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.

Anne D. (Reynolds) Ballin, 62, of New London, died March 19, 2025. She was an artist, teacher, farmer and entrepreneur who ran the children’s ski program at King Ridge and was children’s program director at Tracy Memorial Library. She was a 4-H parent who was oxen superintendent at the state fair. She was a member of the board of trustees for Proctor Academy from 2006 to 2012 and ran her own design firm, starting in 2004. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)

Dorothy M. (McAlister) Bartlett, 96, of Salisbury, died March 17, 2025. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 23 years and spent 18 of those years as the postmaster of Salisbury. She was a member of the Bartlett Grange since 1944 and served as leader of the Bartlett Junior Grange for 30 years. She was president of the Ladies Fire Auxiliary, served on the town’s bicentennial planning committee, and was named Citizen of The Year in 1977. (Bennett Funeral Home)

Austin Choate Eaton Jr., 84, of Springfield, died March 21, 2025. He served in the Coast Guard Reserve until 1969.  In 1973 he created a partnership with Edward S. Keating to develop The Village of Loon Mountain, on the Kancamagus Highway across from Loon Mountain, building 600 townhouses and recreational facilities. They also developed the Mountain Club on Loon and in 1983 worked with Robert Trent Jones to develop the Ipswich Country Club in Ipswich, Mass., and infrastructure for 224 homes. In 2001, Eaton developed Great Pines in New London, a 22-home planned development on 44 acres. He was a certified public accountant who led several courses for Adventures in Learning at Colby Sawyer College. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)

Dr. Robert W. Lavallee, DDS, 93, of Nashua, died March 22, 2025. He opened his dentistry practice in Nashua in 1959 and continued until his retirement in 2009. He was a member of the Cub Scouts for 15 years and served as the District 255 Cub Master for 15 years. He was past president of the Nashua Dental Association and the American Dental Association. (Rochette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Sister Anne (formerly Sister M. Marguerite) Marineau, 94, of Manchester, a Sister of Mercy for 74 years, died March 23, 2025. She taught at New Hampshire elementary schools for 54 years, at Blessed Sacrament School, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St. Anthony School, and St. Joseph School, all in Manchester, at Sacred Heart School and St. Christopher School in Nashua, at St. Mary School in Claremont, at Trinity School in Somersworth, at St. Patrick School in Berlin, and at St. Joseph School in Keene. She also taught at St. Ann School in Gloucester, Mass. She then served at Blessed Sacrament Parish, Manchester, sharing her love of cooking, sewing, and knitting. (Carrier Family Funeral Home)

Joan Yvonne (Dey) McClure, 90, of Londonderry, died March 22, 2025. She was an accomplished artist who specialized in printmaking, employing etching, lithography, and silkscreen printing, including the use of handmade paper in the Chin Cole method. She taught printmaking at the Delaware Art Museum from 1975 – 1981 and for 16 years at the Chester County (Pa.) Art Association and at the art studios at Absalom Jones in Delaware. Two of her works are in the permanent collection of the Frans Masereelcenter gallery in Belgium. Her etching “Renewal” is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. (Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium)

Robert E. Pelchat, 85, of Berlin, died March 24, 2025. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and was past president of the board of directors of Coos County Family Health Services, past president and treasurer of the Androscoggin Valley Fish & Game Association, and a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He was also a longtime member of the Kiwanis Club of Berlin, where he had served as president and lieutenant governor. He served on the Board of Assessors, was a Supervisor of the Checklist, and was a member of the Ryan-Scammon American Legion Post 36. (Bryant Funeral Home)

Karl Philip Reitz, 80, of Laconia, died March 25, 2025. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he was a Laconia city councilor, mayor pro tem, and mayor of Laconia from 1986-1988. He was president of the Laconia Jaycees, charter president of the N.H. Home Builders Association, a 32nd degree Master Mason, president of the Winnipesaukee Shrine Club and charter chairman of Lakes Region Vocational Building Trades. He was also charter president of Partners for Lakes Region Housing, treasurer of the Laconia Area Chamber of Commerce, president of the New Hampshire Institute of Financial Education in Manchester, and president of Gilford Rotary, among other civic and education groups. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home)

John William Van Gelder, 72, of Salem, died March 20, 2025. He began his career in the fire service with the Peabody, Mass., Fire Department and later joined the Salem Fire Department, where he worked until his retirement in 2004. He was an active member of the Local 2892, having held many executive board positions, and had also served as the District One vice president of the Professional Firefighters of New Hampshire. He owned and operated his own pool maintenance company. (Carrier Family Funeral Home)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.” – Greek philosopher Plato, who died around 348 B.C. (in honor of April Fool’s Day Tuesday)