Shirley C. VanDyne, 97, of Albany, NH, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Sunday, August 30, 2026, one month short of her 98th birthday. She had resided at the Mountain View Community Nursing Home in Ossipee, NH for the past 2 years. She was born in Chesham, NH on October 2, 1928, the daughter of the late Ernest and Florence (Clarke) Chamberlain.

Shirley went to work as farm help for Eileen and Wallace Oliver of Marlborough, NH at about 14 years of age. She loved being on the farm with Eileen, and there she helped with baking, kitchen work, barn chores - as well as driving a tractor and working out in the fields under Wallace’s watchful eyes. Under the Oliver’s loving care and supervision, she blossomed into a vibrant young lady. Wallace would take her to visit her parents and siblings while on his weekly milk route. He would drop her off at her parent’s home and she would go inside, say hello, and immediately go back outside and sit on the curb until he came back around with his team of horses to pick her up. As far as she was concerned, the Olivers were truly her family, and she remained their “foster daughter” all their lives.

Shirley graduated from Marlborough High School in 1946 and took a job in Peterborough, NH as a secretary. She worked for the American Gurnsey Club in the records department, keeping track of each Gurnsey cow in America with all their pedigree information, calves born, and how much milk they produced. It was while she was working in Peterborough that she met her future husband, Dick VanDyne. Their first date consisted of a bicycle trip from North Peterborough to Dublin to Jaffrey, and back to Peterborough. It took all day and she said she was so tired at the end of the day she could barely move. Keep in mind, back in 1949 then there was only a single speed bike! That ordeal did not deter her, and they married in November 1949 after a brief six-month courtship. They were together for 71 years prior to Dick’s passing in June 2021.

In 1951, Dick entered the US Navy and was stationed in Norfolk, VA. He sent her letters in Morse Code that she would have to decipher using the Boy Scout Handbook. She joined him and took the Civil Service test in order to live and work on base. She passed the test with a score of 100% correct and was told that it had never happened before! However, she was not hired because at that time the government felt that if you were a married woman, you would soon be out on maternity leave. Disappointed, she returned to Peterborough to work and wait for Dick’s term in the Navy to be up.

Shirley and Dick were married 7 years before their children started arriving. Prior to having children, they both were active members in the Peterborough community and volunteered extensively throughout their lives. Shirley was a fabulous cook, and home-made treats always were waiting for the kids when they got home from school. She worked in the Peterborough Elementary School cafeteria for several years while the kids were in school there. She loved kids - all ages, all sizes, all 

colors, all abilities. The VanDyne home in Peterborough was where all the neighborhood kids would meet up after school for baseball, tag, chase, you name it. All were welcome.

Shirley loved dark chocolate, flowers, loons, hummingbirds, children, people, whistling, her Lord and Savior, and her husband (although not necessarily in that order). She was gracious, kind, patient, and oh so loving. She could be the disciplinarian though, when tested.

In 1972, Dick took a job at the former North Conway Bank, and a big move was made. Shirley took a job at the John Fuller Elementary School beginning as a recess monitor and retired as administrative assistant for the principal. She remained at John Fuller until her retirement in the early 1990s.

After retirement, she and Dick traveled in their RV across the southern and midwestern states, volunteering with SOWERS. Once they retired from RVing, they had a log home built for them in Albany by their son Scott. A few years later, they downsized and had a home built for them by their son, Jay. They continued to keep busy with church activities and to volunteer extensively together and individually until 2021, when Dick passed away unexpectedly.

Shirley is survived by her daughter Stephanie, her sons Jonathan (Peg), Tracy (Cathy), and Jay (Julie), her daughters-in-law Renee and Vicky, as well as grandchildren Jessica (Jason), Tyler, Chloe, Nadia and Vanessa and three great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son Scott, all of her siblings, and her parents.

I know this obituary is long, but trying to compact a beautiful life into a few paragraphs is next to impossible. Shirley/Mom/Meemy/Auntie was a loving, amazing, kind, generous, patient woman. She will be sorely missed, and we are so grateful that God chose her to be our mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend. We know we will see her again. We are thankful to God that His Word promises that as Believers we will be reunited in Heaven one of these days. Death is not an ending, but a beginning to new life – without suffering, pain or tears. A new life with a new body, joyfully praising God in His holy presence for eternity.

Her Funeral Service will be held on Friday, September 4, 2026, at 10am at the First Baptist Church, 2655 White Mountain Hwy, North Conway, NH with interment following at the Charles L. Hammond Cemetery, Drake Hill Rd, Albany, NH. If you are unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed. Go to FBCNorthConway on Youtube. Donations in her memory may be made to First Baptist Church, PO Box 600, North Conway, NH 03860. Arrangements are entrusted to the Bryant Funeral Homes & Crematory, Berlin and Gorham. Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.bryantcares.com.