Ruth “Sue” Ingersoll Clough passed away on December 19, 2016 in Newport, NH at the age of 73. Sue grew up in Newton, Mass., graduating from the Cambridge School of Weston. She met John Clough of New London NH when they both attended Middlebury College and they were married in 1964. After spending time in Colorado, they moved back to NH and eventually, back to John’s hometown of New London in 1975 to raise their four daughters Becca, Kate, Abby and Emily.
In 1977, Sue and John opened Spring Ledge Farm on Main Street New London representing acres of beautifully kept flower gardens, tilled fields and a farm stand filled with local and regionally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubbery. The farm had been in John’s family since before the Civil War. In 1991, Sue and John dedicated 53 acres of Spring Ledge Farm to a perpetual easement to forever preserve this unique in-town farm. They worked with Ausbon Sargent and LCHIP, with the cooperation of the Town of New London Conservation Commission, to make this a reality. Sue and John continued to work Spring Ledge Farm until 2005 when they retired to Elkins and transferred ownership of the farm to Greg Berger of Calerin, LLC that November.
Sue was extremely civic-minded. She volunteered for numerous town committees including the Zoning Board, the Planning Board, Budget Committee, Conservation Commission, Citizen’s Advisory Committee and served an 8-year position on the Board of Selectmen for New London. Sue was also very involved in service to St. Andrews Episcopal Church, mentoring, ministering and serving on many committees.
Sue’s interest in agriculture and conservation extended well beyond Spring Ledge Farm. She was a founding board member of Ausbon Sargent in 1987. Sue was appointed by the governor to the NH Agricultural Advisory Committee for a 3-year term, the first woman to serve, and served for ten years on the NH Lands Committee. In addition, Sue was instrumental in the transfer of her grandfather’s 171- acre property in southern NH to the Society for the Protection of NH Forests, known now as the 236-acre Bockes Memorial Forest.
Sue brightened the lives of so many and enlightened through her service. Her Ausbon Sargent family feels the sadness of this loss.
