CANTERBURY ---- Surrounded by the home of her dreams in Canterbury, New Hampshire and eager to begin the new journey before her, Sarah Anne Kinter left this life on Thursday, May 8, 2025, to start joyously “partying upstairs”, after eighty-three years of walking alongside us.
Sarah was born in the summer of 1941, and was the daughter of W. Daniel and Leah (Hart) McNutt of Wooster, Ohio, where she was raised alongside her elder brothers Donovan and Thomas McNutt. Following graduation from Jackson Memorial High School in 1959, where she was crowned “Miss Jackson 1959”, she earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Library and Information Science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. While working on graduate work at the Flora Mather Library, Sarah met Hope Bidwell, who quickly saw Sarah’s high level of intellect and sensitivity. “Miss B” became a mentor and close friend to Sarah. The passion Sarah brought to her career as a librarian, beginning in the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Library System, led her to being responsible for opening two libraries in Fairfax County, Virginia and to later be appointed director in a third library. Her time in Virginia also brought out her true inner voice, inspired by the lessons of her abolitionist ancestor Nathaniel P. Rogers of Plymouth and Concord, New Hampshire. Sarah was instrumental in desegregating the library system of Fairfax County by hiring the first person of color and creating a section of literature for Black readers. Sarah also shared her love of art, and initiated an art lending system, allowing patrons to check out works of art and sculptures to borrow like books and enjoy in their own homes.
Sarah would later recount the story of visiting the White Mountains for the first time as a young woman as she traced her grandmother’s Rogers lineage, and the immediate sense of homecoming she felt as she stood on the doorstep of the ancestral N. P. Rogers homestead in Plymouth, NH. Those early experiences culminated in Sarah finding her “dream home” while on a trip in New Hampshire with her husband Harry in the winter of 1980. They moved from Maryland to the town of Canterbury, where she began volunteering as a tour guide at the Canterbury Shaker Village Museum. Knowing of her talents as a librarian, director Bud Thompson asked her to organize the formal archives of the museum, which led to her appointment as the first Archivist for Canterbury Shaker Village. This work of sorting, organizing, inspecting and inventorying records and artifacts as a layperson for the first time in the history of the Village began daily interactions with the remaining sisters, especially Eldress Bertha Lindsay to whom Sarah became private secretary and close friend. The Shaker sisters taught her invaluable lessons that wove into Sarah’s life experience and brought her joy to recount the numerous visits and special times she shared with them.
Sarah started volunteering at the Merrimack County Nursing Home when her time at the Canterbury Shaker Village ended and attended Boston University where she earned a Master of Social Work degree in 1991. Following her graduation, MCNH hired her as a social worker where she was instrumental in instituting pet therapies for patients and bringing the hospice program to the facility. This new career of counseling spanned over thirty years, first in private practice in Laconia, and later at her own home. The personal relationships she formed with each of her clients was deeply satisfying to Sarah. Friendships may have spanned decades or just a few moments, but she treasured them all equally and carefully remembered each name and every story. Sarah was always ready to offer her help to anyone that she saw was in need, and her work as a counselor kept her motivated and engaged with the world around her through the end of her life. Many times, this came in the gesture of giving out flowers and Sarah was known to her community through those purposefully given flowers.
Often these flowers grew in Sarah’s numerous gardens, and in crediting her mother’s green thumb, her yard in Canterbury was full of perennial beds that flourished under her care. Many of these plants now thrive in other gardens, as gifts from Sarah to her friends. Throughout her life, feline and canine companions have always shared her heart, and at home she enjoyed time on the screened-in porch, which was called “Birdland” for the many species of birds that visited her there. Sarah’s love for Maine was fueled by decades of trips traveling along the coastline, and it was while enjoying the views of the Atlantic Ocean that she found a special peace. Music was another passion that was important to Sarah, and as an avid audiophile felt deep connection to almost any kind of music from classical to country. With a beautiful voice, she sang in choirs throughout her life including the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and the Manchester Choral Society, and most lately the Canterbury Shaker Singers, and for over thirty years with the Canterbury United Community Church choir. At the end of the day, she would remind you that it’s all about love – that’s the bottom line.
Surviving are her husband of forty-seven years, Harry S. Kinter; feline companions Lola and Samantha; and nieces, nephews, and cousins. She will be missed by her broad community of friends and colleagues. Sarah was predeceased by her parents and two brothers. Sarah is now rejoicing among a reunion of friends and family but will always be among us in spirit and the beautiful memories she shared with us. The family would like to especially thank Sam Papps and Donna Sullivan, and the team at the Franklin VNA for their superb care in honoring Sarah’s last wish to die in her beloved home.
Friends and relatives are respectfully invited to services celebrating Sarah’s life.
Calling Hours will be held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 6:00pm-8:00pm, in the Carraige House at the Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH 03246.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, May 16, 2025, in the Dwelling House Chapel at Canterbury Shaker Village, 288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, NH.
A Calling Hour will be held from 2:00pm-3:00pm, and the funeral service will begin at 3:00pm, with a reception to follow on-site.
Private interment in the family lot at Old North Cemetery, Concord, NH, will be held at the convenience of the family.
Sarah would encourage you to donate in her memory to the Canterbury United Community Church, memo Parish Hall Restoration, PO Box 216, Canterbury, NH 03224, or to a charity of one’s choosing.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St. Laconia, NH, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com.