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 weeks 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.
Christopher S. Barbee, 54, of Manchester, died Feb. 19, 2024. He was an educator in the Manchester school system and also worked as a home health aide for Granite State Compassion. His Linked-In profile lists him as a teacher at Mclaughlin Middle School in Manchester the past nine years. He played football for both Triton College in Chicago and UMass Amherst. He played semi pro football for the Lafayette Generals in Indiana. (J.N. Boufford & Sons Funeral Home)
Kenneth L. Carr, 92, of Durham, died Feb. 16, 2024. He was an internationally recognized microwave pioneer who developed a switch for a U.S. spy plane to photograph Soviet missile sites during the Cuban Missile Crisis and convinced the FDA that microwaves could be safely used in medicine. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve, developing radar systems that helped land fighter planes on aircraft carriers. He co-founded a Cambridge ferrite division for Airtron, developing microwave components for the U.S. military. He and two partners formed Ferrotec Inc. in Newton, developing ferrite components for commercial, military and space systems. He and his team also helped develop a radiometer for the early detection of breast cancer. (Kent & Pelczar Funeral Home & Crematory)
Jack Thomas Casey, 26, of Dover, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, died Feb. 7, 2024, along with four other crew members in Pine Valley, Calif., during a CH-53E helicopter training exercise. Visitation is today (Feb 23.) from 3 to 7 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 197 Dover Point Road, Dover. Mass of Christian Burial Feb. 24, 2024, at 10 a.m. in St. Theresa Catholic Church, 820 Central Road, Rye. (Purdy Funeral Service)
Max C. Culpepper Jr., 87, of Hanover, died Feb. 7, 2024. He was director of bands at Dartmouth College prior to his retirement in 2009 after 25 years. Earlier in his career, he was a music educator at high schools in New Jersey, the University of Massachusetts (Amherst, Mass.) and Northern Illinois University. He was co-founder of the Harmony Ridge Music Center and directed the Cherry Hill Wind Symphony and Connecticut River Valley Orchestra. He was an accomplished sailor in the Jet 14 class, winning the Nationals four times. He competed in the 1964 Olympic trials in the Flying Dutchman Class. He taught sailing in New Jersey and New York. (Legacy.com)
Gregory George, 63, of North Conway, died Feb. 13, 2024. He began his career at North Conway Country Club when he was 16 and worked there 44 years, serving as golf course superintendent. He loved photography and spent many hours in the darkroom developing film. (Furber Funeral Home and Cremation Services)
Gwendolyn Ruth (Busell) Klevitch, 64, of Somersworth, died Feb. 16, 2024. She worked at banks in Dover, Manchester, Plymouth, and Portsmouth. She worked 15 years as an administrator for SAU 56, supporting the Somersworth School System. She also volunteered in the Somersworth School PTA and served two years as president of the Somersworth Elementary School PTA. She volunteered at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Dover, as a member of the Vestry for seven years and serving at the Friendly Kitchen. (Tasker Funeral Service)
Raymond H. LaChance, 96, longtime resident of Concord, died Feb. 15, 2024. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and worked for the State of New Hampshire as director of the N.H. State Parks for many years until his retirement in 1989. (Waters Funeral Home)
Dona Larsen, 77, of Berlin, died Feb. 14, 2024. She worked for N.H. Legal Assistance in Berlin for almost 40 years. She was proud of her Norwegian heritage and in 1999 was part of the contingent from New Hampshire invited to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, representing Berlin’s Norwegian-American community. She was a recipient of the Sylvia Evans Citizenship Award in 2006 for her many contributions to the city of Berlin and the North Country. She was a volunteer in the early days of the Northern Forest Heritage Park. (Bryant Funeral Home)
John F. McGrath III, 72, of Atkinson, died Feb. 17, 2024. He was a marine inspector and chief engineer in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Anne Parish in Hampstead and a former member of the Plaistow Lions Club. (Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home)
Sandra A. McKenney, 77, of Allenstown, died Feb. 21, 2024. She served 10 years on the Allenstown Board of Selectmen as well as the Budget Committee. She was a member of the Allenstown Master Plan Committee, Planning Board, CNHRPC Commission, Trustee of the Trust Funds, Cemetery Trustee and A.R.A. She worked for over 28 years with New England Telephone. (Roan Family Funeral Home)
Marcus McLane, 64, of Hampton, died Feb. 17, 2024. He was an auxiliary patrolman for the Exeter Police Department, leaving as a sergeant in 1989 to join the N.H. Department of Safety, Division of Enforcement as a highway enforcement officer. When that division merged with State Police in 1996, he became a state trooper with Troop A, retiring in 2009. He was a part time officer with the Hampton Falls Police Department, serving as prosecutor and patrolman until 2011. (Stockbridge Funeral Home)
Philip George Miles, 75, of Greenland, died Feb. 16, 2024. A veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, he joined the Portsmouth Police Department in 1978, retiring in 1998. He continued with the Portsmouth Police Department Auxiliary until 2020. In 2019, he worked for the Lee Police Department and in 1998, he joined Seacoast Harley-Davidson to run New England Police Vehicle Leasing (NEPVL). (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home – Buckminster Chapel)
Alice A. Mullen, 67, formerly of Hebron, died Feb. 20, 2024. She was a registered dietitian with UNH Cooperative Extension teaching food safety throughout the state. She was a deacon at the Union Congregational Church of Hebron and volunteered at the Hebron Church Fair baking her famous blueberry pies. She was volunteer of the year in 2013 for Girls Inc. of New Hampshire and created quilts for the Circle Program and Quilts of Valor. She judged the canned goods category at the Deerfield Fair. (J.N. Boufford & Sons Funeral Home)
Robert T. Smith, 93, of Laconia, died Feb. 17, 2024. He worked for the U.S. Navy as a civilian scientist at the Naval Ordinance Test Station, China Lake, Calif. He was director of the systems laboratory at Philco Western Development Laboratories in Palo Alto, Calif., and then worked for Page Communications constructing commercial satellite ground stations. He became technical director at Sanders Associates in Nashua, then division general manager and a Sanders corporate vice president. He was chairman of the board of trustees of the Taylor Community, a member of the design team for the new Laconia Police Station, and a member of the design team and building committee for the Laconia Library addition. He was chairman of the Laconia Planning Board, member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, member of the Zoning Rewrite Committee, and chairman of the Capital Improvement Committee. He served as trustee of the Laconia Congregational Church and as a member of the Finance Committee of the Gilford Community Church. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)
Charles William Thompson, 80, of Wilmot, died Feb. 20, 2024. He was in the U.S. Army Reserves and retired after 20 years of service as lieutenant colonel. He was the owner of Thompson Appraisal Company in Concord for more than 25 years. He served as a Wilmot selectman for four years, was town moderator for 11 years, and served on the planning board. He was a member of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and has served on its land protection committee for more than 25 years. He was awarded several honors for Tree Farm conservation efforts by both county and state. (Chadwick Funeral Home)
Joan M. Tomaino, 90, of Seabrook, died Feb. 16, 2024. Her obituary noted she wrestled alligators in Florida and once flew in a plane through a barn upside down. She worked for Daggett’s candy company, Hood rubber company and was an electronic technician at Midland and Ross, formerly Cambion in Cambridge for many years. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home and Crematory)
Robert M. Witham, 85, of Alton, died Feb. 15, 2024. A U.S. Army veteran, he worked for the Alton post office for 33 years. He then was a groundskeeper at Ellacoya State Park and worked for the Alton Cemetery Department. He served on the Alton Volunteer Fire Department, Masonic Lodge, the VFW, and the Republican National Committee. He volunteered at the Veterans Home in Tilton, his church, Special Olympics, Little League, and various town events. (Peaslee Alton Funeral Home)
WORDS OF WISDOM: “Have the courage to build your life around what is really most important to you.” – Joshua Becker, American author who writes on minimalism and intentional living