Francis ‘Skip’ Cumings

Francis “Skip” Cumings, 79, of Litchfield, NH, passed away Monday, June 22, 2020, after a brief heart illness at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, NH, with family by his side. Born February 23, 1941, in Somerville, MA, he was a son of the late Waldo and Josephine (Parkinson) Cumings.

Skip was raised in Tewksbury, MA where he met his high-school sweetheart and loving wife of almost 60 years, Patricia (Dunn) Cumings of Litchfield. Skip and Pat raised 4 children in Windham, NH and lived there for 42 years before moving to Litchfield 6 years ago.

Following high school, Skip attended Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA for 2 years. He went on to receive a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Western New England College in Springfield, MA, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Rivier University in Nashua, NH.

An avid engineer at heart, Skip enjoyed solving problems. He was Plant Manager with Contech and Consolidated Container Corp., a plastics manufacturer in Hampstead, NH for 26 years prior to his retirement. Skip was the inventor of 3 US Patents while employed by Improved Machinery, Co. (IMPCO) in Nashua, a division of Ingersoll-Rand.

Skip loved spending time with his family, boating and boat building, biking, gardening, carpentry, and fixing things. As Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 266 in Windham, he led a wilderness canoe trip down the Allagash River in Maine. After retiring, Skip enjoyed a winter home in Salt Springs, FL and a cottage on Peaks Island, ME during the summer where he kept his sailboat and his children and grandchildren would often visit.

Skip will be missed dearly by all those who knew him. Members of his family include his loving wife, Patricia; two sons, Michael Cumings and his wife, Denise of Allenstown, NH, Dr. John Cumings and his wife, Heather of Silver Spring, MD; two daughters, Denise Greaves and her husband, Tom of North Andover, MA, Cyndy Hastings and her husband, Chris of Hudson, NH; 11 grandchildren, Ryan, Adam, Chip, Sam, Max, Sam, Garrett, Emma, Chloe, and Eva, 2 great-grandchildren, William and Abbee; two brothers, Ronald Cumings of Monterey, CA and Richard Cumings of Sachse, TX, his sister, Kathleen Stone of Ipswich, MA; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his brother Waldo Cumings and grandson Troy Cumings.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, July 3, 2020 at 9 am in St. Francis of Assisi Church, St. Francis Way in Litchfield. Due to State of NH guidelines, all guests are required to wear masks and encouraged to social distance. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association or a COVID-19 relief fund of your choice. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch Street, Derry, NH is handling the arrangements. To send a condolence or for more information, please visit www.peabodyfuneralhome.com.