Haverhill, NH-  Edith E. Celley of Haverhill died on Sunday, December 3, 2017 at Cottage Hospital, Woodsville, NH, of cardiomyopathy.

She was born December 4, 1927 in Haverhill, the daughter of Lehman H. and Elsie (Westgate) Celley.  She graduated from Haverhill Academy as valedictorian of her class in 1945 and from Skidmore College in 1949 with a BA in Psychology.

Edith taught kindergarten and first grade in South Salem, NY briefly, and then worked as a Service Representative with Southern New England Telephone Company in Stamford, CT.  She served as a Supervisory Recreation Specialist (a civilian post) with the US Army in Germany, Fort Slocum, NY, in Korea ( a mile from the DMZ) and at Fort Lewis, WA and returned from another tour in Germany to Haverhill to provide for her invalid mother's care when her father died in 1971.  She was employed as a New Hampshire State Probation-Parole Officer in Grafton County, retiring in 1987.  After a brief retirement she served for ten years with Grafton County Senior Citizen's Council, first as Volunteer Coordinator, then Director of Grafton County Retired and Senior Volunteer Program.  Under her leadership this program was expanded to serve three nearby Vermont towns and became RSVP of the Upper Valley and White Mountains.

After her return to Haverhill, Edith became an avid bicyclist and rode locally with Peaked Mountain Bicycle Club of Piermont and the Three Banana Bicycle Club of Northeastern Vermont.  She led bicycle tours with Vermont Bicycle Touring.  She also traveled extensively by bicycle with The International Bicycle Touring Society and Bicycle Adventure Club, touring throughout the United States, Europe, Canada and New Zealand.  She was a member of The League of American Bicyclists and Adventure Cycling Association.

When long bicycle trips were no longer fun, Edith traveled with Elderhostel (now Road Scholar) to South America, Turkey, Australia, Scandinavia and within the US.  She walked and swam regularly, sewed constantly and also enjoyed gardening and canoeing.

She served as Trustee of Haverhill Congregational Church, Haverhill Library Association, Atkinson House, and Haverhill historical Society, was a member of the Haverhill Area Senior Services Advisory Council, served on the board of Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, and the Heritage Commission for the Town of Haverhill.

Edith also served for eleven years as President of Haverhill Heritage, Inc. (HHI) a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and reuse of three abandoned school buildings in the Haverhill Corner National Register Historic District and to the preservation of any other threatened property in the Historic District.  She devoted her retirement to leading this effort on a full-time basis and received awards for her volunteer

service from The Laconia Savings Bank, the Woodsville-Wells River Rotary and was named Citizen of the Year for 2012 by the Cohase Chamber of Commerce.

Under her leadership Alumni Hall, a 19th century Grafton County Court House and 20th century Haverhill Academy gymnasium and auditorium, was the first of the buildings to be completed and now serves the region as Court Street Arts at Alumni Hall.  The gallery was named the Edith Celley Gallery in 2013.  A portrait of Edith hangs permanently in the gallery.  This preservation and revitalization project won an award from the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance and was also selected in 2011 by that organization as one of New Hampshire's 25 Milestone Projects of the last quarter-century.

During her tenure as president of HHI work was started on the other two 19th century school buildings.  Haverhill Academy was sold and a 1960's connecting building between the Academy and Pearson Hall was demolished.  Haverhill Academy was later resold for use as a private residence.  Pearson Hall, the original 1816 Haverhill Academy, was given to Haverhill Historical Society to preserve as their history museum.

After another brief period of full retirement in 2011, Edith assumed the Presidency of Haverhill Historical Society as preservation and revitalization work on Pearson Hall was well underway.  She successfully nominated Pearson Hall for the NH Preservation list of "Seven to Save" in 2011 and continued working to complete this effort and fully develop its reuse as a heritage center, reference library and educational facility.

There are no survivors.

There will be no calling hours.  A Celebration of Life will be held at Alumni Hall, 75, Court Street, in Haverhill Corner on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 2 PM, with a social gathering following the service.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Haverhill Heritage, Inc., dba Alumni Hall, PO Box 125, Haverhill, NH 03765.