Obituary

Notable New Hampshire Deaths: Mother of Two Killed in Crash

By |
Print More

BOB CHAREST photo

In death, novelist Grace Metalious has been as aloof as she was in life. Her gravestone in Gilmanton’s Smith Meeting House Cemetery sits forlorn, apart from the others, and a story from years ago explains why. She was born Marie Grace de Repentigny in Manchester in 1924. The author of “Peyton Place,” published in 1956, scandalized the town of Gilmanton, where she lived with her husband, a school headmaster. She was inspired by the lives of her neighbors – some from nearby towns - and all their doings.  When she died at age 39 from cirrhosis of the liver, she had burned through her fortune and the good will of the locals. A 12-year-old article from New Hampshire Magazine reported that she had bought her cemetery plot as well as many of the others around it in advance so no one would be buried near her. Today, that remains evident. (Her novel was made into a blockbuster 1957 film starring Lana Turner. The soap opera based on her book did not debut until seven months after her death in 1964.)

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.

Lisana (Dore) Alexander, 45, of Salem, died in a car accident with her parents, Rodney and Anne Dore of Pelham, on Nov. 24, 2024. Lisana taught at the Lawrence Family Development Charter School and Lawrence Public Academy. She was married to Chris Alexander, her husband of 11 years, and was the mother of two young sons, the younger one delivered by Chris at home during a blizzard. Services are planned for Dec. 12. (Goundrey Dewhirst Funeral Home and Cremation Service)

Jeremiah Joseph Dolan, 78, of Nashua, died Nov. 22, 2024. He began his teaching career at Baruch College in New York. In 1980, he moved to Nashua to start a professorship at Rivier College, where he taught philosophy for 32 years. He volunteered for the N.H. Humanities Council and New Hampshire Public Radio. He was a member of the American Philosophical Association and served for many years on the boards of Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music and the Presentation of Mary Academy. (Davis Funeral Home)

Berthe M. Gagnon, 106, of Berlin, died Nov. 28, 2024. A native of Quebec, she was the oldest resident of Coos County and was presented the “Cane of Wisdom” in 2022. She was a member of the VFW Auxiliary and had been employed in the kitchen of St. Vincent de Paul for many years. (Bryant Funeral Home)

Suzanne Louise (Dziuba) Jackson, 87, of Naples, Fla., and formerly of Nashua, died Nov. 19, 2024. She was a surgical technician in Detroit and Lynn, Mass., then became an administrator at Friedman Atherton in Boston. She started working in property management in 1973 and joined Crowninshield Management in 1978, rising to vice president of property management, then president and owner of Reliant Security Services. She was regional director of property management at First Realty, retiring in 1999. (Davis Funeral Home)

Fred Alexander Rogers, 90, of West Lebanon, died Nov. 21, 2024.  A U.S. Air Force veteran, he joined the Air Reserves and was a staff sergeant. He worked for Split Ball Bearing Company, now Timken, as an engineer until retiring in 1996. He was a member of the West Lebanon Volunteer Fire Department, retiring as captain.  He was a member of the Fire Wardens Association and a forest fire warden. (Ricker Funeral Home)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Whoever said money can’t buy happiness didn’t know where to shop.” – Gertrude Stein, American novelist, Feb. 3, 1874, to July 27, 1946 

Comments are closed.