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.
William Ellison Brown, 84, of Goffstown and Deland, Fla., died June 7, 2024. He owned and operated Bill’s Gulf for decades and was founding president of Uncanoonuc Mountaineers Snowmobile Club. (French & Rising Funeral Home)
Nicholas Joseph Cammarata, 44, of Nashua, died June 4, 2024. He was a stand-out hockey player at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., then played four seasons professionally in the ECHL, SPHL, CHL, as well as a brief stint in Italy. He was an assistant coach with the Vernal Oilers (CAJHL) in 2021-22 and was later hired as the head coach of the Texas Jr. Brahmas (NA3HL). Last season he was an assistant coach with the Badlands Sabres (NA3HL). This spring, he joined the New Hampshire Mountain Kings Academy as the 15U coach. He planned to serve as an assistant coach for the organization’s NAHL junior team. (Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services)
William I. Curless, 65, of Sutton, died June 8, 2024. He owned William Curless Custom Construction LLC for more than 40 years and was a Sutton selectman and budget committee member for 24 years. He had been a former member of the Sutton Volunteer Fire Department. (Chadwick Funeral & Cremation Service)
Sharon R. Fleischman, 80, of Laconia, died June 7, 2024. In New Jersey she was a nurse at Riverview Hospital and president and treasurer of Red Bank New Jersey Hadassah. In Laconia, she was a nurse at Lakes Region General Hospital and board member of Temple B’nai Israel. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)
Anna C. (Cook) Hayden, 98, of Littleton, died June 5, 2024. She was an English and Latin teacher at Littleton High School from 1960 to 1965 and 1970 to 1991. After retiring, she was a volunteer “reading lady” at the Lakeway Elementary School. From 1966 to 1969 she was headmistress of the Rock Point School for Girls in Burlington, Vt. She was a board member of the Community House, member of the Littleton Historical Society, and board member of the Weathervane Theater in Whitefield. (Ross Funeral Home)
Richard Gorham Higley, 96, of Peterborough, died June 6, 2024. A U.S. Navy veteran, he worked in corporate banking for 41 years, retiring as vice president of the New York-based office of DenDanske Bank, the largest bank in Denmark. While living in Chester, Vt., he volunteered for 13 years as one of the three elected town auditors. (Jellison Funeral Home)
Janet Aurore (Paquette) Jurta, 91, of Franklin, died June 8, 2024. She was involved with St. Gabriel Parish as a lector, eucharistic minister, CCD coordinator, and choir director. She taught grades 7 and 8 at St. Mary’s School from 1965-1992. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America and served as a junior counselor. She worked for Community Services Council as associate director of the senior program in Franklin. She was a weekly volunteer at the Merrimack County Nursing Home. (Thibault-Neun Funeral Home)
Russell J. McCurdy Jr., 84, of Lee, died June 7, 2024. A U.S. Army veteran, he was an all-state hockey player and played for Boston University and the U.S. National Team from 1962-63. He also had a career as an investigator for the U.S. Civil Service Commission and as a foreign service reserve officer with the U.S Department of State. He began his collegiate coaching career at Yale University in 1973 and became head women’s hockey coach at UNH in 1977. Over 15 seasons, he amassed a career record of 264-36-10, won eight conference championships, and earned a remarkable .85 winning percentage. In 1992, he coached the U.S. National team at the world championships in Finland, taking home the silver medal. He also coached the UNH women’s tennis team for many years. (Tasker Funeral Home)
Barbara Diane Miles, 72, of Manchester, died June 5, 2024. She worked for the American Red Cross during the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, the N.H. State Archives in Concord and later was executive director of the N.H. Aviation Historical Society. She was a licensed pilot and traveled to areas portraying Ruth Law, the first woman to fly in New Hampshire, as a presenter for the N.H. Humanities Council. She was co-author of “Manchester’s Airport: Flying Through Time” in 2006 and author of “Catholic New Hampshire” in 2020, an historical montage of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester. She was archivist for the Diocese of Manchester, and retired in January as assistant archivist for the Diocese of Portland, Maine. (Durning, Bykowski, & Young Funeral Home)
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Russell T. Ober III, 85, of Hudson, died June 10, 2024. He spent 23 years in the U.S. Air Force in SAC and TAC before transitioning to USAFE at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. During the Vietnam War, he flew nearly 600 combat hours as a Wild Weasel. He joined Air Force Intelligence operations in USAFE, and after his retirement, he taught high school mathematics at Alvirne High School in Hudson. He was a state representative for nine terms and was a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He was the husband of Lynne Ober, also a former House member. They both resigned their seats in 2021 in a disagreement with the house speaker. (Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home)
Mary Alice (Noonan) Perry, 98, of Manchester, died May 29, 2024. She was a member of the Cadet Nurse Corps and worked at the VA Hospital in the Bronx. She was an operating room nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital, now Catholic Medical Center. At age 58, she returned to college and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1984. She volunteered at the Manchester YWCA for Encore, a support group and exercise program to restore mobility and confidence to women who had experienced breast cancer. She was recipients in 2010 of the Vaughan Award for her volunteer services. She volunteered at The Elliot Hospital knitting caps for newborns and prayer shawls for cancer patients. She also volunteered at Manchester’s Saint Joseph’s Church as a parish nurse. She assisted in its soup kitchen and screened elders for health issues. She volunteered for more than 40 years at the Manchester Red Cross. She was a member of the N.H. Clamshell Alliance that protested construction of the Seabrook nuclear power plant. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center)
Ottilie Beth “Lee” Proctor, 91, of Hampton, died June 6, 2024. She started as a bank teller at Indian Head National Bank in Nashua in 1958 and eventually was named senior vice president. She was treasurer for the “Friendship Club,” a Girl scout leader, and active member of the Actorsingers. She was past president of the N.H. Women Bankers Association and the Zonta Club. (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home – Buckminster Chapel)
Robert Edward Raiche Sr., 87, of Manchester, died June 9, 2024. He was a member of the political science faculty, then dean of admissions at Nathaniel Hawthorne College in Antrim. He served for eight years as a state representative from Manchester and was House Minority Leader in 1968. He was a Democratic candidate for governor in 1972. He co-chaired the NHDP State Convention in 1983 and received the Franklin D. Roosevelt Award from the N.H. Democratic Party in 2019. He was U.S. Marshal for the State of New Hampshire, appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, and also attended law school as a full-time student. He was the Manchester Bar Association’s “Lawyer of the Year” in 1993. He served Easter Seals, Joliet Club, both the Queen City and Cocoa Beach, Fla., Rotary Club, Greater Manchester AIDS Project, and the Franco-American Association. He was proud of his appointment as Honorary Consul to France. (J.N. Boufford & Sons Funeral Home)
Christopher Peele Williams, 77, of Center Harbor, died June 1, 2024. He was a well-known Lakes Region architect who opened his own office in Meredith in 1984. He specialized in historic preservation and sustainable design. In 1985, he helped found Inherit New Hampshire (now the N.H. Preservation Alliance) and was involved in the Architectural Institute of America (AIA), particularly AIANH, and served for several years on the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), New Hampshire Board of Architects, and several State of New Hampshire Governor’s Committees. He also served on the Lakes Region Advisory Board to the N.H. Charitable Foundation, N.H. Furniture Masters Association, New Hampshire Commission on the Arts, Squam Lakes Association, and Lake Waukewan Association. He helped found the Greater Meredith Program, served on the Lakes Region Planning Commission, Moultonborough Area Community Development Corporation, New Hampshire Main Street Program, the Center Harbor Energy Committee, Center Harbor Planning Board, and Center Harbor Zoning Board.
(Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)
WORDS OF WISDOM: “My name is Old Glory. I fly atop the world’s tallest buildings. I stand watch in America’s halls of justice. I fly majestically over institutions of learning. I stand guard with power in the world. Look up and see me.” – From the poem, “My Name is Old Glory,” by Howard Schnauber, U.S. Marine who served in World War II and the Korean War and who received four Purple Hearts, March 29, 1922, to May 7, 2004