Obituary - Phoebe Storrs Stebbins, Owner of the Dartmouth Bookstore

Phoebe Storrs Stebbins, owner of the Dartmouth Bookstore in Hanover, New Hampshire, died on Wednesday, March 27, at the age of 83. Stebbins had been ill with brain cancer since last July. "She was an inspiration to everybody," said David Cioffi, Dartmouth Bookstore's store manager, and Stebbins's son-in-law.

Those who knew Stebbins described a woman who had an energy and spirit undiminished by her age and illness. In a letter sent to New England Bookseller Association members, Allison Morris, a former employee of the Dartmouth Bookstore, and a close friend to Stebbins, recalled: "At the age of 82, she was still playing tennis almost daily, riding her razor-scooter through the streets of Hanover, and readily answering customers' questions about children's books she'd read 70 years prior, if not more.... She was a wonderful bookseller, and, above all else, a wonderful person, as anyone who knew her can attest." Morris is now the children's book buyer and manager of Wellesley Booksmith.

And Cioffe said that, even after Stebbins' diagnosis, she still visited Phoebe's Nest, Dartmouth's children's department, regularly. "She loved to look at the new books coming in, so the employees set them aside for her," he said.

Stebbins was born in Hanover on November 11, 1918, to Adna D. and Ethel (Haskell) Storrs. Her family owned the Dartmouth Bookstore, which had been purchased in 1883 by Stebbins' grandfather, E.P. Storrs.

Stebbins, a sixth-generation Hanover native, attended local Hanover schools, graduated from Wellesley College, and then attended Yale nursing school. It was there that she met her future husband, Jack Stebbins, a lawyer, whom she married in 1941. After her marriage, she discontinued her nursing studies, and eventually she and her husband moved back to her hometown of Hanover, it was noted in the Valley News.

Once in Hanover, Stebbins became a regular at her family's store, and it's there she developed a fondness for children's books. When the store expanded in 1976, adding a building with three floors, the top floor was devoted to a new Children's Department. The section was called "Phoebe's Nest" in honor of Stebbins. She was in charge of the children's department for many years, though "she didn't work full time -- she had four kids -- but when she came in, it was in the children's section," Cioffe said.

Stebbins was a proud member of the independent bookselling community, and had great interest in the welfare of all independent bookstores throughout the U.S. "We often talked about keeping independent bookstores alive and doing what we could," Cioffe said. Stebbins also did her best to promote local authors and illustrators at the store, he continued, particularly those creating children's books. "Children's illustrators looked at her like a godmother," he said.

Aside from children's literature and bookselling, Stebbins had a great interest in art. Periodically she volunteered at AVA Gallery and Hood Museum, and served on the art committee at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She was also active in the Hanover Historical Society, and worked with the Hanover Town Library.

After realizing the seriousness of Stebbins' diagnosis last July, the Dartmouth Bookstore staff began creating a memorial wall in Phoebe's Nest. Soon, it was decorated with photos and letters, including notes from the local authors and illustrators who knew and loved her, said Cioffe. The memorial was created prior to her death so that she could enjoy the tribute while she was still alive.

Stebbins' husband died in 1997. She is survived by two daughters, Ann Stebbins Cioffi of Etna, New Hampshire, and Martha Stebbins Moore of Bath, Maine; two sons, David F. Stebbins and John S. Stebbins, both of Etna; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service for Stebbins was held Saturday, April 6, in Hanover, New Hampshire. Memorial donations may be made to AVA Art Gallery Children's Scholarship and Internship Programs, AVA Gallery, 11 Bank St., Lebanon, New Hampshire 03766, or to a charity of one's choice.