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 D. Cabell Jr., 78, of Ashland, died Jan. 11, 2025. He was a member of the resident company of  The Barnstormers Theater in the early 1970s until the late 1990s. He formed Starbird Puppet Theatre with his wife, Susan Ackley, in 1976 and toured around New England and New York, with residencies in Alaska and Russia. He worked with Underground Railway Theater in Boston and was part of a folk trio, “Home for Dinner.” (Mayhew Funeral Home)

Donald E. Chesnel, 77, of Rochester, died Jan. 12, 2025, in Portsmouth. He was a supervisor at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for more than 28 years. A member of the Rochester Elks Lodge 1393 since 1975,  he was elected president of the State Elks Association in 1996-97. He was Grand Esteemed Lecturing Knight of the Grand Lodge Association from 2023-24. He was active in the New Hampshire Governor’s Conference on Volunteerism and the state Association of Volunteer Administrators. He was appointed to the state Veterans Council in 2001 and in 2005 was appointed to the Volunteer NH board of directors. (R.M. Edgerly Funeral Home)

Robert Hampton Copenhaver, 85, of Littleton, died Jan. 6, 2025. A U.S. Army veteran, he owned the Doane Oil Company, merging with another company to create the Doane Ruggles Fuel Company. He and a partner sold the company to Irving Oil Corp. in 1991. He helped open Gordi’s Fish & Steak House in Lincoln and also the Lobster Tub in Littleton. He was chairman of the board of Littleton Savers Bank and a developer in Lincoln with the Satter Companies and Granite State Phoenix. He was chairman of the Littleton Hospital board of directors, president of the Littleton Rotary Club, and  member of the board of the Littleton Industrial Development Corp. (Ross Funeral Home)

Sumner Alvord Dole III, 74, of Canterbury, died Jan. 7, 2025. He was a county extension forester for 30 years with UNH Cooperative Extension. He was a certified tree farmer and maple producer, licensed forester, and developed conservation easements on his family’s land. He served on the Shaker Regional School Board for 12 years as a member and chair. (Smart Memorial Home)

Richard B. Harden Jr., 77, of Fremont, died Jan. 9, 2025. He graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy in 1969 and entered the Merchant Marines. He joined the U.S. Navy and served for four years, then joining the U.S. Coast Guard, serving for more than 20 years and retiring as a commander in 1992. He worked for Marine Safety Consultants and assisted with the Big Dig project in Boston. (Brewitt Funeral Home)

Louis Hipwell, 102, of Claremont, died Jan. 8, 2025. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he received two Purple Hearts. He ran the bar and pro shop at the Claremont Country Club. He retired in his early 70s and continued to golf until he was 93. (Stringer Funeral Home)

John Frank Lastowka Jr., 82, of Merrimack, died Jan. 11, 2025. He was current president of the Merrimack Historical Society and owned Maple Gate Farm, partnering with UNH and Cornell University on the development of grapevines, heritage apples and blueberries. He worked more than 30 years for Verizon and developed All-Tech Communications, which specializes in fiber optics. (Rivet Funeral Home)

Blair (Bamford) MacLean, 82, of Concord, died Jan. 9, 2025. She and her former husband Larry founded MacLean-Stevens Studios, a school portrait and photography business, operating it for 42 years until closing in 2005. (Legacy.com)

John Nelson McDowell Jr., of Keene, 88, died Jan. 8, 2025. He was a student pilot and U.S. Army Field Artillery Officer from 1958-1961, then joined the National Guard and Reserves, retiring in 1990 as a lieutenant colonel. He worked in public relations and marketing for Public Service Company of NH, University of New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania Power and Light. He was a financial planner and advisor for more than 25 years. (Cheshire Family Funeral Home)

Edward J. Milan, 80, of Derry, died Jan. 14, 2025. Formerly of Windham, he was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and was a rural carrier for the Windham Post Office. He was also a Windham selectman, president of the Police Association in Windham, and member of the Zoning Board. (Peabody Funeral Homes & Crematorium)

Vincent R. Raciti, 86, of Windham, died Jan. 9, 2025. He owned the Sea Ketch Restaurant at Hampton Beach for more than 50 years. (Carrier Family Funeral Home)

Edward M. Shapiro, 91, of Manchester, died Jan. 7, 2025. A U.S. Army veteran, he was president of Southern New Hampshire University (formerly New Hampshire College). At SNHU/NHC, he led the transformation of a school with less than 96 day students and no degree-granting status to a 10,000-plus student university with multiple campuses and innovative undergraduate and graduate degree programs. A memorial service is planned at the college this Sunday. He also served on the board of directors for Elliot Hospital. He was a member of the Manchester Selective Service board and developed homes in Southern New Hampshire. He served on the boards of Public Service of New Hampshire and the Derryfield School. He worked in growth and innovation for CB Sullivan & Company and then for Sullivan Beauty. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)

John Ignatius Tarshi, 56, of Salem, died Jan. 12, 2025. He was an attorney, as was his father, Michael J. Tarshi, and late brother, James Tarshi, practicing in Lawrence, Mass., and Greater Boston. He also owned the No Name Deli and Centro Night Club in Lawrence. He founded Mighty Management and owned and managed a portfolio of properties across the Merrimack Valley. (Cataudella Funeral Home, Methuen, Mass.)

Conrad Charles Young, 88, of Concord, diedJan. 8, 2025. He served in the Army National Guard and began Young Advertising Agency in 1967 before moving to New Hampshire. He retired in 2010 and started Watercolor by Conrad Young, creating watercolor originals and prints, notecards, and puzzles. He published a book of his watercolor paintings of New Hampshire’s historical covered bridges in 2016. At age 62, he founded a seniors’ basketball team that played in National Senior Olympic competitions. He last competed at age 86. (Legacy.com)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Jan. 15, 1929, to April 4, 1968