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.
Barry Joseph Palmer, 83, of Nashua, died Sept. 21, 2023. He accomplished many titles in his life, among them journalist, state representative, decorated soldier, songwriter, community service leader, poet and man of God. A diehard fan of Elvis Presley, Palmer wrote many of his own songs, both country and religious, and recorded with Presley’s back-up singers, the Jordanaires, during studio sessions in Nashville. One of his songs, “Live Free or Die,” was selected by the N.H. Legislature as one of several state songs in 2007. He was a newsman for more than 35 years, starting with the Nashua Telegraph, then WSMN radio and its publication The Broadcaster, and finally the New Hampshire Union Leader. He was a U.S. Army soldier for 21 years – on active duty for six years, in the N.H. National Guard for seven years, and the U.S. Army Reserve for eight years, which included three years at the UNH Army ROTC program as cadre. He was twice elected commander of Nashua’s Post 483, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and twice elected commander of Post 3, American Legion. He served two terms as a state representative, serving four years on the House Judiciary Committee. He received appointments from three governors: Gov. Walter Peterson to the N.H. American Revolution Bicentennial Commission; Gov. Meldrim Thomson Jr. to the Governor’s Crime Commission; and Gov. John Sununu to the Human Rights Commission, where he served for 13 years, the last seven as its chairman. For many years, his poem “’To Thy Hands I Commend My Spirit” was published in the pages of the Union Leader on Good Friday. He completed an EMT course and became a Certified Medical Technician. He taught CCD at Saint Casimir Church and was a member of the Saint Patrick Church Parish Council. (Zis-Sweeney and St. Laurent Funeral Home)
Ruth M. Conley, 101, of Manchester, died Sept. 19, 2023. She was a registered nurse with Elliot Hospital for many years. Until her retirement, she was a clinical instructor at St. Anselm College. After her retirement, she and her husband, Austin, established the Conley Scholarship at Saint Anselm College. She was a member of the American Nursing Association, New Hampshire Nursing Association, National League for Nursing, New Hampshire Council of Catholic Nurses, and the Delta Epsilon Sigma Catholic Honor Society. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center)
Paul A. Cote, 94, of Bedford, died Sept. 22, 2023. A U.S. Army veteran, he lived most of his life in Goffstown and was an active leader in the Boy Scouts, past president and life member of the Pinardville Lions Club and served on the board of trustees for Catholic Medical Center. He owned Paul A. Cote Inc. doing home improvements. (Legacy.com)
Thomas Lindsey McVetty, 70, of Dalton, died Sept. 24, 2023. He served nine years in the N.H. Army National Guard. He was service manager for Whitney Motors, Robert’s Motors, and Currier Motors. He worked as an auto technician for Kenny Hodgdon at State Line Auto Repair in Guildhall and Team O’Neil Rally School in Dalton. He was a member of the Dalton Volunteer Fire Department for 45 years. He was an active member of the Dalton Ridge Runners Snowmobile Club and spent many hours building new trails and bridges and doing trail maintenance and grooming. (Bailey Funeral Home)
Paul W. Haynes, 91, of Swanzey, died Sept. 20, 2023. He formerly lived in Surry and served as the town moderator and building inspector. His family later moved to Ashuelot, where he restored a Victorian home. He worked for Hedstrom Company in Keene for 27 years, serving as their head of shipping and receiving. He was an ordained minister who preached and served in many New England churches. He served as president of the Duxbury Free Christian Society for 37 years. (Cheshire Family Funeral Chapel and Crematories)
Manuel A. Santos, 83, of Laconia, and formerly of Salem, died Sept. 24, 2023. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard and later in the U.S. Army. He was a firefighter for the Town of Salem and later working in security for Canobie Lake Park. He also worked at Goundrey Funeral Home for many years. He was an active member and Deacon for First Baptist Church in Salem. Manny and his wife volunteered at the food pantry at Pleasant St. United Methodist Church and stored clothing and bulk items in their home. He volunteered for the American Red Cross for many years and was an EMT. (Douglas & Johnson Funeral Home)
Julius “Bear” Reinitzer, 95, of Litchfield, died Sept. 20, 2023. He was born and raised in Prague, Czechoslovakia, placed into a labor camp by the Nazis and forced to work in Poland and Russia, then returned to Prague where he worked with the underground in the Prague Liberation. In 1950 he was wounded in a shootout with the Czech Communist Police, arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison for working with the U.S. Intelligence Service. After several unsuccessful escape attempts, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, finally escaping to West Germany in 1952. He joined the U.S. Army as a Lodge Act Soldier and was one of the original members of the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets), serving for 30 years and retiring at the rank of sergeant major. (Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home)
Dean Allen LeMire, 37, of Dover, died Sept. 20, 2023. He was a mentor, connector, author, speaker and champion for harm reduction and recovery. He was co-founder of numerous recovery and harm reduction focused organizations and ideas, and he co-developed Recovery Coaching, A Harm Reduction Pathway with his friend, Jim Weulfing. (Tasker Funeral Home)
Maurice A. Beliveau, 95, of Bedford, died Sept. 25, 2023. He owned and operated United Plate Glass Company with his brother Marcel Beliveau for many years. He wrote a book illustrating the steps of fly tying called “The ABC’s of Fly Tying.” He was a pilot and loved traveling in his Cessna 182. He was an accomplished artist, creating award-winning watercolors. He served on many boards and was appointed state Commissioner of the Arts by Gov. John Sununu. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)
Nancy Knowlton Pascoe, a long-term resident of Freedom and West Ossipee, died Sept. 21, 2023. She and her husband Richard operated Shawtown Campground in Freedom for 24 years. The campground first opened in the early sixties with 23 sites and eventually grew to over 300. (Lord Funeral Home)
Mark A. Marden, 92, of Hollis, died Sept. 22, 2023. A U.S. Navy veteran, he worked at J. Lawrence Hall Heating and Air Conditioning for 40 years, retiring in 1996. He and his wife Jacqueline were active with the Holderness Historical Society. He was a member of Rising Sun Lodge 39, Free and Accepted Masons of Nashua, Olive Branch Mount Prospect Lodge 16 in Holderness, a 60-year 32nd Degree Freemason of The Scottish Rite Bodies, Valley of NH, and the Shriners Bektash Temple, First Section of Concord. He was a 60-year dedicated member of Pilgrim Chapter 55 Order of the Eastern Star. (Mayhew Funeral Home)
Rodney T. Boyd, 85, of Barnstead, died Sept. 26, 2023. He was a 60-year member of the Center Barnstead/Barnstead Fire Department, first as a volunteer, then later fire chief. He worked for the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative for 35 years until his retirement. (Roan Family Funeral Home-Still Oaks Chapel)
Thomasina Bergeron, 83, a longtime resident of Mont Vernon, died Sept. 23, 2023. She was a long-time employee of the Town of Mont Vernon as the selectman’s secretary. She also worked with her sister Maura at Ponemah Farms. (Smith & Heald Funeral Home)
WORDS OF WISDOM: “For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.” ? Kahlil Gibran, artist and poet, Jan. 6, 1883, to April 10, 1931