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.

Virginia Lynch Heard, 96, of Center Sandwich, died Aug. 3, 2024. She was state representative for the Carroll County District 3 from 2006-2008 and was appointed by Gov. John Sununu to the Commission on the Status of Women. She was a librarian and was awarded the Sandwich Historical Society’s Sandwich Cane in June, recognizing her as the oldest living resident of Center Sandwich. The day was also proclaimed “Ginger Heard Day.” (Legacy.com)

Connie Nancy (Bridges) Hutchins, 76, of Dover, died Aug. 3, 2024. She was a former president of the Dover Children’s Home, a member of the Dover Recreation Advisory Board, a member of the Rochester Country Club, a member of the Booster Club that was in charge of concession stands for Dover Little Green Football, as well as a former Brownie and Girl Scout troop leader. She worked as a receptionist for the UNH Health Services Department and was known to students as the Soup Lady, who could be counted upon to make homemade chicken soup for them. (Tasker Funeral Service)

Robert R. Kennedy, 91, of Portsmouth, died Aug. 1, 2024. He was a chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, the highest enlisted level of leadership. He was a Chartered Life Underwriter with New York Life and an owner of the iconic Portsmouth restaurant, Gilley’s. (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home and Buckminster Chapel)

George A. Lufkin, 94, of Kensington, died Aug. 4, 2024. A master tool and die maker, he and his wife Barbara founded the United Machine and Tool Design Company in 1972, specializing in high-precision machined products for the aerospace, computer technology, and printing press industries. With 52 years in business, the company has employed more than 215 workers and continues in Fremont. (Stockbridge Funeral Home)

Stanley R. Swier, 77, of Barrington, died Aug. 5, 2024. He taught math and science at Hancock Central School and was a Cooperative Extension entomologist at the UNH from 1978 until his retirement in 2011. He was treasurer and a founding member of the Barrington Food Pantry and town moderator of Barrington for 33 years, until 2018, when he was named Barrington Citizen of the Year. He was also a founding commissioner of the Swains Lake Village Water District. (Purdy Funeral Service)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life.” – Corazon Aquino, first female president of the Philippines, Jan. 25, 1933, to Aug. 1, 2009