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.
Richard Wyse Dutton, 91, of Wilmot, died Aug. 8, 2023. He was senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in New London. He organized ecumenical groups and trips to Nicaragua and El Salvador. He advocated for local affordable housing. He created Children of Hope, a program uniting Catholic and Protestant youth from Northern Ireland and the U.S., and he promoted dialogue between Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Kids for Peace performance summer camp that he brought to life served youth from different religious backgrounds. He also served Unitarian Universalist Churches in Andover and Laconia after he retired. He was awarded the 2016 Culture of Peace Award from N.H. Peace Action. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)
Dr. Roland H. Bryan D.D.S., 91, of Bedford, died Aug. 11, 2023. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, he opened a private practice in Manchester and served the local community for more than 50 years. He was a member of the New Hampshire Dental Society and the International College of Dentistry. He taught at Tufts Dental School, treated patients at the N.H. state correctional facilities and assisted several nonprofit dental clinics in Concord and Manchester. He was a member of the Bedford Presbyterian Church, where he participated in the choir for over 20 years and was recently awarded Deacon. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)
David R. Cheney, 62, of Sandown, died Aug. 13, 2023. A graphic artist and printer at Eastern Rainbow in Derry for 24 years, he was an EMT at Pride Star, serving the Merrimack Valley and was a volunteer firefighter in Sandown. He retired as a captain after 32 years. He was a Sandown selectman and head of the transfer station. (Brookside Chapel and Funeral Home)
Donna Denniston, 81, of Springfield, died Aug. 10, 2023. A distinguished cellist, she held the position of principal cellist of the Lakes Region Symphony in Meredith. She was cello Faculty and String Department chair at the Concord Community Music School from 1994 to 2007 and performed as principal cellist of the Granite Symphony. She played with the Serenade Strings, a professional string quartet. She had served as principal cellist of the Ridgewood Symphony and performed with ensembles such as the American Chamber Orchestra in New York City, the New Jersey Music Ensemble, Northern New Jersey Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, and the Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)
Lloyd M. Putnam, 92, of Keene. died Aug. 10, 2023. A U.S. Army veteran, he was employed at Markem Corp. for 38 years. He was a past member of the Marlborough Federated Church, a member of the Gopher Ski Patrol, and the American Legion, Post Four, the Daley Whipple, VFW Post 799, and a longtime active member of the Keene Horseshoe Club. He also served with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program. (Cheshire Family Funeral Home)
Charles Thomas Colletta, 88, of Nashua, died Aug. 12, 2023. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was general manager for Standard Hardware for many years, until his retirement. A talented musician and band leader, he played clarinet and saxophone with the American Legion Band and the 39th Army Band of the N.H. National Guard. He was the drum major on Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day parades in Nashua for many years. (Farwell Funeral Home)
Thomas Bruce Keenan, 76, of Peterborough, died Aug. 12, 2023. He started the Keenan Equipment Co. in 1968 and owned and operated it up until his death. (Jellison Funeral Home)
Dwight Edwin Merrill, 72, of Newmarket, died Aug. 11, 2023. He launched “Mountain Christian Ministries” in 1998 with his wife, Karen, and they spent five years conducting non-denominational worship services at the Top O’ Quad Observation Deck at Bretton Woods. He was a member of the Association of Resort & Leisure Ministers. (Kent & Pelczar Funeral Home)
Stanley L. Reczek Jr., 76, of Durham, died Aug. 8, 2023. He was executive vice president at the North Shore Medical Center in Peabody, Mass., and then a physics teacher at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass. He was a member of Christ Church of Hamilton & Wenham and supported the youth programs and served as senior warden of the vestry. He was also a member of the board of trustees at Waring School in Beverly, Mass. He was elected to the board of the Durham Public Library, and volunteered for the outdoor programs offered to fourth- and fifth-graders at the Great Bay Discovery Center in Greenland. (Kent & Pelczar Funeral Home & Crematory)
Donald W. Leavitt, 92, of Wolfeboro, died Aug. 12, 2023. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he worked 46 years in the insurance business and was president of the Professional Insurance Agents of New England in 1984-1985. He was a member of the Civic Advisory Board of New England Memorial Hospital, past president of the Stoneham Rotary Club, vice president and member of the Board of Investment at Stoneham Savings Bank, and president of W.G. Leavitt and Son, Inc. Agency in Stoneham and Wilmington, Mass. He was a deacon at First Christian Church in Wolfeboro and past president and treasurer of Pine Harbor Condo Association of Wolfeboro. (Lord Funeral Home)
James D. Spencer, 71, of Ossipee died Aug. 12, 2023. He volunteered many hours and was awarded a lifetime membership in the Ossipee Historical Society. He was the caretaker for the historic Carroll County Courthouse. He was elected a commissioner of the Ossipee Corner Fire Department and was appointed as a member of the Ossipee Budget Committee. (Lord Funeral Home)
Linda D. Morgan, 79, of New Hampton, died Aug. 14, 2023. She taught at Bristol Elementary School for 33 years. She was a New Hampton selectman in the 1980s and served as children’s librarian in Meredith from 2001 to 2006. (Mayhew Funeral Homes)
Kathleen Lee “Kay” Harrington, 88, of North Hampton, died Aug. 10, 2023. She was a weekly columnist for the Hampton Union in the 1960s and wrote a column called “Happenings in North Hampton.” She worked as a lunch room monitor for Winnacunnet High School, where she was known as Sally. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home)
Patryce M. Cosgrove, 88, of Merrimack and Naples, Fla., died Aug. 16, 2023. She was an elementary school teacher for the Nashua School District for 18 years, retiring in 1997. She taught at Main Dunstable, Broad Street and Birch Hill schools. She also taught in Merrimack, New City, N.Y., and Natick, Mass. (Rivet Funeral Home)
Joseph M. Dubiansky, 76, of Deerfield, died Aug. 12, 2023. An attorney in southern New Hampshire for nearly 50 years, he was a fixture in Deerfield on many town boards and committees. He was also active in the Boy Scouts while both his sons were in the program. He was a member of the Deerfield Community Church, where he served in many roles. (Roan Family Funeral Home – Still Oaks Chapel)
WORDS OF WISDOM: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid activist and president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. July 18, 1918, to Dec. 5, 2013