Nova Scotia native, Village Nursery School and CASE worker, collector of Shaker antiques
Blanche Foss. (Courtesy photo)
Blanche (Scott) Foss, 85, a longtime Harvard resident, passed away peacefully on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, at RiverCourt Residences in Groton with her daughter by her side. She was the wife of the late John Foss, who passed away in 2005.
Blanche was born in Steep Creek, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, on Jan. 24, 1932, a daughter to the late John Scott and Eva (Smith) Scott. Being one of 10 children, Blanche understood the importance of family. Persevering through hard times growing up along with her siblings, she was able to work in the health care field as a valued medical laboratory technician serving the Ottawa Civic Hospital in Ottawa and later the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax. She attended Guysborough Academy, and in 1961 she married John in Ottawa, Ontario, at the Woodruff United Church. Their wonderful marriage would span 45 years.
In 1967 the couple moved to the United States and settled in John’s hometown of Harvard. It was there where they raised their daughter, Suzanne. Blanche fully embraced Harvard and loved being a part of the community. For many years she worked at the Village Nursery School near the Common and later with the Concord Area Special Education Collaborative. Faith was a very important aspect of Blanche’s life. She was a devoted member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ayer.
Blanche was an avid reader and lover of music. She enjoyed gardening and traveling and was an enthusiastic collector of Shaker antiques. She enjoyed cheering on her favorite Boston sports teams, especially the Red Sox and the Patriots. She adored her strolls to the Harvard pond and around the big Common and sitting on her front porch on Fairbank Street. Blanche had a warm smile, a big heart, and a love of laughter and fun. She was a friend to many and will be dearly missed by all whose lives were touched by her.
Blanche is survived by her daughter, Suzanne McNeary, and her husband, Peter, of Brattleboro, Vermont; her brothers Carman Scott and Leslie Scott, both of Canada; her brother-in-law, Donald Foss, and his wife, Shirley Foss, of Westborough; her sister-in-law, Phyllis Foss, of Boxborough; and many beloved nieces and nephews across Canada and the United States. In addition to her husband, Blanche is sadly predeceased by her siblings Elizabeth, Harriet, Samuel, John, Chester, Helen, and Eva Claire.
Blanche’s family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the families of Charles Thibeau and Robert Barrett, who meant so very much to Blanche, and to the incredible staff at RiverCourt Residences in Groton, which took such loving and wonderful care of Blanche in the last year of her life.
Services for Blanche are pending at this time, and a private graveside service will be held in the spring at Bellevue Cemetery in Harvard. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Ayer or to the Harvard Historical Society in Harvard.
