensa chapter. She earned her 50-Year Fellowship in The American Psychiatric Association, and later became a “Life Fellow” of the same organization.

When she wasn’t working on research projects, she enjoyed decorating her homes; general reading of biographies, tabloids and novels; movies; going for walks; and collecting photos for family photo albums. Nearly every room in her home contained bookcases with many books, essentially mini libraries, organized by subject matter. It’s accurate to say, Virginia had read them all. Additionally, she was an avid traveler who made 28 trips to Europe, both for work-related conferences, and for family visits. Her favorite European cities included Ljubljana, Novo Mesto, Prague, Vilnius, and Tallin.

Virginia Emery is survived by her daughter Tamsan Beattie Tharin of NH and her granddaughter Thora-Lee Antoinette Tharin (Justin) of RI. Additional survivors include her sister Victoria Kennick (David) of MD, her brother William Kennick, Jr. (Valerie) of OH, and her daughter-in-law Helga Beattie (Paul) of WA. Also, she leaves behind 2 nieces, Delghi Urubshurow of MA and Jacqueline Kennick of NY. She’s also survived by nephew John Kennick of CA. Virginia was grandmother to 5 additional surviving grandchildren: Nadia Beattie Maison (Austin) of MI; Hedin Beattie of CA; Konrad, Stefan, and Julian Beattie of WA. Virginia was proud of all her grandchildren and was delighted with the recent births of 2 great-grandchildren, Salem and Winston Maison of MI.

Virginia was predeceased by her beloved husband of 34 years, Dr. Paul E. Emery, who passed away in September 2013 and is buried in the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, NH. Virginia will be joining him there, for her burial. She was recently predeceased by her only son as well, Paul Hamilton Beattie, Jr. of WA who died on May 31, 2024. Her nephew Donzen Urubshurow passed away on November 22, 2013 and his father, Virginia’s brother-in-law David Urubshurow of MD passed away on October 1, 2023.

A memorial service will be held on February 2, 2026, at 1 pm, in the chapel of the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, NH. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery Association, PO Box 626, Concord, NH 03302-0626.

Bennett Funeral Home of Concord is in charge of the arrangements.