Rhoda Lee (Howe) Lambert

February 16, 1943 – August 12, 2025

Rhoda Lambert, 82, of Hudson, NH passed unexpectedly, Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at St. Joseph Hospital, Nashua, NH attended by family. She was born at Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NH on February 16, 1943 and was the daughter of the late Warren B. Howe and Verna June (Sunderland) Howe.

Upon graduating (a year early – overachiever!) from Derby Academy (Class of 1959), Rhoda briefly attended the University of NH before transferring to Rivier College (Class of 1965) in Nashua, NH to attain her Bachelor’s degree in education. In 1990, she returned to Rivier College to earn an MBA.

She worked as an elementary school teacher in the Nashua, NH School system from 1965 until the start of her family in 1967. With a passion for education, and while raising her family, she maintained her certifications and continued to work as a substitute teacher.

Always independent and wanting to be her own boss, Rhoda obtained her NH Realtors license in 1978. But, the desire to teach was in her blood so in 1980 she opened and operated her own business, the Teddy Bear Day Care Center in Hudson, NH which provided nursery, kindergarten and after school care. After she sold the daycare in 1997, she briefly returned to Real Estate, before moving to Canaan, NH in 1999 and opening a boutique arts & crafts store and gift shop, The Canaan Mercantile.

In 2016, she retired from the business world, but that didn’t slow her down. Her passion was serving others in the community as a volunteer through the Senior Companion Program of Merrimack, NH from 2018 through the end of 2024 where she was known to share a story, a laugh and play a strong game of Scrabble or Cribbage.

As an avid knitter and sewer, she loved making mittens to give to her nieces and nephews and participated in church events like knitting prayer shawls and baby blankets. She loved to wander and try new roads just to see where they went. One of her favorite trips was to Scotland with her son Scott in 2002.

Throughout her years she was surrounded by wonderful friends, old and new, that supported her, went on adventures with her and made her laugh. They are too numerous to mention.

Rhoda is survived by her two children, Cindy (Lambert) Wester and her husband Kenneth Wester of Litchfield and Scott Lambert of Manchester; her two grandchildren Hannah Wester and her partner Dave Palomba of Manchester and Ethan Wester and his wife Rachel Wester of Manchester; her sister Marcella Nolan and her husband Tim Nolan, of Ithaca, NY, her brother Jeff Howe and his wife Lindy Howe of Bayfield, Wisconsin; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In honor of Rhoda’s wishes there will be no service, but you may choose to celebrate her life by making a donation to the Manchester Animal Shelter: https://www.manchesteranimalshelter.org/donate.

There will be a private burial in Roxbury, VT to reunite Rhoda with her parents in the fall.