Marilyn Webster Ham passed away peacefully on September 9, 2026, at the age of 97, at the Hanover Hill Health Care Center.
Marilyn was born on July 1, 1929 in Gardner, MA, the daughter of Vera Wentworth Webster and John Edward Webster. She had been a resident of Manchester since 2022, formerly living in Derry, NH and Londonderry, NH for many years. Marilyn graduated from Norwood high school in 1947, from Green Mountain Junior College in 1949, and received her RN from Boston Children’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1953. She became one of the first nurses at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Greenfield NH, where she was a tireless advocate for individuals with disabilities, recognizing the therapeutic value of the great outdoors. Among her patients was a young poet named Eugene LaLande, whose writing touched Marilyn so deeply that, in later years, she painted illustrations for his poems and presented the collection to Crotched Mountain.
Marilyn married Reverend Chester Ham in 1957 and moved with him and their growing family to South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri, returning to Londonderry in 1969. She was the School Nurse at North Londonderry Elementary School for sixteen years, earning her B.A. from New England College in Henniker NH. Many of Marilyn’s students from North School continued to visit her, some with their own children, long after Marilyn retired.
Marilyn’s interests and affiliations/awards would require an Appendix; nature, art, history, genealogy, antiques, sports, and community affairs were among her passions, and she put time and energy into all her endeavors. She belonged to the NSDAR Molly Reid Chapter, Londonderry Grange #44, was a founder of Londonderry Heritage/Historic District, and curator of the Londonderry Historical Society. In 2005 she was appointed Londonderry’s town historian, had the Annual Report dedicated to her and received the LEO award for outstanding community contribution. In 2007, Marilyn and her husband Chet celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and were honored as the Grand Marshals of the Londonderry Old Home Day Parade.
First and foremost was her devotion to family and friends. As a girls’ basketball coach, Cub Scout leader, Boy Scout chaperone, Girl Scout leader, and museum guide, she enthusiastically shared her knowledge of nature, history and archeology with generations of scouts, students, visitors to Morrison House Museum, and later with her adoring grandchildren.
Marilyn and Chet were members of the First Parish Congregational Church of Derry, NH, helping to organize the Church Preservation Committee and the 275th celebration of Old Nutfield in 1994.
Marilyn was pre-deceased by her husband Chet and by her younger brother John (Jack) E. Webster Jr. and two nephews, John III (Jay) and Bradford. She is survived by her three children; Peter Webster Ham and wife Carol of Mansfield MA, David A. Ham and wife Christine, Cynthia Ham Strike and husband Thomas, as well as sister-in-law Gail Webster, nephew Mark Webster and wife Jessica of Wells ME. She will be missed by eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Visiting hours will be Saturday October 17, 2026 from 1:00 - 3:00pm at the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 290 Mammoth Rd., Londonderry, NH. The Celebration of Life Service will follow at 4:00pm at the First Parish Congregational of Derry, 47 East Derry Rd., Derry, NH. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, Marilyn has requested donations to the First Parish Congregational Church Preservation Fund, P.O. Box 114, East Derry, NH 03041 or Londonderry Leach Library, 276 Mammoth Rd., Londonderry, NH 03053.