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.
Rae Marie Bruce, 89, of Nashua, died Aug. 4, 2026. She was a high school English teacher at Merrimack High School. She self-published her poetry (“The Glorious Disorder”) and had her poems accepted to numerous New England-based journals. She was the wife of the late Rev. W. Ralph Bruce, pastor of Main Street United Methodist Church in Nashua and St. James United Methodist Church in Merrimack. (Rivet Funeral Home)
Patrick R. Curran, M.D., 67, of Plaistow, died Aug. 1, 2026. He was an emergency room physician at Lawrence General Hospital and served as Chief of Emergency Medicine and Region IV EMS Medical Director. (C.R. Lyons & Sons Funeral Directors, Danvers, Mass.)
Lawrence Clay Hoagland, 94, of Moultonborough, died July 26, 2026. He had a doctorate of science in mechanical engineering from MIT and helped found Dynatech Corp. and Steam Engine Systems, later Scientific Energy Systems. He worked in research and development in thermodynamics, culminating in the development of the energy efficient rotary heat wheel for AirXchange, Inc. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)
Edwin R. Johnson, 77, of Westmoreland, died July 27, 2026. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and worked for many years as a machinist, most recently at Sunset Tools in Keene. He was a firefighter for more than 55 years, serving on the Chesterfield Fire Department from 1969 to 1977 and the Westmoreland Fire Department as deputy chief from 1994 to 2019. He was Cheshire County Fire Warden for more than 21 years, starting in 2005 as a deputy and serving from 2012 to 2026 as warden. (Cheshire Family Funeral Home)
The Rev. Jean M. Lemay, 77, of Manchester, died Aug. 1, 2026. After his ordination, he was associate pastor of Guardian Angel Parish in Berlin, Saint George Parish in Manchester, St. Joseph Parish in Salem and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Manchester. He was appointed administrator of Saint Matthew Parish in Whitefield and named pastor of Saint Agnes Parish in Ashland. He was later named pastor of Saint Theresa Parish in Manchester and in 2003 was named chaplain of the Elliot Hospital and the Sisters of Holy Cross in Manchester. In 2011, he was named chaplain of Catholic Medical Center, where he served until his retirement in 2020. (Roan Family Funeral Home)
Gale D. Marston, 84, of Chichester, died July 28, 2026. He taught industrial arts at Rundlett Junior High for 30 years. He was also a volunteer EMT for the Tri-Town Ambulance Service for 10 years during the 1980s. (French & Rising Funeral Home)
Christopher Robert McLarnon, 66, of Exeter, died Aug. 3, 2026. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and had a Ph.D in chemical engineering from UNH. He worked at Powerspan Corp., where he was granted seven patents as a result of his research in pollution control. He taught at UNH. (Stockbridge Funeral Home)
Col. Eugene Frederick Paquette, (USAF Ret.), 94, of Dover, died July 25, 2026. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Aviation Cadet Program in Texas, training as a navigator in 1954. He was an instructor on a KC-135 air refueling tanker and served in other leadership roles, including as director of logistics, director of resource management, and deputy commander of maintenance. He retired as a colonel after 32 years. He was director of the etired Affairs Office at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for 19 years. (Tasker Funeral Home)
Wayne B. Ruggles, 91, of Littleton, died July 30, 2026. Wayne was a businessman who owned and operated Ruggles Supermarket, Ruggles Thriftway, Doane/Ruggles Fuel, Ruggles Realty, and the Perkins and Continental Motels. He was awarded Citizen of the Year in 1975. He was a regional manager for Irving Oil for 12 years. He served on the Associated Grocers Northeast board of directors from 1969 to 1996, as a board director of Indian Head Bank North from 1971 to 1989; president of the Littleton Co-op, and as a Freemason for 69 years. He was also a member of the Shriners and Rotary Club and treasurer of the Littleton Historical Society. He was committed to the restoration of the The Flying Yankee, a historic train.(Legacy.com)
Paul Milton Vatcher, 91, of Rochester, died July 28, 2026. He was a member of the Dover Elks Lodge 184 for more than 50 years, serving as Exalted Ruler and in many other positions. He recently received a lifetime achievement award from the Lodge. He was a member of the Wecohamet Odd Fellow Lodge 3 in Dover. He retired from the General Electric plant in Somersworth and coached in the Dover South Little League. He was also a member of the Dover Jaycees (Junior Chamber International). (Tasker Funeral Home)
WORDS OF WISDOM: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” – Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO, Feb. 24, 1955, to Oct. 5, 2011