Lebanon, N.H. — Constance Hovey Zea, 96, formerly of Meriden, N.H., and Quail Hollow in West Lebanon, N.H., died peacefully on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018. Born on Feb. 3, 1921, in New York City, Constance was the daughter of Edmund Otis Hovey and Dell Geneva Rogers. After her father’s death in 1924, her mother moved back to the family home in Springfield, Mass., where Constance was also raised by her grandparents. She was a graduate of Classical High School in Springfield and Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass., and attended Fanny Farmer Cooking School in Boston. Constance worked as a dietician at the Y.W.C.A. in Springfield for several years. On April 21, 1951, she and Howard William Zea were married at the Church of the Unity in Springfield. They settled in Meriden, where they lived for 60 years until his death in 2012. Constance was a member of several local organizations, including the Meriden Congregational Church, and particularly enjoyed their longtime association with the Ed Larkin Contra Dancers who perform throughout Vermont and New Hampshire.
Constance is survived by her eldest son, Philip Zea, and his wife, Elizabeth, of Norwich, Vt.; and her grandchildren, Joseph Gibbs Zea of Ticonderoga, N.Y., and Emily Coleman Zea of White River Junction, Vt. She was predeceased by her two younger sons, Arthur Hovey Zea in 1994 and Stephen Morris Zea in 1955.
A celebration of Constance’s life will be held at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College (White Church) in Hanover, N.H., on Friday, Feb. 16, at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Meriden Volunteer Fire Department, 808 NH-120, Meriden, NH 03770, or to Historic Deerfield, Inc., Box 321, Deerfield, MA 01342.
Messages of condolence may be expressed with the family through an online guestbook by visiting www.rickerfuneralhome.com.
