Notable NH deaths: Noted architect; Nine-term State Representative; Two top hockey coaches

InDepthNH.org scans the websites of New Hampshire funeral homes every week and randomly selects some of our friends, family members and neighbors to feature in this column. The people mentioned here have died in recent weeks and have a public or charitable connection to their community. InDepthNH.org now offers obituaries through the Legacy.com service. We consider this to be part of our public task. Click here or on the Obituaries tab at the top of our home page for more information. And if you know someone from New Hampshire who should be featured in this column, send your suggestions to [email protected].

William Ellison Brown84, of Goffstown and Deland, Florida, passed away June 7, 2024. He owned and operated Bills Gulf for decades and was founder and president of the Uncanoonuc Mountaineers Snowmobile Club. (French and Rising Funeral Home)

Nicholas Joseph Cammarata, 44, of Nashua, died June 4, 2024. He was a standout hockey player at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, and then played professionally for four seasons in the ECHL, SPHL, CHL, as well as a brief stint in Italy. He was an assistant coach with the Vernal Oilers (CAJHL) in 2021-2022 and was later hired as head coach of the Texas Jr. Brahmas (NA3HL). Last season he was an assistant coach with the Badlands Sabers (NA3HL). This spring, he joined the New Hampshire Mountain Kings Academy as a 15U coach. He planned to serve as an assistant coach for the organization's NAHL junior team. (Benefit Funeral and Cremation Services)

William I. Curless, 65, of Sutton, died June 8, 2024. He owned William Curless Custom Construction LLC for more than 40 years and served as a selectman and member of the Sutton Budget Committee for 24 years. He was a former member of the Sutton Volunteer Fire Department. (Chadwick Funeral and Cremation Service)

Sharon R. Fleischman, 80, of Laconia, died June 7, 2024. In New Jersey, she was a nurse at Riverview Hospital and president and treasurer of Red Bank New Jersey Hadassah. In Laconia, she was a nurse at Lakes Region General Hospital and a board member of Temple Bnai Israel. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral and Cremation Services)

Anna C. (cook) Hayden, 98, of Littleton, died June 5, 2024. She was an English and Latin teacher at Littleton High School from 1960 to 1965 and from 1970 to 1991. After her retirement, she was a volunteer reading lady at Lakeway Elementary School. From 1966 to 1969, she was principal of Rock Point School for Girls in Burlington, Virginia. She was a board member of the Community House, a member of the Littleton Historical Society and a board member of the Weathervane Theater in Whitefield. (Ross Funeral Home)

Richard Gorham Higley, 96, of Peterborough, died June 6, 2024. He is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and worked in investment banking for 41 years. He then retired as vice president of the New York office of DenDanske Bank, the largest bank in Denmark. While living in Chester, Virginia, he volunteered as one of three elected city commissioners for thirteen years. (Jellison Funeral Home)

Janet Aurore (Paquette) Jurta, 91, of Franklin, passed away June 8, 2024. She was involved with St. Gabriel Parish as a lector, Eucharistic minister, CCD coordinator and choir director. From 1965-1992 she taught 7th and 8th grade at St. Marys School. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America and served as a junior counselor. She worked for the Community Services Council as the assistant director of the senior program in Franklin. She was a weekly volunteer at the Merrimack County Nursing Home. (Thibault-Neun Funeral Home)

Russell J. McCurdy Jr., 84, of Lee, died June 7, 2024. He was a U.S. Army veteran and was an all-state hockey player, playing for Boston University and the U.S. National Team from 1962-63. He also had a career as an investigator for the US Civil Service Commission and as a reserve Foreign Service officer with the US Department of State. He began his collegiate coaching career at Yale University in 1973 and became head women's hockey coach at UNH in 1977. Over 15 seasons, he amassed a career record of 264-36-10, won eight conference championships and posted a remarkable .85 winning streak. percentage. In 1992, he coached the U.S. national team at the world championships in Finland, taking home the silver medal. He also coached the UNH women's tennis team for many years. (Tasker Funeral Home)

Barbara Diane Miles, 72, of Manchester, died June 5, 2024. She worked for the American Red Cross during the 2001 terrorist attacks on America, for the NH State Archives in Concord and later served as executive director of the NH Aviation Historical Society. She was a licensed pilot and traveled to areas where Ruth Law, the first woman to fly in New Hampshire, portrayed as a presenter for the NH Humanities Council. She co-authored Manchesters Airport: Flying Through Time in 2006 and authored Catholic New Hampshire in 2020, a historical montage of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester. She served as archivist for the Diocese of Manchester and retired in January as assistant archivist for the Diocese of Portland, Maine. (Durning, Bykowski, & Young Funeral Home)

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Russell T. Ober III, 85, of Hudson, died June 10, 2024. He spent 23 years in the U.S. Air Force in SAC and TAC before transferring to USAFE at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany. During the Vietnam War he flew almost 600 combat hours as Wild Weasel. He joined the Air Force Intelligence operations in USAFE and after retirement taught high school math at Alvirne High School in Hudson. He served as a state representative for nine terms and was a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He was the husband of Lynne Ober, also a former member of the House of Representatives. They both resigned in 2021 after disagreements with the House speaker. (Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home)

Mary Alice (Noonan) Perry, 98, of Manchester, died May 29, 2024. She was a member of the Cadet Nurse Corps and worked at the VA Hospital in the Bronx. She was an operating room nurse at Sacred Heart Hospital, now Catholic Medical Center. At the age of 58, she returned to college and received her bachelor's degree in 1984. She volunteered at the Manchester YWCA for Encore, a support group and exercise program to restore mobility and confidence to women who had had breast cancer. She received the Vaughan Award in 2010 for her volunteer work. She volunteered at Elliot Hospital knitting hats for newborns and prayer shawls for cancer patients. She also volunteered at Manchester Saint Josephs Church as a parish nurse. She assisted in the soup kitchen and screened the elderly for health problems. She has volunteered with the Manchester Red Cross for over forty years. She was a member of the NH Clamshell Alliance which protested the construction of the Seabrook nuclear power plant. (Connor-Healy Funeral and Cremation Home)

Ottilie Beth Lee Proctor, 91, of Hampton, died June 6, 2024. She started as a bank teller at Indian Head National Bank in Nashua in 1958 and was eventually named senior vice president. She was treasurer of the Friendship Club, leader of the Boy Scouts and an active member of the Actorsingers. She was a past president of the NH Women Bankers Association and the Zonta Club. (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home Buckminster Chapel)

Robert Edward Raiche Sr., 87, of Manchester, died June 9, 2024. He was a member of the political science faculty and subsequently dean of admissions at Nathaniel Hawthorne College in Antrim. He served as a state representative from Manchester for eight years and was minority leader in the House of Representatives in 1968. In 1972 he was a Democratic candidate for governor. In 1983, he co-chaired the NHDP State Convention and received the NH's Franklin D. Roosevelt Award. Democratic Party in 2019. He was the U.S. Marshal for the state of New Hampshire, appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, and also a full-time law student. He was the Manchester Bar Association's “Lawyer of the Year” in 1993. He served at Easter Seals, Joliet Club, both the Queen City and Cocoa Beach, Florida, Rotary Club, Greater Manchester AIDS Project and the Franco-American Association. He was proud of his appointment as honorary consul for France. (JN Boufford & Sons Funeral Home)

Christopher Peele Williams, 77, of Center Harbor, died June 1, 2024. He was a well-known Lakes Region architect who opened his own office in Meredith in 1984. He specialized in historic preservation and sustainable design. In 1985, he helped found Inherit New Hampshire (now the NH Preservation Alliance) and was involved with the Architectural Institute of America (AIA), specifically AIANH, and served for several years on the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), New York. Hampshire Board of Architects and various New Hampshire Governor's Commissions. He also served on the Lakes Region Advisory Board of the NH Charitable Foundation, NH Furniture Masters Association, New Hampshire Commission on the Arts, Squam Lakes Association and Lake Waukewan Association. He helped establish the Greater Meredith Program, served on the Lakes Region Planning Commission, Moultonborough Area Community Development Corporation, New Hampshire Main Street Program, the Center Harbor Energy Committee, Center Harbor Planning Board and Center Harbor Zoning Board.
(Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral and Cremation Services)

WORDS OF WISDOM: My name is Old Glory. I fly on top of the tallest buildings in the world. I stand guard in America's courtrooms. I fly majestically over educational institutions. I stand guard with power in the world. Look up and see me. – From the poem My Name is Old Glory by Howard Schnauber, US Marine who served in World War II and the Korean War and who received four Purple Hearts from March 29, 1922 to May 7, 2004