Exeter, NH – Henry Franklin Irwin, III, known to family, friends, and colleagues as Terry, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at his family home in Port Clyde, Maine on October 15, 2025. He lived a life of love, adventure, and intense community service.
Terry was the first of three children born to Henry Franklin Irwin, Jr. and Josephine Ham Irwin. Because his father was in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps, Terry enjoyed the opportunity to live in Scotland, Honduras, and Costa Rica. He often described his time in Edinburgh, Scotland, from ages nine to twelve, as his most formative years. It was there that – among the many experiences he loved to describe – he rejected classist societal pressures to play rugby, instead choosing soccer – the game that would become one of the loves of his life.
Terry attended Westtown School (class of 1959) in Westtown, Pennsylvania, where he first met Cynthia (“Cynnie”) Wilson Axten, who a few years later would become the most important love of his life. He attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut where he earned a B.A. in English (1963), played varsity lacrosse, and, as at Westtown, captained the varsity soccer team. He went on to earn a master’s degree in English at Wesleyan, coaching freshmen and then varsity soccer there while completing his studies.
In 1965, after meeting again during their college years, Terry and Cynnie married. Soon after, Terry began his teaching career at Northfield Mount Hermon School where Terry taught English, coached varsity soccer and lacrosse, and made lifelong friends. During their time there, he and Cynnie had two children, Thomas F. Irwin and Caroline W. Irwin.
In 1976, wanting to explore a new part of the country with his family, Terry took his talents to Jacksonville Episcopal High School in Jacksonville, Florida, where he served as Athletic Director, taught English, and again coached varsity soccer. Three years later, he transitioned his career to financial advising at Northwestern Mutual, where over the course of 28 years he became close friends with many of his clients.
During his time in Jacksonville, Terry actively engaged in building homes with Habitat for Humanity; contributed his skills to build a robust youth soccer program; raised funds for Boy Scouts of America’s Urban Scouting program to reach kids who historically had not had the opportunity to participate in scouting; and, fueled by his love of nature, served on the Board of Directors for the North Florida Land Trust.
In 2007, drawn by the desire to be nearer to family, he and Cynnie moved to Concord, New Hampshire. Although he had retired from work just a few months prior, Terry hardly retired during his time in the Granite State.
He fell in love with the White Mountains, where he hiked and camped in all seasons – solo, with friends, and with his son Tom – enjoying the valleys and summits, including all of New Hampshire’s forty-eight 4,000-footers. He especially loved Mts. Jefferson and Moosilauke, where some of his ashes will be scattered, and developed a love for skiing and – in particular – Cannon Mountain.
Having been active in the Episcopal church for most of his adult life, and after strengthening his Spanish language skills for a year in preparation, in 2012 Terry combined his spiritual journey and his love of hiking to walk the Camino, making the 500-mile walk from St. Jean Pied-de-Port, France to Santiago, Spain over the course of 33 days. He especially loved the people he met on the way.
Over the years he enjoyed many trips with Cynnie, including to Kenya, Turkey, Israel, Cuba, and the American West; camped and hiked in the Grand Canyon with daughter Carol; and returned to Scotland with son Tom to visit Edinburgh again and hike the 75-mile Great Glen Way along Loch Ness and many other highland lakes.
In Concord, he coached grandchildren Nat and Lindsay Irwin’s soccer teams, knocked on countless doors for the Obama campaign, and led Concord’s Organizing for America team, working to support passage of the Affordable Care Act. He combined his love of the outdoors and his love of service by volunteering as a land steward for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and Five Rivers Conservation Trust, monitoring multiple conservation properties.
The service role Terry loved most was working with New Americans in Concord to help them build a new life in the U.S. Over the course of 15 years, he volunteered with Ascentria Care Alliance and Overcomers Refugee Services; helped connect people with jobs; drove people to medical appointments; and tutored people in English and in preparing for their U.S. citizenship test. Over the past twelve years, he and Cynnie forged a bond of friendship and love with a family of four sisters from the Democratic Republic of Congo and their growing family – all of whom were family to him and Cynnie. Terry continued tutoring New Americans in Concord after he and Cynnie moved to RiverWoods retirement community in Exeter, a community he adored, in 2024.
Terry is survived by Cynthia Irwin, his wife of sixty years; his children Tom Irwin of Portsmouth, NH and Carol Irwin of Cape Elizabeth, ME; his daughter-in-law Lauren Irwin of Portsmouth, NH; his grandchildren Lindsay Irwin, Nat Irwin, Shamma Nazali, and Shalom Nazali; his siblings Hale Irwin of Middlesex, VT and Maude Irwin of Middlebury, VT; and his large, loving extended family.
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Concord, NH on January 3, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to Overcomers Refugee Services at www.overcomersnh.org, P.O. Box 2941, Concord, NH 03302 or to Conservation Law Foundation at www.clf.org, 27 North Main St., Concord, NH 03301.
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