InDepthNH.org scans the websites of New Hampshire funeral homes each week and selects at random some of our friends, relatives and neighbors to feature in this column. The people listed here passed away during the previous week and have some public or charitable connection to their community. InDepthNH.org is now offering obituaries through the Legacy.com service. We view this as part of our public service mission. Click here or on the Obituaries tab at the top of our home page to learn more. And if you know of someone from New Hampshire who should be featured in this column, please send your suggestions to NancyWestNews@gmail.com.
Retired State Police Major Christopher P. AuCoin died Dec. 7, 2022. He served the Division for more than 22 years. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Persian Gulf War, he was hired by the Amherst Police Department in 1991 and was hired by the New Hampshire State Police on June 11, 1993. He was assigned to Troop B as a Trooper and served as a Field Training Officer and S.W.A.T. Unit member. In 2003, he was promoted to sergeant at Troop B and in 2004, he was named commander of the SWAT Team. In 2005, he was transferred to Troop C when he accepted a promotion to staff sergeant as the assistant troop commander. He returned to Troop B as the troop commander, with a rank of lieutenant in 2008. Upon promotion to captain in 2011, he spent time in both Operations and Support Services prior to his final promotion to major in 2012. He retired in 2015. (N.H. State Police press release)
Charlotte Jane Parent Derosia, 84, a lifetime resident of Lisbon, died Dec. 1, 2022. She was first elected Lisbon Tax Collector/Town Clerk in 1967. In a small town, the job description doesn’t necessarily go with the job title: She was also the fire and police department dispatcher until the mid-1990s, deputy fire warden, did billing and receivables for the water and sewer departments, and performed close to 200 civil marriages. She retired in 2012 after working for the town for 45 years. (Ross Funeral Home)
Adele Ann Gordon Trested, 75, of Hampstead, died Dec. 6, 2022. She taught at several educational institutions in Massachusetts including Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown and Pike School in Andover. She and her husband moved to Hampstead, where she was a teacher for almost two decades in the public education system, primarily in readiness, first and second grade. (Stockbridge Funeral Home)
Carol Ann McEntee, 74, of Newmarket and Grantham, died Dec. 2, 2022. She moved to New Hampshire in 1982 and begin her career as a school psychologist employed in Keene and Concord before moving to Oyster River School District for the majority of her career. She was part of the opening staff for a new school in Madbury. (Ricker Funeral Homes & Crematory)
Gloria Ida (Arsenault) Sabalauskas, 78, of Windham, died Dec. 4, 2022. She also lived in Merrimack and Windham for the past 49 years and volunteered in many capacities through St. John Neumann Parish in Merrimack and in the Merrimack public schools. Gloria and her husband Victor were champions of anti-hunger organizations and volunteered for 25-plus years with Greater Nashua CROP hunger walk. Gloria also volunteered with St. Joseph Hospital in their hospice and women’s health programs. (Peabody Funeral Homes & Crematorium)
James M. Gianferante, 78, of Manchester, died Dec. 3, 2022. He worked as the assistant pro at Derryfield Country Club in Manchester and was appointed as the head golf professional. He later held a number of golf related positions as a teaching pro and working in retail golf shops. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)
Yolande R. (Lefebvre) Nicknair, 89, of Henniker, died Dec. 5, 2022. A 1960 graduate of St. Anselm College, she worked for Concord Hospital in staff development starting in 1989. She was active in the Henniker community including St. Theresa’s Parish, the Henniker Historical Society, New England College, and the Rotary Club. (Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home & Cremation Service)
William Paul Porter, 85, of Nashua, died Dec. 1, 2022. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years as an Explosive Ordinance Disposal (“EOD”) specialist until his retirement in 1985, with the rank of chief master sergeant. He served in the Vietnam War and taught at the EOD School in Maryland. He later worked as a weapons safety engineer with Textron in Massachusetts for more than 20 years. He volunteered at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua for many years and also on the Community Emergency Response Team of Nashua. (Farwell Funeral Home)
George G. Whittaker, 89, of Alexandria, died Dec. 2, 2022. He and his wife Judith opened Alexandria Wood Joinery in 1970, where he was a finish cabinet maker and refinisher. He worked for FEMA and was the emergency management director, health officer and supervisor of the checklist for the town of Alexandria. He was a former member of the Alexandria Volunteer Fire Department and an EMT with Emmons Ambulance Service. (Emmons Funeral Home)
Paul E. Sanfacon, 94, of Barrington, died Dec. 5, 2022. A U.S. Army veteran, he worked at Palmer Plumbing Supply for 21 years and retired from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1990. He helped organize the Rochester Babe Ruth League, Blue Hills Ski Club, and Rochester Youth Hockey. He coached and umpired for 35 years and was also a member of the Mount Whittier and Moose Mountain Ski Patrol. He was inducted into the Rochester Elks Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and was also a member of the American Legion Post 7, Knights of Columbus No. 2408 and an active member of St. Mary’s Church. (R.M. Edgerly & Sons Funeral Home)
Margaret Ann Earle, 81, of New London, died Dec. 4, 2022. Her nursing career spanned more than 50 years, initially in Paris, France, then in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She studied classical ballet and opened her own studio, Le Studio de Ballet in Andover, Mass., teaching students there for over 25 years, concurrent with her nursing career. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)
Neil A. Gross, 88, of Jefferson, died Dec. 4, 2022. He was a woodsman and truck driver. For many years he was a volunteer fireman for the Jefferson Fire Department, retiring as a lieutenant. For a time, he was the Jefferson road agent, a forest fire warden and a member of the Jefferson Planning Board and Board of Adjustment. He was also a member of the Grange. (Bailey Funeral Home)
Marie-Ange Melanson, 95, of Rochester, died Dec. 6, 2022. She dedicated much of her life to the Catholic church, serving as a member of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church and for many years was a eucharistic minister and a member of many parish committees. She was a member and past president of St. Anne Sodality and was a member of the New Hampshire Council of Catholic Women. She also held a position with Catholic Daughters of America. She was a volunteer for the Rochester Soup Kitchen and was a dedicated volunteer at Rochester Manor for 40 years. (Tasker Funeral Service)
Ann L. Smith, 90, of Lebanon, died Dec. 5, 2022. Known as the “Cake Lady,” she was known to Upper Valley residents who sought out her services for birthdays, showers, weddings and anniversaries. She was one of the city’s original school crossing guards, volunteered at Red Cross Blood Donor drives and was an active parishioner of Sacred Heart Church, where she was a choir member and served on several committees including Martha Ministry. (Ricker Funeral Homes & Crematory)