Miriam L. Lockhart

Miriam Levo Lockhart, 87, former teacher of Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL), died of heart failure on October 18 in the University of Connecticut Hospital in Farmington, CT. 

The daughter of an Episcopal Minister in the Virgin Islands, Miriam was born in Barbados and brought up in St. Croix and Puerto Rico.  Miriam graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a BA in Latin American studies and completed her MA in Geography at Clark University where she fell in love with Richard Lockhart, her husband of 39 years until his death in 1996.  Together they lived in Cambridge, MA for 30 years, until their retirement to Greenfield, NH in 1990.  For the past 12 years Miriam had lived in Connecticut, most recently a resident of Seabury Assisted Living in Bloomfield.

Miriam taught ESL and Spanish in a variety of settings in Cambridge and Boston including Boston University and The Lexington Waldorf School, as well as for friends and neighbors during a 4-year stint in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the early 80s.  In New Hampshire, Miriam taught Spanish at the Monadnock Area Cooperative School and Franklin Pierce College. 

Miriam was very active in educational and social endeavors, notably as part of the founding groups of the Cambridge Montessori School and the Fayerweather Street School, where she was also an active parent.  In New Hampshire, Miriam was a strong advocate for and friend of children and adults with special needs including the network of agencies and individuals supporting her son John.

Miriam’s life experiences in the islands and through travel made her very open to the world around her.  She was an extraordinary force of nature who made every single person who fell into her orbit feel welcomed and loved.  She was generous with her time and resources and her boundless curiosity was infectious.  Always on the go, Miriam loved hiking, traveling, spending time with family, engaging in conversation, and singing with gusto.  Her passion for life lives on in those she touched. 

Family members include daughters, Eileen (Roy) Prefontaine of Hopkinton, MA and Edith (Giuliano) Di Francesco of Juno Beach, FL; son, John Richard of Manchester, NH; sister Elizabeth Thomas of Mitcheldean, England; granddaughters Jessica Di Francesco of St. Thomas, USVI and Angela Di Francesco of Rochester, NY; grandson Dan Prefontaine of Hopkinton, MA; niece Su Suehr of Mitcheldean, England and nine nieces and nephews in the US.

A private family gathering will be held at the Greenfield, NH Cemetery on Friday Oct. 23.   A celebration of life will be planned for friends and family in the coming months.

The Miriam Lockhart Memorial Fund has been established to provide financial assistance to individuals with special needs who have limited resources.  To learn more, visit the GoFundMe page at https://gf.me/u/y5rftq.

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