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Gilmanton Iron Works, NH--------Geraldine Taylor Besse, 86, died on Wednesday, November 26, 2003 in Medina, Ohio. She was born on August 10, 1917 in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Albert Brown Taylor and Geraldine Bliss Taylor and sister of the late Weston Bliss Taylor. She was married to the late Robert Hume North and subsequently to Col. Harry William Besse, former President of the Boston Stock Exchange, who also predeceased her. She lived in Billerica, Massachusetts until 1953 when she moved to Gilmanton Iron Works where she resided until 2000. A graduate of Lesley College, Mrs. Besse, known as Jerry to her friends, taught young school children for over 35 years in Massachusetts, Gilmanton Iron Works, and at the Pleasant Street School in Laconia. In addition to the 3R's, she imparted to them her great love of history, poetry, music, good manners and gentility. Jerry Besse gave enthusiastically and unsparingly of her talents, time and her other resources to her church and her community. She was a member of the Ladies Aid, Gilmanton Iron Works Library Association, various Garden and Women's Clubs, and a longtime volunteer at Lakes Region General Hospital. She also was a member of the PEO. Jerry always had a cause or a project and her "last hurrah" was the planning and production of the Iron Works Festival in 1991 which benefited the restoration of the Old Town Hall. But beyond these accomplishments, Jerry will be fondly remembered for her unfailing generosity to those in need, her respect for tradition, her infectious sense of humor, her incredible zest for life. At her hilltop home she was a consummate hostess, known especially for her annual New Year's Day Gathering.
She leaves her only child, to whom she was devoted, Nicholas Warren Hume North, his wife, Susan, and grandson, Nicholas Keeler North all of Medina and granddaughter, Sarah Bliss North of Las Vegas, Nevada.
A memorial service and interment will be held in Gilmanton Iron Works in early spring 2004. Details will be announced at a later date. Arrangements are by Wilkinson-Beane Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Alzheimer's Association, NH Chapter, 10 Ferry Street, Suite 427 B, Concord, NH 03301; Gilmanton Community Church, PO Box 6, Gilmanton Iron Works, NH 03837 or to the Hospice of one's choice.
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