Janice (Jan) Anne (Copplestone) Hodgdon, 62, of Troy and formerly of
Swanzey died peacefully in her sleep after a period of failing health. She passed
in the familiar surroundings of her home with her loving family close at
hand.
The daughter of Miriam L. (Carpenter) and Arthur N. Copplestone, she was
born on January 30, 1949 in Newton, Mass. She was educated in Natick,
Massachusetts and graduated from Natick High School in the class of 1967.
After high school Jan continued her education at Elmira College in New
York. She later transferred to the University of New Hampshire, where she
received her Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature in 1971. Education was
important to her and she continued through the years taking classes at Plymouth
State and the College for Lifelong Learning, enabling her to become credentialed
as a special education teacher.
On January 28, 1974, Jan and her husband Dave shared their vows at the
Congregational Church in Wakefield, NH. They have been happily married
for 36 years.
Jan was employed by the Monadnock Regional School District as a Special
Education Teacher. She taught at Emerson Elementary School in Fitzwilliam
for ten years, retiring in 2009.
Jan was a member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Chesterfield
for many years and also the St. John’s United Methodist Church in Dover. She
enjoyed working on various committees and volunteered for various
projects with the church, including the building of a school in the Dominican
Republic. She enjoyed writing, painting, and calligraphy. She was also an
avid reader.
Jan is survived by her devoted husband, David G. Hodgdon, of Troy. She
leaves her beloved son, Brett Hodgdon, and her son-in-law Brad Fugate of
Boston, MA; her siblings Laura Beck and her husband James of Rancho
Murietta, CA; Steven Copplestone of Tuftonboro, NH; and Robert
Copplestone and his wife Sarah of Roanoke, VA. Jan also leaves nieces and nephews,
whom she thoroughly enjoyed and loved: Tim, Cheryl, Roz, Kate, Emily, Anna,
Martha, Leah, Gracie, Scott, Nathan, Katelyn, Isabella, Henry, Katie and
Chelsea. In addition, she is survived by her mother-in-law, Eunice
Hodgdon, of Tuftonboro, NH, and her brother-in-law, Bruce Hodgdon, and his wife,
Sarah, from Decatur, GA. She will be missed by her cousins and their
families, many friends, her colleagues, and her extended family at the
St. John’s United Methodist Church in Dover. She was predeceased by her
father and mother and by her sister, Martha.
Calling hours will be held on Thursday, January 3, 2011 from 6 to 8 p.m.
in the funeral home. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held in
the spring at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Dover, NH, with a
date and time to be announced later. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent in honor of Jan to Hospice and Community Services, P.O. Box 564, Keene, NH. 03431. All services are under the direction of the Cheshire Family Funeral Home, 46
South Winchester St., West Swanzey. www.cheshirefamilyfuneralhome.com.
