Notable New Hampshire Deaths: LaValley Building Supply Founder; Former Pembroke Fire Chief

By InDepth NH

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.

Jane Keith Armstrong, 87, of Exeter and Washington, died May 22, 2026. She was dedicated to The League of Women Voters for many decades, serving as treasurer of the Illinois League and president of the New Hampshire League. While living in Illinois, she served as a court observer. She was an active board member of Open Democracy, working to achieve political equality for all. She helped to lead the PAH support group at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital, providing support to others impacted by this disease. (Legacy.com)

Daniel Brand, 88, of Wolfeboro, died May 22, 2026. He was an associate professor of city planning at Harvard University, and in the early 1970s, a senior lecturer in the MIT Civil Engineering Department. He was undersecretary of transportation for the state of Massachusetts from 1975-1977, then joined Charles River Associates in Boston as vice president. (Lord Funeral Home)

Rev. Bruce W. Collard, 77, of Manchester, died May 23, 2026. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1980 by the Most Rev. Odore J. Gendron, beginning a ministry that would span more than four decades. He was associate pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Laconia, Holy Angels Parish in Plaistow, Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Merrimack, St. Christopher Parish in Nashua, and St. Anthony Parish in Manchester. In 1988, he joined Southern New Hampshire University as catholic chaplain within the Division of Student Affairs, retiring in 2021. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center)

Frank “Butch” E. Dubisz Jr., 86, of Manchester, died May 23, 2026. He volunteered with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and was a founding member of the Let’s Go Fishing Program. He and his father opened Frank’s Front End Service in 1969. He was active with the Boy Scouts of America, the South Sabers Booster Club, and the Memorial High School Booster Club, where he was a past president. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center)

Paul M. Gagnon, 70, of Pembroke, died May 22, 2026. He was appointed to the Pembroke Fire Department in 1974 and worked his way through the ranks of engineer, lieutenant, captain and deputy chief before ultimately being appointed chief on Jan. 1, 2021, serving until his retirement March 29, 2025. He also volunteered with the former Tri-Town Volunteer Ambulance Service and was a member of the National Guard from 1975 to 1981, retiring with the rank of corporal. He worked for the Concord Police Department as a juvenile detective and was president of the N.H. Police Association from 1996-1997. He retired with the Concord Police after 22 years of service in 2001. He then became technology coordinator at the Epsom Central School until 2022. (Roan Family Funeral Home)

Jane Mary (Mulligan) Lacasse, 84, of Boscawen, died May 9, 2026. She was a first-grade teacher at Boscawen Elementary School and became the principal, later becoming principal of Lamprey River Elementary School. She was executive director for The Academy of Applied Science and was awarded three NH Excellence in Education (EDies) awards, including teacher of the year in 1987. She became an original member of the EDies Committee and retired as director of graduate studies for Plymouth State University’s Concord campus. In 1959, she entered the convent with the Sisters of St. Joseph in Medford, Mass., where she served until 1967. She later married, and she and her husband Raymond served as the Christian education directors at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Concord. (Bennett Funeral Home)

Harold A. LaValley, 94, of Newport, died May 19, 2026. He was the founder and CEO of LaValley Building Supply that he and his wife started in 1962. After working in the plumbing and heating department at Montgomery Ward, he went to work from 1955-1962 for Hadley Lumber. He later started his own lumber business, incorporating manufacturing. Today, the company has 600 employees and 13 locations throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. He served as finance chairman for the Lumbermen's Merchandising Corporation, as well as LMC's chairman of the board. He was a member of the steering committee for the Maple Manor Elderly Housing. In 1974, he helped lead the development of Newport’s athletic recreation complex. In 1976, he helped to bring a 30-meter ski jump from Lake Placid to Newport's ski jumping hill. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)

Frederick MacLean, 91, of Tilton and formerly of Bridgewater, died May 20, 2026. He was a U.S. Army veteran. In Bridgewater he owned and operated Newfound Grocery. He founded the Bridgewater Turkey Trot in 1981 and he was instrumental in bringing the first N.H. Marathon to Bristol in 1993. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Deborah Ann Newell, 71, of Freedom, died May 23, 2026. She and her husband, David, owned the Summer Freeze Ice Cream and the Newell Post Restaurant. She was an accountant. (Legacy.com)

Arthur “Chip” Whittaker Perkins, 81, of Concord, died May 20, 2026. He followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a lawyer and joining his practice at Perkins Law in Concord. (Bennett Funeral Home)

WORDS OF WISDOM: "You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair." - Old Chinese proverb

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.