June Chapin Swenson, age 91, of Derry, New Hampshire, passed peacefully on December, 16, 2025 following a brief illness. She was born on September 7, 1934, to the Chapin family, where her early life was shaped by faith, community, and a love of the outdoors.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl Leslie Swenson Jr. with whom she shared 61 years of marriage and a life centered on service, compassion, and unwavering Christian faith. She was also predeceased by her daughter Susan Swenson, and her brother Franklin Chapin.
June is survived by her three beloved children, Jeanne Agri (Robert), Carl Swenson (Jill), and Peter Swenson (Cathy); six cherished grandchildren, Jennifer Sanders (Nick, and their son Grant), James Agri (Molly, and their children Wyn and Lennon), Sam Swenson (Tephi), Abby Swenson, John Carl McGrady, and Sarah Swenson; her sister Susan Alex along with many nieces and nephews she held close to her heart.
June devoted her career to Christian education, serving as a Christian Education Director at St. Matthew’s Church in Bedford, New York, and later the Church of the Good Shepherd in Nashua, New Hampshire. Her work was her ministry—nurturing generations of children and families through scripture, music, and gentle, loving leadership. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she shaped with quiet strength and enduring kindness.
She found joy in bringing family together—especially at Hopewell Farm in Vermont, which had been in her family for many years. The farm was a gathering place filled with shared summers, long meals, cherished traditions, and treasured memories made across generations.
Nantucket was another treasured place in her heart. When her children were small, she began the tradition of spending the month of July on the island, a meaningful time shared with family and cherished friends, surrounded by lifelong connections and the quiet beauty of Nantucket’s shorelines.
June loved the outdoors and spent many hours hiking on Mount Desert Island, canoeing on calm lakes, and camping in the Adirondacks and along the Maine coastline. On her many adventures, she could often be found on the beach or searching for the perfect spot to soak in all the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. Those moments brought her a deep sense of peace.
She was a gifted cook and gardener whose love was expressed through meals shared, flowers planted, and traditions kept. Among the most treasured was her Christmas Day ice cream cake—a joyful ritual perfected over decades, eagerly anticipated each year, and now a beloved family memory.
Above all, June was profoundly proud of her family. They were her greatest joy, her deepest pride, and evidence to her of a life lived with love and faith. She will be dearly missed.
Following cremation, a celebration of life will be held at a later date. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium of Derry and Londonderry are assisting the family with arrangements.