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Fax:603-432-0152
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Our
Londonderry Funeral Home
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The
Past
Born into a
family of farmers, Bertrand E. Peabody grew up in Londonderry, New
Hampshire. After school, Bertrand would help out his next door neighbor,
Mr. Willie Woodbury, who owned the local funeral business. Upon
Mr. Woodbury's death in 1933, Bertrand commuted to Boston to earn
his degree in mortuary science from the New England Institute of
Applied Arts and Sciences. After purchasing the Woodbury's hearse,
Bertrand established the Peabody Funeral Home in Derry on property
bought from the First Baptist Church. Bertrand Peabody was very
involved in the Derry community. He was instrumental in the running
of the Forest Hill Cemetery in East Derry, maintaining records and
staff. Glenn E. Peabody, Bertrand's son, joined his father in the
business after attending the same mortuary school. Glenn's wife,
Janet, worked in the office of the funeral home. Along with running
the funeral home, Bertrand and Glenn ran the ambulance service for
the town of Derry during the 1960's. The ambulance was later donated
to the town when Derry took over it's emergency services. In the
late 1980's, Glenn's two sons, Erik and Craig both attended the
New England Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences in Boston to
receive their degrees in Mortuary Science. They joined their grandfather
and their father in the family business. In 1984, the Peabody family
built Derry's only crematory, the Southern New Hampshire Crematory.
Run by Janet Peabody for a number of years, the crematory is owned
and operated by Erik and Craig to this day. In 1986, a chapel facility
was built in Sandown, New Hampshire. Shortly after, the Londonderry
funeral chapel opened it's doors in the summer of 1989. Bertrand
Peabody, never one to sit idle, continued to work in the funeral
home until shortly before his death in June of 1994. Glenn Peabody
retired after providing many years of service to the community. In the fall
of 2001, the Sandown chapel was closed as the number of families
served had not grown enough to sustain the facility. Derry, Londonderry,
Sandown, and the surrounding communities continue to be served from
the Derry and Londonderry facilities.
Erik and Craig Peabody and staff continue to provide professional and compassionate service to the community of Derry and its surrounding towns from their two locations in Derry and Londonderry. They hold membership in the National Funeral Directors Association, the New Hampshire Funeral Directors Association, and the Cremation Association of North America. They are involved in the local Chambers of Commerce and Rotary International.
The Peabody Funeral Home staff includes two other full time Funeral Directors. Paul Caillouette, a licensed director from Massachusetts, has been with our funeral home since 2004. After many years as a Funeral Director in the south, James Sweatman, Jr. relocated to New Hampshire and joined us in December of 2007. We also have several funeral attendants that work with our Directors during services. Jennifer Peabody, Craig's wife, assists with the family business as Office Manager. For several years, the Funeral Home staff has included a Bereavement Care Coordinator, Dianne MacKenzie, who provides grief counseling through support groups.
The Peabody family itself continues to grow. Craig and Jennifer have two sons and, Erik and his wife Carrie have twins, a son and a daughter. Having been raised with a deep respect for funeral service, Erik and Craig Peabody plan to approach the future with as much honesty and integrity as their grandfather had when he started in 1933. They are committed to providing the level of service that families have come to expect of them, as well as change with the needs of an ever-growing community. Grateful for the trust placed in them by families in need, they will continue to work hard to be worthy of that honor.
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