Blair Goddard

Blair (Riggs) Goddard, beloved wife of Claude Goddard, of Meredith, passed away at home in Meredith on May 13, 2019, surrounded by her husband and daughter, Jeanne Boone, after a six year-long struggle with multiple myeloma. She was 57 years old. Blair was born June 22, 1961 in Baltimore, Maryland, the oldest of four children of Lawrason and Jeanne Riggs. Blair grew up in the Guilford section of Baltimore and spent every summer through college on Nantucket Island with her family sailing, boating, fishing and enjoying the island life. After college, Blair lived in Washington, DC before residing for over 30 years in Arlington, Virginia, where she raised her daughter, Jeanne Boone. In 2005, Blair met Claude Goddard, who was living in Potomac, Maryland. Although Claude lived outside of Blair's self-imposed 5 mile radius limit, they entered into a loving relationship and eventually became domestic partners in late 2014. Blair moved to Meredith in 2015 to be with Claude, who had built a house there and was splitting his time working between Meredith and Washington, DC. Claude and Blair were married March 14, 2019. Blair went to elementary school at the Calvert School in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from the Garrison Forrest School in Garrison, Maryland (high school). She then attended the University of Maryland and graduated from Mount Vernon College (now part of the George Washington University) in Washington, DC, with a major in interior design. Blair was employed as an interior designer at Victor Sharghai & Associates, in Washington, DC for 28 years until that firm closed in 2011. She then worked as a designer at Houseworks Interiors in Alexandria, Virginia until 2014 when she moved to Meredith. Blair worked for one year at Home Comfort in Center Harbor as a sales associate and designer before opening her own interior design firm, Seven Gables Designs, in 2017. Over the course of her career, Blair worked on many high-end commercial and residential interior projects in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, including projects at the Watergate, the Ritz and other luxury residences. She also worked on similar projects in Montana, West Palm Beach, Florida, and most recently in the Lakes Region. She had a keen eye for color, style and finishes, and no detail escaped her notice when she inspected her projects. Blair was a life-long member of the Nantucket Yacht Club and was active in the Episcopal Church and served on the Vestry of St. George's Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia. After moving to Meredith, Blair became involved in the activities of the Meredith Historical Society and was elected to the Board of that organization in 2018. Blair was an avid athlete who enjoyed running, bicycling, swimming, hiking, golfing, sailing and Alpine and Nordic skiing. She ran many 5K and 10K races, as well as several half-marathons, and she completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, she completed an Iron-Man Half Triathlon in Cambridge, Maryland. Blair also enjoyed watching and going to Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox games; University of Maryland, University of Virginia and Navy lacrosse games; and she especially enjoyed attending Army Navy games in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Blair also became involved in the running community working part time for Pacers Events in Arlington, Virginia. She became an "Ambassador" for Pacers, in which capacity she organized and led fun runs, training runs and promoted women's participation in running events. She truly embodied their motto of "For Every Run," making sure runners of all abilities felt included and welcome. She made many friends in the racing community through these activities. She also was part of the Pacers' race crew in the Washington, DC area, working at the start and finish of races, as well as acting as a bicycle patrol to assure the race courses remained clear. She was fierce in her determination to make races enjoyable for race participants and was known for her no-nonsense approach to keeping the race courses clear of spectators-once being called the "angry lady with a megaphone" by an unhappy spectator whom she dressed down for trying to enter a restricted area near the finish of the George Washington Parkway Classic 10 mile race. Blair had a vibrant and colorful personality. She always enjoyed returning to Nantucket Island, where she could visit family and many friends. She made friends wherever she was, and was a good friend to many. Blair was predeceased by her father, Lawrason Riggs, Jr. and her brother, Lawrason Riggs III. She is survived by her husband, Claude Goddard; her mother, Jeanne Riggs of Nantucket, Massachusetts; her daughter, Jeanne Boone of Arlington, Virginia; her step daughters, Marian Carpenter (husband, Adam and son, George) of Falls Church, Virginia, and Nora Goddard (husband, David) of Fairfield, Connecticut; her sister, Whitney (and husband Steven and children Matthew and Henry); and her brother West Riggs (and children Jack and Ann Carter); as well as by many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Blair was very grateful for the exceptional and compassionate care she received in her fight against multiple myeloma from Dr. Charles Catcher and his team at Lakes Region General Hospital in Laconia, New Hampshire, and from Dr. Jacob Laubach and his team at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Visiting hours will be at the Mayhew Funeral Home in Meredith on Thurs, May16, from 6 to 8pm. A funeral service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Nantucket on Saturday, May 18, 2019 at 2 pm. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Meredith Historical Society or the Nantucket Conservation Foundation.

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Blair Goddard

June 22, 1961 - May 13, 2019