Notable New Hampshire Deaths: Seventh-Generation Apple Grower; Former Somersworth City Councilor

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BOB CHAREST photo

New Hampshire has buried within its cemeteries and graveyards 359 people named John Smith, according to the findagrave.com website. Only one of them is named John “Phenomenal” Smith, and he’s buried with his wife in Bedford’s St. Joseph Cemetery. His name at birth in 1865 in Pennsylvania was John Francis Gammon, and he went on to become one of the earliest all-stars of major-league baseball. He pitched for six major-league teams from 1883 to 1891 including the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies. A left-hander, he threw a no-hitter in 1885 for the Newark Domestics against Baltimore, and he had 519 strikeouts over his career. After his time in the major leagues, he coached minor-league clubs and retired from baseball in 1904 to become a Manchester police officer, retiring in 1932. He died in 1952.

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.

Brenda Rose (Hartley) Baer, 98, of Laconia, died Nov. 4, 2024. She and her husband Bob worked in the 1950s to build the Belknap Recreation Area and the Gypsy Tour (now Motorcycle Week) in Laconia. She was a former Laconia city councilor for 12 years, retiring at age 91. Frequent letters to the editor to the local newspaper resulted in a newspaper column with Dorothy Duffy called “Sensible Seniors,” which was published in the Daily Sun and the Citizen for two years. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

David A. Forest, 82, of Contoocook, died Nov. 4, 2024. He was associate professor emeritus at the University of New Hampshire and served in the engineering technology program at the Manchester campus and at the Durham campus for a total of 35 years. He worked for Sanders/BAE. (Waters Funeral Home)

Nancy Preston Johnson, 92, of Hanover, died Nov. 2, 2024. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta board of directors for the Dartmouth College chapter and was involved with YMCA Camp Coniston in Croydon for 60 years. She and her daughter Catherine founded Wheelock Travel, Inc. She was the wife of N.H. Supreme Court Justice William R. Johnson, who died in 2009. In 1971, they founded the Friends of Dartmouth Basketball, the first of the now 34 Friends groups of Dartmouth Athletics.  (Rand-Wilson Funeral Home)

Lawrence Logemann, 79, of Twin Mountain, died Nov. 1, 2024. He worked at various radio stations throughout the country and was employed at CBN Network for 15 years. He owned and operated Twin Mountain Country Store in Twin Mountain for 11 years. He then opened an online woodworking business and worked for Camp Kabeyun in Alton for 17 years teaching woodworking. (Baker-Gagne Funeral Homes)

Timothy Taber Louis, 82, of Portsmouth, and formerly of Raymond, died Oct. 29, 2024.  A U.S. Air Force veteran, he worked at the Ashworth-by-the-Sea Hotel in Hampton Beach for 40 years as a front desk agent, supervisor, and ultimately, assistant general manager. A 40-year resident of Raymond, he was president of the historical society, served six years on the school board,  was a charter member of the Raymond Area Rotary Club and served a term as president. He also served on the budget committee and the historic development commission, He was school district moderator for many years. (Brewitt Funeral Home)

Andrew “Andy” C. Mack, 89, of Londonderry, died Nov. 2, 2024. A U.S Army veteran, he was the seventh generation of his family to work the apple orchards that are closely identified with Londonderry. He spent most of his life working on the family farm. He sold the development rights to the town in the 1990s and later sold the business to Kyle Christensen, who maintains the farming tradition today. He was a trustee of Pinkerton Academy in Derry and served as Londonderry town and school moderator. He was a vice president at Derry Bank and Trust and was a member of the Derry Rotary Club. He worked with town and local groups to provide space for future Londonderry municipal expansion, transferring land for Moose Hill School, the Londonderry Historical Society, and Orchard Christian Fellowship. (Peabody Funeral Homes)

Madeleine T. Marchewka, 99, died Nov. 1, 2024. She was a hairdresser in Lebanon and worked for the American University Field Staff in Hanover. She became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Lebanon and was Lebanon Citizen of the Year in 2008. She published her memoir, “Welfare as We Knew It,” in 2002 and another book, “Yes Sister, No Sister,” in 2006, about her years in a Canadian convent. (Ricker Funeral Home)

Phyllis A. “Pam” Muzeroll, 69, of Claremont, died Nov. 1, 2024. She worked as a journalist, writer, and photographer. She was published nationally and internationally. With her mother, she wrote “The Squirrel’s Goblet.” She founded the e-Ticker News of Claremont in 2009, the first electronic newspaper to cover the region. She closed the operation 13 years later. She was the Greater Claremont Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year in 2014. She served on the board of trustees for the Claremont Historical Society. (Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home)

Eric F. Parthum, D.M.D., 84, of Windham, died Nov. 1, 2024. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was a dentist with a practice in Methuen, Mass. He was a member of the Berkley retirement board of directors and past president of the Lawrence High School Alumni Association. (Goundrey Dewhirst Funeral Home)

Jennifer Gemma Soldati, 77, of Somersworth, died Oct. 29, 2024. She served as a state representative from 1989 to 1994 and was House Minority Whip. She was executive director of the Somersworth Chamber of Commerce from 2006 to 2015 and a Somersworth City Councilor from 2012 to 2016. She was the sister of former Strafford County Attorney and Somersworth Mayor Lincoln Soldati, who died in 2022. She was an artist and professional potter who taught art at various institutions. (Direct Cremation of the Seacoast)

Mark L. Travis, 67, of Canterbury, died Nov. 2, 2024. He held various positions at the Concord Monitor newspaper, including publisher, and also as publisher of its sister publication, the Valley News in Lebanon, also owned by Newspapers of New England. He served as director of product development, circulation director, reporter and editor for the Monitor from 1986 to 2005. Earlier in his career, he was a reporter and bureau chief for the Tampa Bay Times and a reporter and regional editor for the Valley News. In retirement, he worked as a freelance writer. (Legacy.com)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.” – John Lewis, congressman and civil rights advocate, Feb. 21, 1940, to  July 17, 2020

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