North Haverhill, NH Albert (Abe) Read, III, of 440 Clark Pond Road, North Haverhill was called home to Jesus on May 12, 2010, at the age of 89. He passed at home after a lengthy illness surrounded by his loved ones. He was born in Plainfield, NH on October 27, 1920, the son of Lena (Rogers) Read and Palmer Clark Read, the sixth of seven children. He was a 1938 graduate of Kimball Union Academy. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 65 years, Kathleen (Philbrick) Read; his daughter, Cynthia Read Woodward; his sisters, Phyllis Sutherland, Ada Smith, and May Atwood; and a brother, Palmer C. Read Jr. He is survived by two sisters; Kate Wilder of Plainfield and Jean Hebert of Keene; three daughters: Joyce Read, Linda Stoddard and her husband Robert of North Haverhill, Faith DellaRova of Haverhill, a son: Albert K. Read IV and his wife Dawn of West Lebanon, as well as an adopted daughter, Ann Clement of North Haverhill; eleven grandchildren: David K. Laurie, Peter C. Laurie, Anne K. Carey, Matthew R. Smith, Carrie A. Smith, Robert E. Stoddard Jr., Samantha A. Stoddard, Michael A. Dimarzio, Erica L. Hendrickson, Hannah S. Read, and Joshua P. Read, fifteen great grandchildren and one great great grandchild; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. During his lifetime he was an accomplished dairy farmer owning first The Charlie William Place on Route 12A, then Sky Ranch on Blackhill in Plainfield, and then Shadow Lawn Farm in Claremont. It was in Claremont that his dairy farming skills had shown the brightest, winning many state and national awards. Abe enjoyed cattle dealing, and was always on the lookout for beautiful cows. He was an active member of DHIA, the Ayrshire Breeders Association and the Holstein Breeders Association. He also served on many local and regional farm related organizations, including the Farm Credit Association, Farmers Home Administration, the Farm Bureau, the 4-H Advisory Committee and was a long time 4-H leader. He was an avid pulling steer enthusiast and trainer. Abe retired from dairy farming in the fall of 1983. He built a new home in Plainfield, now known as Prospect Pastures, and began raising Tunis sheep and working steers. It was at this time that Abe became very active in the Plainfield Historical Society, and was pivotal in the restoration of the Blow-Me-Down Grange of which he was a lifetime member. His final retirement came in 2003 when he and his wife moved to North Haverhill. In the past few years he enjoyed his garden, and was always looking for something new to plant. He recently completed a collection of his memoirs which have been greatly enjoyed by his many friends and family. Calling hours will be Friday, May 14, from 6 to 8 PM at Ricker Funeral Home, 1 Birch Street, Woodsville, NH. A graveside service will be held at the Plainfield Cemetery at 11 AM on Saturday, May 15, 2010. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Plainfield Historical Society, your local food bank, or grow an extra row of vegetables for donation to your local senior center.