Grace Leone

LEBANON, Maine — Grace Leone, a beloved matriarch, community leader, and lifelong Granger, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on November 7, 2025. She was 94 years old.

Born in Albion, Maine on March 21, 1931, Grace was the daughter of Harry and Frances Germon. She was raised in both East Rochester, New Hampshire, and Lebanon, Maine, where from an early age she showed a deep dedication to helping others. As a young girl, she could often be found delivering mail and groceries to neighbors, lending a hand wherever it was needed, and brightening the lives of everyone she met with her kindness and humor.

After high school, Grace worked as a mender in the local woolen mills, where she took great pride in her craftsmanship — carefully repairing and preparing blankets for the military. Her steady hands, sharp eye, and quiet diligence reflected the same care she brought to every part of her life. Those years of hard work and precision stayed with her, shaping her deep appreciation for quality, community, and doing one’s part to support others.

She followed in her parents’ footsteps as a lifelong Granger, beginning a remarkable 80-year journey of community service. It was through the Grange that she met the love of her life, Carroll Leone, who liked to joke that joining was the only way he could spend time with her when they were teenagers. Over the decades, Grace became one of New Hampshire’s most admired Grange members, serving as Matron of the Banner Junior Grange, earning State Matron of the Year honors multiple times, and holding numerous offices at both the Subordinate and Pomona levels. In 2006, she and Carroll received the New Hampshire State Grange Spirit Award, a fitting tribute to their shared commitment to friendship, faith, and community.

Grace and Carroll built their life together in Lebanon, where they raised four daughters — Janet Smith, Judy Bailey, Jean Robinson, and Jen Bailey — on their family farm. The Leones’ farm was a lively, joyful place where everyone worked side by side to care for animals, grow a garden large enough to feed the neighbors, and share in all the daily chores.

Grace was endlessly resourceful — canning fruits and vegetables, making butter and jellies, sewing clothes from printed grain bags, and turning fabric scraps into patchwork quilts and potholders. The farm was more than a home; it was a lesson in love, gratitude, and togetherness. Grace and Carroll taught their children the value of hard work, kindness, and community.

Grace’s generosity extended far beyond the Grange and her home. She was a tireless volunteer for her local community, serving on the fire department auxiliary, as a Girl Scout leader, and on numerous community committees. She was always the first to pitch in at community suppers and church events — and the first to jump up afterward to wash the dishes. Gracie was a dedicated supporter of school sports, offering an enthusiastic voice of confidence and encouragement to the home team, and she continued cheering on the local softball league even through her final year. She lovingly knitted and donated hundreds of mittens for local children. In retirement, Grace became known as a beloved substitute lunch lady and an active volunteer for senior groups.

Grace and Carroll shared 61 wonderful years of marriage before his passing in 2018. Together, they built not only a family but a legacy of love, service, and faith that continues through their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She is lovingly remembered by her daughters — Janet and Jim Smith, Judy and Timothy Bailey, Jean and Robert Robinson, and Jennifer Bailey and Greg Overlock — and by her cherished grandchildren: Ronda, Benjamin, and Thomas Smith; Jessie Littlefield; Christopher, Craig, and Casey Robinson; and Nicholas and Shelby Bailey. She also leaves behind several adored great-grandchildren and dear sisters-in-law, June Leone and Cecile Germon. She was predeceased by her beloved siblings, Harry and Richard Germon, and Mary Ham.

When reflecting on her many years with the Grange, Grace once said, “I liked it because it lets us help people, and we always had good times, made good friends, and always helped each other.” Those words perfectly capture the way she lived her life — with generosity, joy, and a heart always open to others.

Arrangements have been made at the Edgerly Funeral Home, 86 South Main Street, Rochester, N.H., on Friday, November 14, 2025. Visiting hours will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., followed by a service at 12:00 noon and interment immediately afterward at New Cold Spring Cemetery, Crow Hill Rd, East Rochester, N.H. A gathering with family and friends will follow at Grace Baptist Church, 899 Portland Street, East Rochester, N.H.

In honor of Grace’s lifelong commitment to helping others and in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Rochester Grange Scholarship Fund, c/o Dan Bascom, 1810 SW 84th Ave., Davie, FL 33324, or to the National Alzheimer’s Association by calling 800-272-3900, please direct donations to the MA and NH Chapter in honor of Grace Leone.