Obituary

Notable NH Deaths: One of Wakefield’s Top Volunteers; Former Newport Fire Chief

By Staff Report | September 27, 2024

BOB CHAREST photo

Behind this arch, located on High Street in Peterborough, sits a boulder that overlooks Mount Monadnock. Buried in front of it are composer Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) and his wife Marian Nevins MacDowell (1857-1956). MacDowell often paused at this boulder to watch the sun set behind Mount Monadnock. The couple moved to a small farm in Peterborough in 1896 and founded the nearby MacDowell Colony in 1907. It became a retreat and a haven for artists of all sorts over the years, including playwright Thornton Wilder, who wrote part of the play “Our Town” in the 1930s while staying at the colony. The colony offers a residency program for artists and to this day hosts people from all over the world. Peterborough and the MacDowell Colony were visited recently by the cast of the current revival of Wilder’s “Our Town” on Broadway in New York City. According to the Sept. 23, 2024, issue of The New Yorker, the Broadway cast included more than two dozen cast and crew members who arrived in two tour buses. The group included actors Jim Parsons, Katie Holmes, Ephraim Sykes, Zoey Deutch, and Richard Thomas. They visited downtown Peterborough, the inspiration for Wilder’s “Grover’s Corners,” and conducted a table read at the MacDowell Colony.

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.

Thomas A. Dube, 63, of Wakefield, died Sept. 19, 2024. He founded Dube Plus Construction in 1989, and in the 35 years since, he grew the company into a premier residential and commercial construction firm. He also founded Dirt Pro Excavation in 2002. He served on the Wakefield Planning Board and volunteered with the chamber of commerce, Wakefield Pride Day, Wakefield Resource Center, Seven Lakes Snowmobile Club, and most recently, Wakefield’s historic 250th birthday celebration. He was a member of the Wakefield Lions Club, Parks and Recreation, and the Greater Wakefield Food Pantry. (Lord Funeral Home)

John W. Gray, 77, of Rye, formerly of Portsmouth, died Sept. 20, 2024. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves and was the third-generation owner and operator of the F.A. Gray Painting Company in Portsmouth. He was a member of the Portsmouth Rotary Club and the Bobby Nichols Charitable Foundation. He was also a 32nd Degree Mason at the St. John’s Lodge in Portsmouth. (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home – Buckminster Chapel)

Margaret Eileen Mary Edgelow Hale, 92, of Peterborough, died Sept. 16, 2024. She was a member of the League of Women Voters and helped start the Monadnock Community Day Care Center. She also volunteered with the Kyes-Sage House and the Friends of the Library Bookshop. She wrote a cookbook with Ann Berg called “Dinner Before Eight.” She managed the shop at the Sharon Art Center and later owned Savoir Faire, a local fine craft and gift shop. (Cournoyer Funeral Home & Cremation Center)

Thomas Patrick Herlihy, 81, of Wilton, died Sept. 18, 2024. In 1983, he and his wife Jane moved to Wilton and bought the Wilton General Store. He joined the Wilton Fire Department and served on the department for 14 years, achieving the rank of captain. Earlier in his career, he was a district service manager for Pontiac. He was Wilton’s emergency management director and served on both the water and sewer commissions. (Smith & Heald Funeral Home)

Gata Benton Hudson, 73, of Unity, died Sept. 19, 2024. She served on the Unity School Board for many years and was a ballot clerk. She worked for the library and was president of the Soo-Nipi Quilters Guild. She sold crafts under the name GDB Designs. (Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home)

John Jed Marcotte, 89, of Newport, died Sept. 19, 2024. He owned the Stone Vault Company and later, Goodrich Oil Company. In 1960, he joined the Newport Fire Department, serving as lieutenant, captain, deputy chief, and in 1988, fire chief until his retirement in 1998. (Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home)

Robert Marcoux, 72, of Goffstown, died Sept. 17, 2024. He founded both Keystone Construction and Keystone Appraisals. (French & Rising Funeral Home)

Elizabeth Ann Rivet, 76, of Barrington, died Sept. 21, 2024. She had her doctorate and was a leader in academic computing administration, serving in leadership and teaching positions at Marquette University and the University of New Hampshire. She served on the Barrington Library Board of Trustees and the UNH Cooperative Extension Service Advisory Board. (Purdy Memorial Chapel)

John Carmen Shea, 53, of Milton, died Sept. 23, 2024. He taught at Endicott College and Boston University, then was a math teacher at Nute High School in Milton. He coached at Pope John High School, Catholic Memorial High School, Middleborough High School, Cambridge Ringe and Latin High School, and Spaulding High School. (Peaslee Funeral Home)

Marjorie E. Swanson, 82, of Derry, died Sept. 20, 2024. She was town clerk in Derry and prior to that held office jobs at the Elliot Hospital. (Legacy.com)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” — L. M. Montgomery, Canadian author of “Anne of Green Gables,” Nov. 30, 1874, to April 24, 1942