Catherine Virginia (Dutcher) Ward of Andover and formerly of Brewster, New York, died on June 13, 2013 at Concord Hospital surrounded by loved ones. She passed away peacefully at the end of a long and good life.

Catherine was known to her family and friends as “Gin” and to her closest family she was sometimes called “Dutch.” Gin was born at her parents’ home in Brewster, New York to Leumas Eddy Dutcher and Pearl Elizabeth (Wilbert) Dutcher. Gin’s other siblings, now all deceased, were Iola, Pearl, and Joan. Gin graduated from Brewster High School and the White Plains School of Beautician Arts and operated her own beauty salon for many years in Brewster. On moving to New Hampshire, she and her husband Bob operated the Andover Arms Inn.

Gin enjoyed the love and company of her family, friends, and her faithful dogs. She enjoyed gardening, jazz music, and the singing of her daughter. She was a person with a great sense of humor who enjoyed practical jokes and kidding with family, friends, and even total strangers.

Even late in life she continued to drive her own car and was a “spirited” driver, often driving faster than the speed limit. It is believed that she still holds the record for the highest speed ever clocked by police radar on Seaman’s Road in New London.

Gin was a member of the Andover Service Club, where she volunteered at the Service Club’s thrift shop. She was well-known as a call-in listener to the local radio station under her pseudonym “Scoop” and was even offered a position by the radio station to host her own radio talk show, which she immediately declined.

Gin was pre-deceased by her loving husband, Robert Mitchell Ward, and is survived by her daughter Virginia Robin (Ward) Ware and her son Robert Leumas Ward and his wife Kathryn Quinlan Ward, as well as numerous family members.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service celebrating her life on Saturday, June 29 at 2 PM at the Proctor Stone Chapel at 194 Main Street in Andover. Gin’s ashes will be joined together with the ashes of her husband Bob and will be scattered in a private family ceremony at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Gin’s name to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Visit ASPCA.org for details.