Notable New Hampshire Deaths: NH State Trooper Ross, Veterans From Nashua, North Hampton Mourned

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.

Barbara Adams, 88, of Portsmouth, died June 26, 2026. She was a social worker in New Haven, Conn., for 21 years and established an active psychotherapy practice in Portsmouth, retiring in 2001 to pursue her passion for art. She was a founder and past president of the Pastel Society of New Hampshire, an active member of the New Hampshire, Kittery, and Seacoast Art Associations, and part of a group of four artists called The Abstract 4 who participate in exhibitions of abstract art throughout the Seacoast. (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home – Buckminster Chapel)

Thomas Brewitt, 82, of Exeter, died June 25, 2026. He was a funeral director with the Brewitt Funeral Service, Inc., the family-owned funeral home that he co-owned with his brother. From the 1980s until his retirement in 2020, he served as president and secretary of the business. He was active with the Order of the Eastern Star and the Exeter Historical Society. (Brewitt Funeral Home)

William J. Dailey, 89, of Holderness, died June 28, 2026. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he worked for the Pezrow Company, a food brokerage in New York City, for 30 years, becoming CEO and chairman of the company. He was a founding member of the New Jersey Food Bank and the New Jersey Food Council. He also helped found a homeless shelter and food bank in Paterson, N.J. In 1993, he retired and moved to Squam Lake, where he was involved with the Bridge House Shelter and the N.H. Food Bank (Dupuis Funeral Home)

Rachel L. Delisle, 87, of Berlin, died June 27, 2026. She served Angel Guardian Parish as secretary, treasurer and president of the Ladies of St. Anne. She was a member of the Friends of Catholic Schools and served at Angel Guardian Parish and Good Shepherd Parish as eucharistic minister for 30 years, ministering to residents of Coos County Nursing Home. She volunteered at the Marie Rivier Food Pantry, the Lazarus Meals, and Good Shepherd Parish Gift Shop. (Bryant Funeral Home)

Rosemarie Ducharme, 91, of Manchester, died June 28, 2026. She sold residential real estate and was the first female president of the New Hampshire Board of Realtors in 1984. She also operated Classy Creations, a candy store in Bedford. She was active with the Salvation Army. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)

Richard I. Duclos Sr., 95, of Goffstown, died June 26, 2026. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and was active in the Lions Club, as a committee member of Boy Scout Troop 99, and as a special officer of the Goffstown Police Department. He worked many years as a volunteer for the Salvation Army. He was employed by Bigelow and Company in Manchester, then worked in the state Office of Legislative Budget Assistant, retiring in 1994. (French & Rising Funeral Home)

Thomas William Duncan, 83, of Wolfeboro, died June 24, 2026. He graduated from St. Peter’s College with a degree in economics and later served on the college’s board of trustees and finance committee. He was a generous benefactor to the college and built a 40-year career as a portfolio manager. He managed money for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies. He joined Frontier Capital management in the early 80s and went on to become the president in 1990 before retiring in 2010. (Lord Funeral Home)

Pauline G. Elkin, 87, of New Castle, died June 27, 2026. A committed philanthropist, she and her husband Marty in 1991 founded the Martin I. and Pauline G. Elkin Charitable Trust to provide funding for organizations dedicated to enriching the lives of New Hampshire’s youth. She served on the boards of Breakthrough – Manchester, The Derryfield School in Manchester, and Child and Family Services (formerly Child Health Services). (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home – Buckminster Chapel)

Daniel Hodge, 79, of Nashua, died June 29, 2026. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and taught for more than three decades at Hudson Memorial School in grades six through eight, retiring in 2008. He was a trustee for the Hills Memorial Library and Hills Farm Cemetery. He was also a member of the Hudson Ethics Committee for many years, serving as its chairman in the early 2000’s. He was recognized as Hudson Citizen of the Year in 1997. (Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home)

Panagiotis "Peter" Kapos, 80, of Candia, died June 30, 2026. A native of Greece, he immigrated to the United States in 1971 and began his career working at his brother Michael’s hair salon in Concord. He bought the business in 1974 and renamed it Peter's Unisex, then Peter's Images Unlimited. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center)

Robert G. Koch, 81, of Peterborough, died June 28, 2026. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and later served as director of outreach and a professor at Franklin Pierce University. He was a longtime member of the Peterborough Players and a founding member of Actors’ Circle Theatre. He received a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his 65 theatrical productions as an actor, director, and producer. He was a member and president of the local Kiwanis Club, proudly portrayed Uncle Sam in local parades and community events, and most recently served on the board of Reality Check. (Jellison Funeral Home)

PFC Edgar Russell Norcross, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, died at age 17 in World War II in the South Pacific in 1945. His remains were recently identified and a memorial service will be held July 7, 2026, at 11 a.m. at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen. For those who wish to honor his life and service, a funeral procession will be held starting at 42 Main St., Newport, at 9 a.m., and will travel through Sunapee, New London, Wilmot, Andover, and Salisbury before arriving in Boscawen. People are welcome to line the procession route. Eighty-three years ago, PFC Norcross was a radio-gunner aboard a TBM-3 Avenger and was shot down over the South Pacific on March 16, 1945. He was identified in June 2025 and returned to his home state in July 2026. (Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home)

Milo L. Pike, 95, of Gilford, Died June 24, 2026. He was a paving legend, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, creating one of the biggest paving companies in New England. He grew the company over the course of decades and served on the Lakes Region General Hospital board. His fundraising efforts led to a massive expansion of the facility. In 1981, he married Olympic skier Penny Pitou, and both were active participants and donors to the Lakes Region Charitable Foundation. He sold Pike industries in 1988 to CRH, a publicly held construction materials business based in Dublin, Ireland. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Det. Sgt. Brian J. Ross, 41, of Greenland, died June 29, 2026. He was a 19-year veteran of the N.H. State Police. Obituary information is forthcoming. A walk-thru for police officers and other public safety personnel will be held from 3 to 3:45 p.m. on Monday, July 6, 2026, at the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory, 811 Lafayette Road, Hampton. Public visiting hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. in the funeral home. Services will be at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at the United Church of Christ, 295 Atlantic Ave., North Hampton. Additional parking is being made available adjacent to the funeral home by the Best Western Hotel behind their Conference Center for the visitation. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory)

Edwin Walter Reed, 97, North Hampton, died June 27, 2026. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and in 1959 opened Ed’s Equipment Service in Claremont, specializing in commercial truck sales and service. The dealership sold and serviced International Harvester trucks. In 1966, he built a new facility in Claremont and his brother Frank joined him as service manager, and later Frank’s son, Scott, came to work at the dealership. When Ed retired in 1993, Scott continued the family business. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home & Crematory)

Patricia Anne (Wilbur) Schir, 95, of Dover, died June 30, 2026. In her 50s, she became a full-time teacher in the Dover school system and was the first teacher of the newly developed World Language Class at Dover Middle School which was taken by every 8th grader. After over 20 years of teaching, in her early 70s, she retired from teaching. (Tasker Funeral Home)

Richard Alfred Sonia, 98, of Gilford, died June 25, 2026. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and Grand Knight. He was a member of the American Legion, as a veteran of WWII, and a member of the Gilford Planning Board. He served in the Catholic ministries as a lector, eucharistic minister, religious education, sacristan, and in the food pantry at Saint Louis of France, La Puente, Calif., and at Saint Joseph Parish, Laconia. He also was the liturgy minister to the former State Prison in Laconia. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Nancy Roma Spears, 80, of Amherst, died June 27, 2026. She was an elementary school teacher in Bedford and was on the board of the Amherst Friends of the Library and volunteered at SHARE Outreach in Milford. She was an active member of the local chapter of The Questers and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. (Smith & Heald Funeral Home)

Ronald C. Taylor, 87, of Henniker, died June 28, 2026. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and worked for National Semiconductor Corp. and Sperry Semiconductor Corp. in Connecticut. He and his wife Martha relocated to Henniker in 1970, and operated several businesses including a gas station, rental cottages, Henniker Glassworks, storage units, and mobile home parks. He was recognized in 2026 by the town of Henniker for more than 50 years of dedicated public service. He served on the school board, zoning board, board of selectmen, and other town committees and organizations. He also served as treasurer of the Henniker Historical Society. (Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home)

Roger R. Tremblay, 91, of Bedford, died June 26, 2026. He built a successful career in the roofing and sheet metal industry and was co-owner of Skyline Roofing and Sheet Metal for 20 years. He later owned Page Street Storage Trailer Rentals, Candia, until his retirement. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 5163 and a member of the Bedford Kiwanis Club. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center)

Raymond Joseph Viglione, 89, of East Kingston, died June 29, 2026. He volunteered for many years on the board of Whittier Vocational Technical High School in Haverhill, Mass. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves for seven years and founded KAV Machine Company Inc. in 1970, which he operated for 43 years alongside his wife Beverley. They employed up to 15. He volunteered as a videographer for the towns of Atkinson and Plaistow, documenting meetings and community events. (Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home)

Cecelia E. Watson, 103, of Berlin, died June 30, 2026. She was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving during World War II. At the time of her death, she was the oldest surviving female WWII veteran in the North Country. (Bryant Funeral Home)

WORDS OF WISDOM: "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." - William Faulkner, American author, Sept. 25, 1897, to July 6, 1962

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