Beverly Powell Woodward

Hampton Falls - Gracious always, and generous in her concern for others to the end, our mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Beverly Swain Powell Woodward, died on Saturday, June 3, 2017, within weeks of her 99th birthday. Beverly was born in East Concord, NH on July 17, 1918, in the same bedroom as her father, on the second floor of a home still on Mountain Road. Her parents, Wendell C. Swain and Ruth E. (Sargent) Swain, gave her a loving childhood, first in an apartment in the village, which they shared with her Aunt Lottie, and then in the home they built on Shawmut Street. Though she longed for a brother or sister, it was a fanciful and sweet time, cherished for its memories of her parents, her family, her friends and place. Beverly graduated from Concord High School in 1935, and with honors from UNH in Durham in 1939. She babysat for the children of neighbor, Governor and US Senator Styles Bridges while in school. After working for two years at the NH Public Service Commission, Senator Bridges hired her as his secretary in Washington, DC in January, 1941. It was there that she met Wesley Powell, fresh out of law school and working as the Senator's Administrative Assistant and Chief of Staff on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, which Bridges then chaired. Wes and Bev fell in love, and were married on the hurried night of September 2, 1942 in order that David and Charlie, two of his five brothers, could stand up for him en route to military training in the south. Wesley also soon enlisted in the Army Air Corps, traveling around the country for training while Beverly accompanied him wherever she could go. While he was preparing to fly to England, near the beginning of her seventh month of pregnancy, she went to East Concord to await his return. Wesley was severely wounded by enemy fire on his 5th mission as radio operator and port waist gunner on a B24 over Europe. During emergency surgery, without anesthetics, in a field tent somewhere in Italy in September, 1944, he insisted that he keep his arm and assigned himself to a life of constant pain. For more than a year in hospitals, and throughout his life, Beverly comforted and supported him through that pain, and through decades of work and public service. They returned to Washington for two years after his hospitalization, then purchased a home in Hampton Falls in 1948 to begin the practice of law. Wesley ran for the US Senate in 1949. Following a narrow defeat, tempted to return to Washington for certain and lucrative employment, he said he would stay in NH, continue to practice law and pursue greater public service, if he could only afford to do so. Beverly went to a bureau drawer in their bedroom and returned with a savings passbook showing $2,000 of small but incremental deposits she had carefully tucked away. They stayed in their home, and Wesley served as Governor from 1959 to 1963. While he was fiercely independent and often controversial, bold and spirited in every way, it was his charming First Lady, Beverly, who was loved and honored by all regardless of political persuasion, attitudes toward the thorough reorganization of state government, his appointment to replace Bridges, or other controversies of the day. While at UNH, as a member of Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, Beverly became vice president of her class. As class secretary, she wrote the 1939 alumni notes for over 70 years, from 1939 until 2010. She loved the University, and was a recipient of the UNH Meritorious Service Award. From 1956 to 1960 she served on the board of the Alumni Association, and served as Alumni Trustee on the Board of the University System from 1987 to 1991. Yes, she read every word of every document ever sent to her during that term of service. Beverly volunteered generously for many charitable organizations. She was area chairperson of the Exeter Hospital Volunteers, and recognized for her many hours of service. She was a Cub Scout den mother, a member of the Seacoast Regional Refuse Disposal District, and her Town's cluster zoning committee. She helped establish the Hampton Falls Historical Society, donated items of importance, and served long as a member of the Hampton Falls Grange and local churches, among other involvements. Wesley died on January 6, 1981. In October, 1986, Beverly married Lt. Col. Douglas R. Woodward, Ret., a civil engineer with USGS, and UNH class of 1934. He died in January, 2007. More than a matriarch in recent years, Beverly retained the soul of her family. She loved "The Falls", her historic home in Hampton Falls, its history and repose. She cared for it carefully as a steward, preserved its land by conservation easement, and its artifacts for posterity. Hand written in large print, by a wonderful and strong woman struggling with loss of sight, she left the following note: "She believed each new day brought a challenge to do the best she could with it, and she did so." Beverly is survived by two sons and a daughter, and their families: Samuel W. Powell and his wife Mimi of South Dartmouth, MA, their son Nate Powell, his wife Lindsay and their daughter Harper Cecelia Powell of NY, NY, and their son Eli of Portland, Me; Peter W. Powell and fiancé Leslie Paine of Lancaster, NH, Peter's daughter Bethany James, her husband Todd James and their son Alexander Powell James of Washington, DC, Peter's son David W. Powell of Castleton, VA, and Peter's daughter Meredith C. Powell of VA; and her daughter Nancy "Temple" Brighton and her husband Kenneth "Bradley" Brighton of Dublin, NH, their son Wesley Brighton of Martha's Vineyard, MA, their daughter Teves Brighton of NY, NY, and their daughter Chloe Brighton currently serving in Texas. Beverly also leaves two beloved stepsons, Rev. Thomas D. Woodward of Nashua, NH and Robert H. Woodward of Mt. Airy, MD, a stepson-in-law Raymond L. Seim of Newbury Park, CA, nine step grandchildren, and eleven step great-grandchildren. Services will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the charity of one's choice. Arrangements are by the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home - Crematory, Hampton.

Beverly Powell Woodward

July 17, 1918 - June 3, 2017