Megan Ann Elizabeth Guerra

Megan Ann Elizabeth Guerra- 62.

Megan Guerra, Wife, Mother, Sister, Aunt, Cousin, and Teacher, peacefully passed away after her brave six month battle with cancer on July 12th, 2024 in Concord, New Hampshire. Megan was born in 1962 in Somerville, New Jersey where she grew up with her younger siblings Koren and Chris. During her childhood, Megan learned German from her father, where her interest of foreign languages began. Megan earned a B.S. in French and German from Georgetown University in 1984. She then began her teaching career at The Bullis School in Potomac, MD, where she taught French and German for 12 years. During her time at Bullis, she earned an M.Ed. from the University of Maryland in 1992. Employing her new degree, she became the Director of Admissions and a French Teacher at Glenelg Country Day School in Maryland, where she stayed for six years. After the birth of her first child, the pull of motherhood was so strong that she decided to become a full-time Mom. In 1998, the family moved from Maryland to New Hampshire and Megan stayed in touch with her love of teaching by volunteering in her children’s classrooms at the Villa Augustina. As her own children began their journey as full time students, Megan rekindled her love for teaching and worked as a German Teacher at Bedford High School, as a German Instructor at Saint Anselm College, and as a Paraprofessional at Memorial Elementary School. Then she found her dream job teaching French at Trinity High School in Manchester, NH, where she stayed for 10 years. During these years at Trinity she was able to teach her son, Nicolas, while he attended the school. She formed lasting relationships with each of her students and fellow faculty members, and left a profound impact on all of their lives. She closed out her teaching experience at Fairgrounds Middle School in Nashua NH, where she taught French, German, Spanish and Latin. Megan had a love for teaching and a passion for the foreign languages. She believed all students could benefit from learning a foreign language and made each class as fun and exciting as she could. Along with providing her students a basic knowledge of languages, she wanted to ensure they felt safe and loved. She truly cared for every individual student and considered everyone family.

Megan met her husband, David, in 1986 at the Bullis School in Potomac, MD, where they both were teachers. For David it was love at first sight, as Megan described the workings of the copier machine in the faculty room, he didn’t follow the instructions because he was so smitten by Megan. After 4 years as colleagues and friends, they began dating in 1990. Two years later, they were married on August 22, 1992. Their early life as a married couple was full of travel, golf, and friends. They then began their life as a family in Maryland with the birth of their daughter Abigail in 1996. The family moved to New Hampshire in 1998, and grew soon after that with the birth of their daughter Sophia in 1999. The early years in Goffstown were full of playdates, birthday parties, trips to the YMCA, and other gatherings. In 2004, the family grew once more with the birth of their son Nicolas. Because the family outgrew their original home they moved to Bedford in 2007. From this spot, they rejoiced in the success of all three children in the classroom and on the playing fields and courts. These were happy times in which Megan shined as a Mom not only to her children but to the many friends that were always welcome and present in her home.

Megan was devoted to her family. As a child, she was a role model to her younger brother and sister, walking them to the school bus at the end of the street each morning, babysitting when her parents needed help, and introducing them to new neighborhood friends. Even into adulthood, Megan was always the voice of reason and provided valuable advice to her siblings. Megan expanded her love and devotion when she became a mother. She was a proud mother of her three children and enjoyed watching them grow and succeed. She cared deeply for every one of her nieces and nephews, her brother and sister, and all other family and friends. She loved celebrating holidays and birthdays, making sure each one was special. She would make extravagant cakes for each of them, and would even mail cakes when she couldn’t be there in person to celebrate with them. Megan had decorations for every event: Halloween,Thanksgiving, Christmas and every other holiday including her children’s birthdays. The entire house would be decorated, inside and outside, from holiday pillows and blankets to making sure all three children had decorations in their rooms and a holiday basket to open. Even when her kids went to college, she would drop off care packages and make sure they had decorations to put up in their dormitory rooms. She loved all of her family members, along with the unofficial members the family gained throughout the years, with an immeasurable amount of love.

Megan enjoyed many things in life but one of her favorite things was documenting special moments with her camera. She adored taking photos of every single moment, whether that be family vacations, graduations, the sideline or court of her children’s and students’ sporting events, or being in charge of the yearbook committee as a teacher. Megan always wanted to remember every moment, so photography was a way she could look back at even the smallest moments and share all these memories with everyone. Megan captured so many memories that her phone had over 105,000 photos on it, just from the past few years.

Megan was preceded in death by her mother, Phyllis Thanner, and her father, Josef Thanner. Megan is survived by her loving husband of 32 years, David Guerra, her children Abigail, Sophia, and Nicolas Guerra, her sister Koren Thanner-Rasmussen and her husband Tim, her brother Christopher Thanner and his wife Shari, and her many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

A Memorial Gathering is to be held at Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium in Manchester, NH, on Thursday, August 8th from 4-7pm. A Mass will be held on Friday August 9th, at 10am at the Saint Anselm Abbey Church in Goffstown, NH, as we come together and celebrate Megan. 

Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium Address: 243 Hanover St. Manchester, NH 03104

Saint Anselm Abbey Church Address: 100 St Anselm Dr, Manchester, NH 03102