Lucy Rivers Gammons

Lucy Rivers Gammons, 93, of Peterborough, NH, formerly of Simsbury, Conn. passed away peacefully on September 19, 2018, while surrounded by the love of her family and friends.  Lucy lived with her family in Simsbury for over sixty years, raising her children and participating in many community activities.  She was a loving wife and mother, grandmother and very recently met her great-granddaughter.  She was a member of the First Church of Christ in Simsbury and worked for the Simsbury Public Library for nearly thirty years, retiring from the library in 1994.

Lucy Rivers was born in Thomson, GA on February 4, 1925, the daughter of Thomas Rivers and Mildred (Watson) Rivers.  She grew up in Thomson and attended the Georgia State College for Women.  She met her future husband John while he was stationed at Camp Gordon in Augusta.  They were married in 1945 and lived first in Athens, GA and later moved to Massachusetts.  The family moved to Simsbury in 1954.  Lucy greatly enjoyed gardening and reading and felt very fortunate when she started working at the Simsbury Public Library in 1966.  At the front desk she met residents of all ages and became a familiar face to many, and she felt very much at home in her workplace.  She favored the collection of mystery novels and enjoyed them again as some of these were made into movies and popular television series.  She became a world traveler, taking advantage of several town-sponsored trips to England and Scotland, Spain and Italy.  There were tours to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies and the Maritimes as well as multiple trips to visit family in Georgia and across the United States

Some of her co-workers from the Simsbury Library encouraged her to research her ancestry back to the American Revolution, and in 1972 she joined the Abigail Phelps Chapter of the DAR in Simsbury, where she served as Corresponding Secretary and later as Chaplain.  This provided a wonderful avenue to meet others and participate in local service projects for many years.  She was also a member of the Simsbury Home Arts club, a group of neighborhood friends that created a variety of interesting crafts.

Lucy was always very welcoming and her home was an open door to all of our extended family, friends and loved ones.  She was truly the spirit of hospitality and made sure all visitors and guests were comfortable and looked after. 

She was one of the first residents at the Scott-Farrar Community and made many friends there during her stay.  We are all very grateful to the entire staff for her care and well-being during her time in Peterborough. Their professional service and daily acts of kindness were a great support for all of us and Lucy would often express her sincere thanks to the individuals who cared for her.  We are also thankful for the wonderful service and kindness from Compassus Hospice, whose staff have been knowledgeable and caring during the past several months.

Lucy is survived by her son Phillip and his wife Ruth of Dublin NH, her son Jeffrey and his wife Sandy of New Milford, Connecticut; her granddaughter Amanda (Gammons) and husband Ryan Segar of Brentwood, California; her granddaughter Christina (Gammons) and husband Eric Blum of Marlborough, Massachusetts; her granddaughter Samantha Gammons and her spouse Lena Taylor of Medford, Massachusetts; and great-granddaughter Claire Blum of Marlborough, Mass.  She was pre-deceased by her husband John and son Stephen Gammons.

A memorial service is being planned for November 17 at 2:00 PM at the Dublin Community Church in Dublin, NH.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Lucy’s name to: Dublin Community Church, Dublin, NH 03444.

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