Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Priscilla TOLAND
Priscilla Toland Drinker Page died peacefully on April 11, 2016, in Exeter, New Hampshire. The family extends its heartfelt appreciation to the RiverWoods community for the support and care she received there.
Priscilla, affectionately known to her friends and family as Pril, was born in Philadelphia on September 12, 1924. She lived a spirited life with a deep love for her friends, family, nature, and the great unknown. While growing up in Philadelphia, she took several trips out West with her father and siblings where she witnessed Native American ceremonies that sparked a life-long connection to Native traditions. After graduating from Oldfields School, she moved to Labrador in the early 1940s to work at the Grenfell Mission. While there, she cared for the local population in a health clinic, performing nursing and midwife duties. This experience also made a lasting impression on her, further deepening her connection to the cultures of North America’s indigenous peoples.
At the end of WWII, Pril met and fell in love with Pem Drinker, a Marine fighter pilot who flew Corsair missions in the Pacific theater. They married and had four children: Susan, Elizabeth (Betsy), Nick and Amy. By the early 1950s the family had made its home in Dover, Massachusetts, spending many happy, active years there filled with humor, projects, and commotion. Jiggs, their golden lab, was an integral part of family life and the Dover scene. Pril was an avid gardener, keen bird watcher, creator of illustrated stories, active community member, and most of all, devoted mother and partner to Pem. Family travels included skiing, sailing, hiking, fishing, and canoeing; as far as Pril was concerned, the more adventure, the better. She and Pem also built a ski camp in Bethlehem, New Hampshire, spending many weekends in the woods selectively clearing brush and trees to improve the views over the Mt. Washington valley. Much to her delight, Pril received a chainsaw one year for her birthday.
In the mid-1980s she and Pem moved to New Castle, New Hampshire. They spent happy years there, enjoying sailing Oh Wow, the Matinicus Peapod Pem built with a friend. After Pem’s death in 1987, Pril found joy in her family and grandchildren. She became reacquainted with Bob Page, from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, a practicing physician in Vermont. They were married from 1992 until Bob’s death in 2011, spending half the year in York, Maine, and half in Vero Beach, Florida. Pril loved getting to know the birds of Florida including a resident woodpecker outside her window and the egrets and herons that frequented a nearby pond.
In the last years of her life, Pril’s siblings, nieces, nephews, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were sources of pride, love, and connections to the world. She was an avid reader of biographies as well as the Boston Globe. She was always ready to talk about politics, the funnies, art, and whatever else piqued her insatiable curiosity about the world around her. Whatever the activity or the topic of discussion, “Why?” was a question she asked with genuine interest.
Pril will remain in the hearts and minds of all who knew her. A private service will be held at a later date; in lieu of flowers, please send donations to NH Audubon, 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, New Hampshire 03301.
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