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.

The Rev. Keith Beasley-Topliffe, 73, of Manchester, died Oct. 4, 2025. He was a retired United Methodist pastor of nearly 40 years, who served numerous parishes in the Wyoming, Central Pennsylvania, and Susquehanna Conferences, retiring in 2016. In retirement, he also served at Raymond, N.H., UMC during COVID. He wrote and edited for Upper Room Books and had a book “Surrendering to God” published by Paraclete Press. (Legacy.com)

Martha “Meg” Bower, 90, of Contoocook, died Sept. 27, 2025. She received her Ph.D. from UNH in 1985 and was a scholar on the life of playwright Eugene O’Neill. She taught at UNH for 10 years and then for 15 years at the University of Pennsylvania where she was honored as a professor emerita in 2005. She continued writing on an O’Neill scholarship and published three books about O’Neill, and one on African-American women playwrights. Her research at Yale University won her recognition as an O’Neill scholar when she uncovered and translated unpublished material on O’Neill’s cycle plays. (Legacy.com)

Kenneth Bridgewater, 85, ofAmherst, died Sept. 30, 2025. He was a computer programmer for General Electric’s 600 series Dartmouth Time-Sharing System, writing code for both commercial and scientific/time sharing research markets. He and partners co-founded Computer Software Systems (CSS). He founded Westminster Gallery in Boston, importing textiles, art, pottery and hand-blown glass. He imported Rowan Yarns under the name of Westminster Fibers.  He served on the board of trustees of Home Health and Hospice Care for 12 years, two of those as chairman. He was the first president of The Fells Association Board. (Legacy.com)

Daniel D. Crean, 80, of Allenstown, died Sept. 28, 2025. He was an attorney for the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau and in 1974 began as a staff attorney the N.H. Office of Legislative Services. (Advantage Funeral and Cremation Services)

Frederick Edward Harris Sr., 89, of Manchester, diedOct. 4, 2025. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he was chairman of Manchester’s Crimeline Program, chairman of Riverfest, and a Parks and Recreation commissioner. He was honored in 2000 with the Mayor’s Key to the City. He founded and owned Affordable Garages. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home)

The Rev. Carroll Charles Moore, 84, of Nottingham, died Sept. 30, 2025. He was minister of the United Methodist Church, ordained in 1966 and pastored until his final retirement in 2025. He served more than 15 churches across New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Michigan. He also led the Parish of the Headwaters in northern New Hampshire and Vermont. Carroll had a special fondness for Mark Twain and portrayed the author in presentations. He finished 30 marathons. (Remick and Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory)

James Peter O’Rourke Jr., 53, of Harrisville, died Oct. 4, 2025. As a member of the New Hampshire Bar, Jim served as a prosecutor and then a defense attorney specializing in criminal and family law. He coached numerous youth teams, as well as high school football, in Weare, Amherst, and Hillsborough. (Jellison Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Marian Louise (Patch) Veno, 97, of Rochester, died Oct. 6, 2025. She was Rochester’s Citizen of the Year in 2000, a member of the Rochester Emblem Club 40 serving as president, chaplain, literacy chair, and press correspondent, and also a member of the State and Supreme Emblem Club and president of the Homemakers Auxiliary. She was a member of the Golden Age Club, Granite State Choral Society, and the First United Methodist Church of Rochester, where was Christian education coordinator, UMW president, Sunday school teacher for 70 years, member of the organ restoration committee, and member of the bell choir and adult choir. (R.M. Edgerly & Son)

Larry R. Waters, 85, of Swanzey, died Oct. 4, 2025. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and a member of the Army Reserves for eight years. He was a machinist at Kingsbury Corp. and later with Timken Corp., both of Keene. In retirement, he was property manager and animal investigator with the Monadnock Humane Society in Swanzey. He was a part-time police officer in Swanzey from 1973 until 1991, a 25-year member of the Swanzey Fire Department Center Company, and director of emergency management for the town. (DiLuzio Foley and Fletcher Funeral Homes)

Kristine S. West, 75, of Manchester and North Sutton, died Oct. 4, 2025. She was a 45-year member of the American Legion Auxiliary New London Unit 40 and became the N.H. Department President in 1988-89. She became the American Legion Auxiliary National President in 2000-2001. She helped to establish the Veterans Creative Arts Program. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)

Joseph F. Zalgenas, 71, of Effingham, died Oct. 8, 2025. He was a trooper with N.H. State Police from 1979-1994, serving as a corporal, and member of the K-9 Unit handling the state’s first bomb dog, Brutus. His career was cut short in 1994 due to a back injury. (Lord Funeral Home)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” — Aesop, Greek storyteller, 620–564 BCE