Anne Brooks Dodge

CENTER SANDWICH, NH. - Anne Brooks Dodge, 89 years, passed away peacefully on April 13, 2023, with family by her side. Brooks lived in North Sandwich, NH with her family for nearly 50 years, where she lovingly raised two children and had many strong and lasting friendships in town.

Brooks was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 27, 1933. She was the daughter of Lawrence Gibbons and Anne Ferbrache Gibbons who met in Honolulu while he was an executive for Standard Oil, and she was an elementary school teacher. Brooks loved her time in Hawaii, growing up carefree in a tropical paradise and swimming and surfing daily until dark. Her family moved from Hawaii in 1941, just months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, settling in Palo Alto, CA. Brooks graduated from Palo Alto High School and then the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA where she was President of her sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. Sadly, her parents passed away in her early 20's, so Brooks moved back East to be closer to her extensive Gibbons family in New England, including 5 uncles who lovingly looked after her.

Brooks was working in Boston when she met and married the love of her life Phil Dodge, who was just starting with Ford Motor Company. The couple moved with Ford to Westfield, NJ where their children were born and then to Kensington, MD. After 17 years with Ford, Phil's next post with the company meant relocation to headquarters in Dearborn, MI. Instead, Phil and Brooks left the corporate track to purchase White's Garage, a Ford Dealership in West Ossipee, NH, and they moved their family to Maple Ridge Farm in North Sandwich. Built in 1794, the farm was home to the family for the next 50 years, and where they often entertained friends, including an annual Kentucky Derby party that was true to her Gibbons family horse racing heritage.

Also, during this time, Brooks worked at the School Administrative Unit #2 in Meredith, NH for over 20 years, where it was often proclaimed that Brooks ran the School District! After her retirement in 1999, Brooks enjoyed volunteering for various causes in Sandwich, including at the Sandwich Historical Society and the Sandwich Home Industries. A lifelong Episcopalian, Brooks was active at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Tamworth, NH. Brooks was also an accomplished musician on the piano and the bass violin, performing with the orchestra in several musicals at the Barnstormers Summer Theater. Throughout her life she enjoyed remodeling her homes, collecting antiques, hand braiding rugs and calligraphy. Above all, she loved her family and was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

In addition to her parents, Brooks was predeceased by her brother, Lawrence (Larry) Gibbons Jr. and her husband of 59 years Philbrick Winslow Dodge. She is survived by her two children: Laura Winslow Dodge who lives in Center Sandwich, NH and Walter Brooks Dodge, who lives with his son, Edward Winslow Dodge, and daughter, Madelene Lewis Dodge, in Darien, CT.

A memorial service and interment will be held in the Fall.

Memorial gifts can be made in Brooks' name to the Alfred Quimby Fund, which provides scholarships for students from the town of Sandwich, c/o New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, 37 Pleasant Street Concord, NH 03301-4005 ( www.nhcf.org ).