Judith Webb, 76

SANBORNTON — Judith Swart Webb died peacefully at home on June 28, 2019, after enduring months of pancreatic cancer pain and its ultimately unsuccessful chemotherapy treatment.

She leaves her husband of 39 years, Shipp Webb; her daughter, Mira Gerard of Johnson City, Tennessee; her sister, Kate Canning of West Rupert, Vermont; and a brother, Peter Swart, of Riverside, California.

She was born in Rhinebeck, New York, on Oct. 11, 1942, to Craig and Carolyn Swart and grew up in Weston, Vermont. Judith lived in New Hampshire and Florida for several years and then moved to Sewanee, Tennessee, where she lived for about 30 years.

She and her husband, Shipp, founded and operated a handcrafted jewelry business. They traveled to craft shows throughout the southeast and sold their jewelry to shops across the U.S. and as far away as Guam. They retired and moved to Sanbornton in 2007.

Judith was a talented artist and craftsperson but her main focus was on the spiritual dimensions of life. While running a Christian coffeehouse in Laconia, she was attracted to the teachings of Kirpal Singh of Delhi, India. He had visited Sanbornton in 1963 and founded Sant Bani Ashram which is a retreat center where people come to meditate and reflect on his teachings. Judith became the first resident in 1964. She made many trips to India to gain more instruction in meditation and deeper insight into the basic philosophy of merging the individual soul with God. She made a determined effort to understand the web of life and created a huge beautiful flower garden that was also a food source for insects and birds. She also was an avid bird feeder and usually was outside before dawn making sure the feeders were full when the birds arrived — even in winter snow storms.

There will be a memorial service at Sant Bani Ashram, 30 Ashram Road, Sanbornton, on Sunday, July 7, at 4 p.m. All are invited to walk to the ashram cemetery for interment which will be followed by a reception.

Judith was a tireless volunteer and board member at Pyareo Home, a vegetarian assisted-living facility in Sanbornton. She expanded the gardens and attracted birds by putting up houses and bird feeders. Attempts to block squirrels from the feeders provided endless entertainment for the residents. Memorial gifts may be made to Pyareo Home, 333 Brook Road, Sanbornton, NH 03269, or online at www.pyareohome.org.

Thibault-Neun Funeral Home in Franklin is assisting with arrangements. For an online guestbook, please visit www.neunfuneralhomes.com.