Phillip Prever

Phillip Prever CLAREMONT — Phillip Harvey (Phil, Abba) Thomas More Prever, 77, on April 2, 2020, at his family home, “Deepening Dread,” after a long illness. Abba was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 27, 1942, to Jacob (Jack) and Anne (Olshansky) Prever. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn Prever, now residing at Sullivan County Health Care nursing home; and by his eight children, Devra Torres of Hyattsville, Maryland, Abigail Tardiff and Sarah Johnson of Coventry, Rhode Island, Simcha Fisher of Marlborough, New Hampshire, Jacob Prever of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Joseph Prever of Boston, Massachusetts, Rosie Herreid of East Providence, Rhode Island and Isaiah Prever of Claremont, New Hampshire. He leaves 42 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, with another expected in June. Jewish by birth, he turned to Buddhism and later Evangelical Christianity before coming home to the Catholic Church in 1979. He served as librarian at the Vocational Technical College in Claremont for 30 years. He founded Miriam Rose Books and was a longtime lector and Eucharistic minister at St. Joseph’s Church. Abba was a lover of old books and good music, a maker of excellent pizza, and a fan of the Red Sox (who once won the World Series on his birthday during a lunar eclipse, leading him to believe the end had come). He visited his wife at the nursing home every day, provisioned with jelly beans and, on special occasions, apple pie, her favorite fruit. A private funeral Mass was held at St. Joseph’s church on April 8 and a Rite of Christian Burial followed at Old St. Mary’s cemetery on April 9, Holy Thursday and Passover.