Richard Whipple Obituary

Peterborough, New Hampshire – Richard Lane Whipple, 87, died on October 6, 2002, at RiverMead.

Mr. Whipple was born in Salem, Massachusetts, on September 21, 1915, the son of Mary (Lane) and Charles A. Whipple. At 16, he was enrolled at Harvard University, captained the diving team, and graduated cum laude in 1937. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he sharpened his retailing skills with Grover Cronin and Filene’s before joining the family enterprise, Parke Snows. He married the love of his life, Victoria Barton Eldridge, on May 10, 1940. The couple resided in Lexington and Wayland, Massachusetts, before moving to Peterborough in 1973.

Mr. Whipple was an active member of his communities, serving as an officer of Rotary and the Waltham Chamber of Commerce, and as a Director of the Waltham Savings Bank. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed tennis, travel, and fierce games of chess, bridge, and Scrabble. After retiring to Peterborough, he became a member of the Monadnock Country Club where he served as treasurer and delighted in sharing his love of the game with the youngest members. He participated in the local bowling league and kept his adding machine busy for H&R Block.

He is survived and missed by his surviving sibling, Louise Whipple Howarth of New Jersey; two sons, David B. Whipple of Plymouth, Mass., and Richard L. Whipple of Keene; two daughters, Cynthia B. Carr of Waitsfield, Vermont, and Stephanie W. Demore of Milton, Vermont; 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by two brothers, Roger Whipple and Charles A. Whipple, a sister, Betty Smith, and his beloved wife, Victoria E. Whipple.

A celebration of his life will be held at the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, October 15, at 1 PM, with a reception to follow at Monadnock Country Club in Peterborough, New Hampshire at 2 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Monadnock Community Hospital, 452 Old Street Road, Peterborough, NH 03458, attention of Laura Zickell.