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.

Edwina K. Brady, 84, of Grantham, died May 29, 2025. She was a banker and an artist, getting her start at First National Bank in New Mexico in 1972. She became a computer programmer, advancing through the ranks. She was a member of the American Businesswomen’s Association and was chapter president in 1982. She was a member of the American Institute of Banking, serving as chapter president from 1984-85. She was a poet, painter in oil and pastels, and a photographer. She was a founding member of the Artesia Arts Council in New Mexico, serving as both president and treasurer. She retired from State Street Bank in 2009. (Legacy.com)

Lawrence Connell, 88, of Rye, died June 3, 2025. He was a financial regulator, banker, former chairman of the National Credit Union Administration and U.S. Treasury Department senior adviser and consultant. He was a pioneer in interstate banking practices and national financial regulatory reforms, instrumental in the savings and loans crisis recovery and as a bank crisis manager. He was pivotal in the transition of banking systems of former Soviet states to western practices as a senior adviser in the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Technical Assistance. He had a more than 50-year career in financial institutions, including as bank commissioner of Connecticut in the 70s. President Jimmy Carter appointed him chairman of the National Credit Union Administration in 1977. He also held board positions with the Seattle Symphony, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Portland Symphony and Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home)

Dr. Dwight F. Damon, 93, of Merrimack, died June 1, 2025. He was a long-time chiropractor and hypnotist who founded the National Guild of Hypnosis in 1985. He was Merrimack Citizen of the Year in 1978 and 1987, recognized for his help with July 4th festivities and other achievements. In 1975, Gov. Meldrim Thomson Jr. named him the state’s Magical Goodwill Ambassador. He was Santa Claus at Merrimack events and performed and hosted at the Deerfield Fair. (Rivet Funeral Home)

Mark H. Gardner, 70, of New Castle, died May 27, 2025. Among his many notable achievements was his service as deputy general counsel for Pease Development Authority for 23 years. He was a partner in his own private law firm, Engel, Gearreald and Gardner. He also worked as an attorney for American International Group Inc., and Burns, Bryant, Hinchey, Cox and Shea, PA. Before studying law, he was a social worker at Webster House in Manchester and director at Copper Cannon Camp in Franconia. He was president of the PTO for Maude H. Trefethen Elementary school in New Castle, a New Castle Library Trustee, and Zoning Committee member. (Wiggin-Purdy-McCooey-Dion Funeral Home)

Hope Salta Makris, 100, of Laconia, died May 29, 2025. She devoted more than eight decades to the NASWA Resort on Lake Winnipesaukee. Her parents founded the NASWA in 1935, and she helped out, later buying the property with her husband Peter in 1953. They built the NASWA Resort into an iconic destination. She was operator of the NASWA Spring Water Company, room cleaner, bartender, shopkeeper, working from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week for decades. At age 75, she became an award-winning pastry chef. She was included in “Best of New Hampshire Magazine,” “Best Dessert Tray” and “Best Desserts in NH” by Boston’s Phantom Gourmet. She baked daily, even at age 99½. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home)

Joseph Miller Orzech, 75, of Dalton and formerly of Londonderry, died May 27, 2025. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a captain and flight instructor. He was a pilot for Delta Air Lines for 25 years, retiring in 2004. Pope Francis awarded him the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal in 2018  for his efforts in restoring Our Lady of the Mountains Shrine in Bretton Woods. He was a member of Gate of Heaven Parish and the Knights of Columbus Bradley Council 1624. (Bailey Funeral Home)

George E. Privé, 83, of Hampton, died June 2, 2025. He owned and operated convenience stores in Lowell, Mass., Pelham, and Hampton Falls. He competed in 14 marathons and was a passionate cyclist who volunteered for the Pan-Mass Challenge, raising awareness and over $900,000 in the fight against cancer. He completed all 48 of New Hampshire’s 4,000-foot peaks. After turning 70, he went on to summit 46 of the 48 Presidential mountains. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home)

William C. Weir Sr., 85, of Colebrook, died June 2, 2025. He and his wife Pauline took over the family farm from his father, who had founded the Weir Tree Farm in 1945. The farm grew into one of the largest Christmas tree farms in New Hampshire. With his partner, Mike Godzyk Sr., they developed the Fralsam Fir, a hybrid Christmas tree, and trademarked the name. The tree was recognized as the top tree in the nation by the Wall Street Journal in 2002 and 2008. He also operated the Grand View Snack Shack. He was a Colebrook selectman for nine years and president, vice president, and a director of the New Hampshire/Vermont Christmas Tree Association. (Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home)

Former State Rep. Deborah Wheeler, 80, of Northfield, died May 28, 2025. She worked for the state for 36 years, in the Adjutant General’s office, then the Department of Agriculture. She retired in 2002 with more than 32 years at the N.H. Department of Revenue Administration. She was a leader with the state employees’ union, SEA/SEIU local 1984. She also cared for many elderly and disabled people. In Northfield, she was a ballot clerk and a Supervisor of the Checklist. She served three terms in the House of Representatives from 2006 to 2012. (Smart Memorial Home)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “In the churchyard in Jaffrey, New Hampshire are two handsome headstones. The slate weathered well and William Farnsworth’s chiseling is clearly readable.” – Elizabeth Yates, Dec. 6, 1905, to July 29, 2001, who wrote “Amos Fortune, Free Man,” winner of the 1951 Newbery Medal,