MARION L. DAVID
Dover – Marion Louise (Wiggin) David, 96, formerly of 131 Grove Street, Dover, died on December 24, 2017, at the Wentworth Home.
She was born on December 18, 1921, in Conway, NH, to Mark and Amber Pearl (Harriman) Wiggin, the ninth of fifteen children. She was a descendant of Thomas Wiggin, the first governor of the Upper Plantation of New Hampshire. She was the granddaughter of Civil War veteran Allen O. Harriman, and a descendant of Leonard Harriman, who settled in Rowley, MA in 1638.
She graduated from the West Side Elementary School. She then worked as housekeeper for Dr. Clarence Reynolds and his family in Conway. Later she worked at the Conway Heel Mill and Frankson’s Furniture in Tamworth before attending a National Youth Administration School in Concord. She then worked as a machine operator for General Electric in Bridgeport, CT.
Marion enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (Signal Corps) in 1943. She attained the rank of T/4 (sergeant) as a teletype operator and delivering post mail, serving at Forts Oglethorpe, Monmouth, Dix, Meade, and the Pentagon until her honorable discharge in February of 1946. Her military service was a source of intense pride for her for the rest of her life.
She briefly returned home to Conway, but then moved to Boston to work at the Sylvania factory on Huntington Avenue. There she was introduced to the brother of a coworker, who turned out to be her future husband. She married David A. David, of Dover, on April 7, 1951, and moved to Dover later that year.
Marion worked at Clarostat Manufacturing until 1954, when she settled into the life of a homemaker and mother. For several years she did piecework at home for the Weiss-Lawrence shoe factory on Sixth Street. She and her husband Dave built their house on Grove Street in 1958 and spent 49 years there. She taught Dave, who was dyslexic, how to read. Marion cared deeply for her immediate family. She was always ready to lend a hand to her many extended family members.
In 2007, she and Dave moved to Langdon Place, where she cared for him until he died on March 12, 2009. Marion continued to volunteer at the Langdon Place library and help her fellow residents. She did errands for them until she gave up driving on her 91st birthday.
She moved to the Wentworth Home in April of 2014. In the 3 ½ years she spent there she won the hearts of the residents and staff with her kind heart, willingness to help others, her independence, strength, and vitality.
Marion was a 57-year member of First Parish Church in Dover and was a proficient contributor to the Ladies’ Craft Group. She was a life member of the Harriman Family Association. She was a sharp card player, an expert at solving word puzzles, a fantastic cook, and a wonderful daughter, wife, daughter-in-law, mother, mother-in-law, sister, aunt, and friend to so many.
She is survived by her son, Dr. Lawrence D. David, and his wife, Cynthia, of Amherst, NH. She is also survived by a sister, Frances Morrill of Nottingham, a sister-in-law, Jeanne Wiggin Bolduc of Conway, a brother-in-law, William A. David of Dover, and dozens of nieces, nephews, and their families. She was predeceased by her twelve brothers, one sister, and over three dozen brothers- and sisters-in-law, and a dozen nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her grand-dog, Weezie.
Marion’s family thanks the Wentworth Home and Compassionate Care Hospice for their loving and gentle care for Mom in her final days.
Per Mom’s wishes, there will be no funeral. Tasker Funeral Home of Dover is in charge of cremation and burial.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Marion’s name may be made to First Parish Church’s Memorial Fund (218 Central Avenue, Dover), to the Wentworth Home (795 Central Avenue, Dover), or to the Linda Ivey Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Peter Driscoll, Principal, Dover High School, 25 Alumni Drive, Dover, NH 03820.