New Hampshire, U.S., Marriage and Divorce Records, 1659-1947
Marcia Perry
AMHERST - Marcia Gifford Perry, 77, of Amherst, died Saturday, Aug. 25, 2001, in the company of her family at the Elliot Hospital, Manchester.
She was the beloved wife of Francis N. Perry of Amherst and the daughter of Harold and Elizabeth (McGovern) Gifford.
Born Sept. 15, 1923, in Bristol, R.I., she moved to New Hampshire in 1967.
She graduated from the R.I. Conservatory of Music where she later became a faculty member and taught piano. She graduated from the Rhode Island College of Education and earned her masters in Counseling from Rivier College in Nashua. She worked as a guidance counselor at the Amherst Middle School and taught music and academics in the Bristol and Amherst school systems for over 35 years.
She was the founder and director of the Bristol Carolers, the Amherst Singers and numerous corralling groups throughout her life. She was the Music Chair for the Amherst Arts and Crafts Show and provided musical direction for many school and community programs. She composed "Hymn to America" and directed and played the piano for its debut at the 2000 4th of July parade in Amherst. She was a committee member with the N.H. Symphony Orchestra.
She is survived by her husband; six children, Marcia E. Perry of Naples, Fla., Marklyn P. Champagne of East Greenwich, R.I., F. Noel Perry of Woodside, Calif., Michaela Perry of York, Maine, Elizabeth Morriss of Kamuela, Hawaii, and Lisa P. Franke of Jacksonville, Fla.; 12 grandchildren; her siblings, Catherine Tucker of Bristol, Harold Gifford and Francis Gifford, both of Warren, R.I., and John Gifford of Lincoln, R.I.; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her sisters, Elizabeth Freitas and Marie Carrier.
Calling hours are Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. in the Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm St., Milford.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in St. Patrick Church, 34 Amherst St., Milford.
Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Bristol, on Thursday.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her name to the Milford Rotary Scholarship Fund to Benefit Music Education, c/o The Milford Rotary Club, P.O. Box 618, Milford, NH 03055.
Arrangements are by Smith & Heald Funeral Home, Milford.
Yvonne Rancourt
BERWICK, Maine - Yvonne E. Rancourt, 80, of Pine Hill Road, died unexpectedly Friday, August 24, 2001, at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Dover.
She was born April 30, 1921, in St. Audet, Quebec, Canada the daughter of David and Delia (Roy) Gregoire. She was educated in the St. Audet Schools and had been of resident of Berwick since 1964.
Mrs. Rancourt was a communicant of Our Lady of Peace Church. She was a member of Le Club Richeleau of Rochester, N.H. and a member of The Seacoast Widows Club.
Her husband, Emile P. Rancourt died in 1978.
Surviving are five sons, John M. and his wife, Frances Rancourt of Middleton, N.H., Roland E. and his wife Claire Rancourt of Sanbornville, NH, Rene A. and his wife Mary Rancourt and Bertrand Rancourt both of Sanford; and Jacques A. and his wife Elizabeth Rancourt of South Berwick; four daughters, Audette Rousseau of Indianapolis, Ind., Mrs. Donald (Lisa) Hains of Acton, Mrs. Gregory (Alice) Bucklus of Colchester, Vt. and Mrs. Robert (Joan) Pease of Rochester, N.H.; one brother, Angelo Gregoire of St. Audet, Quebec and a sister, Mrs. Racheal Robert of St. Ludger, Quebec; 29 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at Laing Funeral Chapel, 36 Rochester St., Berwick.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Our Lady of Peace Church with Hilary Cameron, pastor officiating. Interment will be at Evergreen Cemetery, Berwick.
Family flowers only. The family request memorials may be made to Waban Association for Retarded Citizens, Inc., R.R. 1 Box 2405, Sanford, Maine 04073.
Blandine Smith
DOVER - Blandine L. Smith, 94, died Monday, Aug. 27, 2001, at the Dover Rehabilitation Center after a period of failing health. She was a former resident of Sixth Street and the widow of Walter Smith.
Arrangements are in complete and will be announced by the Wiggin-Purdy-McCooey-Dion Funeral Home, 655 Central Ave, Dover.
Eleanor Tower
CENTER STRAFFORD - Eleanor A. Tower, 58, died Saturday, Aug. 24, 2001, after a period of failing health at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
She was born Sept. 11, 1942, in Chelsea, Mass., the daughter of Leonard and Hazel (Bond) King.
She was the wife of John C. Tower of Center Strafford. Mrs. Tower was a member of the L.J. and Company Band.
A dedicated homemaker, her love was her family. She will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Mrs. Tower is survived by her husband of 42 years; two sons, John Towers and his wife, Janet, of Northwood and Daniel Tower and his wife, Lori, of Wendell, N.C.; three daughters, Mrs. Debbra Matteau and her husband, Jean-Pierre, of Franklin, Ms. Lynne Tower of Casper, Wyo., and Mrs. Tammy Jones and her husband, Harold, of Unicoi, Tenn.; one brother, Leonard King of Chelsea, Mass.; two sisters, Janette Murphy of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Christine King of Saugus, Mass.; nine grandchildren, Stephanie, Jessica and Jonathan Matteau, Jonna, Alecia and Bently Tower, Steve Jones, Tiffany and Michael Macmaster; two great-grandchildren, Jaython Dunston and Moya Macmaster; three nieces and one nephew.
Friends and family are invited to call from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27, at the Purdy Memorial Chapel, Route 4, 2 Concord Rd., Lee.
Funeral services will be held at the Purdy Memorial Chapel at 2 p.m. with the Rev. John Newman of Northwood officiating and playing bag pipes. Memorial contributions in Eleanor Tower’s memory may be made to the American Diabetes Association, New England Region, 249 Canal Street, Manchester, NH 03101.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Purdy Memorial Chapel and Oyster River Crematory, Route 4, Lee/Barrington.
Ruth Berry
KITTERY, Maine - Mrs. Ruth I. (Gerry) Berry, 87, wife of Ernest H. Berry of 15 Old Post Road, passed away Monday, Aug. 27, 2001, at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
She was born in Kittery on Sept. 14, 1913, the daughter of Ralph J. and Emma Ellen (Davis) Gerry.
Mrs. Berry was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Portsmouth since 1933.
She is survived by her husband; two children, Ralph Berry of North Berwick and Ruth Todd of Kittery; six grandchildren, Richard Berry of Acton, David Berry and Kathleen Hayes, both of North Berwick, Joseph Todd and Sarah Todd, both of Kittery, and Christine Todd of Beverly, Mass.; six great-grandchildren; a sister, Mary Cassell of Kittery; several nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by two brothers, Charles Gerry and Ralph Gerry.
Funeral services will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at J. Verne Wood Funeral Home-Buckminster Chapel, 84 Broad St., Portsmouth, N.H. Friends invited.
Visiting hours will be held at the Chapel on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. Family flowers only.
Donations in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, Gail Singer Memorial Bldg., 360 State Rte. 101, Suite 501, Bedford, NH 03110-5032.
Ghislaine Charbonneau
DOVER - Ghislaine Charbonneau, 74, of 104 Riverview Apartments, died Monday, Aug. 27, 2001, at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital after a period of failing health.
Friends and relatives may call Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Wiggin-Purdy-McCooey-Dion Funeral Home, 655 Central Ave.
Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow in St. Charles Cemetery.
Matthew DeRocchi
LEE - Matthew DeRocchi, 22, of 14 Allens Ave., died Sunday, Aug. 26, 2001, of injuries from a motorcycle accident.
He was born in Exeter on Nov. 9, 1978, the son of Frank and Suzanne (Munroe) DeRocchi.
He was a graduate of Oyster River High School, Class of 1997, and was employed as manager of sales/customer support with Welch Fluorocarbon of Dover.
Nickname "goat", Mr. DeRocchi was known for his tattoo, "wherever I may roam", and his wolf collection. He loved the outdoors; walking in the woods, star gazing, camp get-togethers in Hillsboro, riding his motorcycle and snow machining with his father, brother and friends in Pittsburg.
In the past two years, he made trips to Hawaii and Alaska (his dream place to live).
He was a member of The Lee Boys, pit crew member of J.B. Racing Team (Lee USA Speedway & the Busch North Series), Jim Storace Racing Team and the Lee Fire Department.
He will be remembered as a loving son, brother, nephew, cousin and friend.
Survivors include his parents of Lee; his brother Mark DeRocchi and his wife, Melissa, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Friends and relatives are invited to call from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday at the Purdy Memorial Chapel, Rt. 4, Lee.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the St. Thomas More Church, 6 Madbury Road, Durham, with the Rev. Robert G. Biron, pastor as celebrant.
Burial will follow in the Lee Hill Cemetery.
Those who wish may make donations in his memory to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central New England Chapter, 101 First Avenue, Suite 6, Waltham, MA 02454 or to the Lee Firemen’s Association, Lee, NH.
Irene Greene
SANFORD, Maine - Irene C. Greene, 94 of Sanford, died Thursday Aug. 23, 2001, at the H.D. Goodall Hospital in Sanford.
Mrs. Greene was born on Dec. 4, 1906, in Amesbury, Mass. She was the daughter of Louis and Marie Kauffman Thesse. Mrs. Greene attended Lawrence High School and McIntosh Commercial College. She graduated from college with her degree in nursing and became a registered nurse. Mrs. Greene spent several years working for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton, Mass., Cambridge City Hospital and Baker Memorial, Mass. General.
Following a long career in nursing Mrs. Greene retired and moved to Maine.
She was predeceased by her husband, Arnold W. Greene in 1984 and her sister, Beatrice Frankland in 1998.
Surviving is a niece Leatrice Furand of Milford, Conn.
Services for Mrs. Greene will be private. Arrangements completed by the Heald Funeral Homes, Springvale.
Marjorie Houston, D.M.D.
SARASOTA, Fla. - Marjorie Houston, D.M.D., 81, formerly of Concord, Mass., Exeter and Rochester, N.H., and more recently of Clearwater and Sarasota, Fla., died in Sarasota on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2001.
Born in Somerville, Mass., Feb. 8, 1920, she was the daughter of Clyde P. and Bertha (Sinclair) Houston.
A 1937 graduate of Concord High School, she earned a certificate in Dental Hygiene from Forsyth Dental Infirmary, Boston, Mass., in 1940; her bachelors degree in education from Howard College, Birmingham, Ala.; her doctorate in dentistry from Tufts University School of Dentistry in 1951 and in 1957, was awarded a master’s degree in oral pathology from the University of Illinois.
Dr. Houston was the initiator and first director of the Department of Dental Hygiene at the University of Alabama and the Founder of the Alabama Dental Hygienists Association. She was the first woman to be granted a U.S. Public Health post-doctoral fellowship, is listed in "Who’s Who of American Women" and was nominated for "Woman of the Year" in Birmingham, Ala. for her work at the State Correction Center.
Dr. Houston spent over 20 years teaching at the University of Alabama, Northwestern University and the University of Illinois until opening her own office in Exeter in 1974. Well-known for her skills in the field of periodontics, she maintained her practice in Exeter until retiring in 1981.
Dr. Houston was in great demand as a clinician and lecturer and gave annual presentations at Ohio State University, Westbrook College and Miami-Dade Community College. She contributed to many dental publications and co-authored five texts in dental hygiene.
A lifelong member of the Girl Scouts of America, she was a World War II U.S. Navy veteran and served on the board of directors of the Friends of Runels. She also maintained her membership in numerous professional societies and associations.
She leaves her sister, Dorothy H. Hirons of Farmington, N.H., as well as a large circle of extended family members and friends.
Friends are invited to attend services in the West Concord Union Church, Main and Pine Streets, Saturday, at 3 p.m. The Rev. John Hudson will officiate and a reception will follow. Interment will be in the family lot to Woodmont Cemetery, East Burke, Vt.
All are invited to call at the church from 2 p.m. until service time.
In recognition of her U.S. Navy service, Concord’s town flag will be flown at half staff on Saturday.
For those who wish, gifts in her memory may be sent to the West Concord Union Church, 1317 Main St., Concord, MA 01742.
Arrangements are under the direction of the MacRae-Tunnicliffe Funeral Home, Concord.
Robert McIntire
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine - Robert C. McIntire, 58, of 2 Old Fields Road, died unexpectedly on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2001, at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover, N.H.
Born in Dover, June 18, 1943, he was the son of Paul R. and Ella E. (Clough) McIntire.
He was a graduate of South Berwick High School, Class of 1962, and served in the U.S. Navy for four years, from 1962 to 1966. He was a lifelong resident of South Berwick.
He was a seafood inspector for 24 years employed by the Department of Commerce, retiring in January 2001. He had previously been employed by Booth Fisheries.
He was a communicant of St. Michael’s Church, where he served as a Eucharistic minister and was a member of the Parish Council.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Family members include his wife, Madeleine C. (Poirier) McIntire, whom he married on June 8, 1968; one son, Michael C. McIntire of Barrington, N.H.; one daughter, Meredith C. McIntire, a student at the University of Maine, Orono; nieces; nephews; and a cousin.
He was predeceased by his parents and a brother, Raymond E. McIntire.
Relatives and friends may call Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at McIntire-McCooey Funeral Home, 301 Main St., South Berwick.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday at St. Michael’s Church, with the Rev. Philip Tracy, retired pastor, and the Rev. H.J. Cameron, pastor, as co-celebrants.
Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery, South Berwick.
Memorial donations may be made to the South Berwick Emergency Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 157, South Berwick, ME 03908.
Robert Patch
RAYMOND - Robert A. Patch, 53, of 46 Main St., died Saturday, Aug. 25, 2001, at Exeter Hospital after a long illness.
He was born March 10, 1948, in Rochester, the son of Alfred Patch and the late Margaret Rouleau Patch. He was a graduate of Nute High School in Milton.
He had resided in Raymond for the past five years and worked as a machinist for Profile Metal Forming Co.
Members of the family include his father, Alfred Patch of Rochester; three sons, Robert Patch Jr. and Jesse Patch, both of Farmington, and Scott Patch of New Hampshire; a daughter, Tammy Patch of New Hampshire; a sister, Dixie Lee Chenette of East Rochester; a brother, Alan Patch of Barrington; half-sister, Gerry Whitney of Rochester; half-brother, John Patch of Derry; longtime companion, Larine Runice; and several nieces and nephews.
Family and friends may visit Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the R.M. Edgerly & Son Funeral Home, 86 South Main St., Rochester. A funeral service will be conducted Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the chapel of the funeral home. Burial will be in Rochester Cemetery, Franklin Street.
Blandine Smith
DOVER - Blandine L. Smith, 94, formerly of 17 Sixth St., and more recently at the Dover Rehabilitation Center died Monday, Aug. 27, 2001, at the Center after a period of failing health.
Born April 16, 1907, in Dover she was the daughter of Joseph and Soufrenie (Bernard) Labbe.
Mrs. Smith was a lifelong resident of Dover and a communicant of St Charles Church. She was a former member of St. Ann’s Altar and Rosary Society.
The widow of Walter Smith who died in 1977, she is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Albert (Lorraine) Drouin of White River Junction, Vt.; two sisters, Eva Labbe of St. Ann Home and Alberta Koheen of Dover; one grandson, Richard Drouin of Tennessee.; nieces and nephews.
Friends and relatives may call from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, at the Wiggin-Purdy-McCooey-Dion Funeral Home, 655 Central Ave, Dover.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at the funeral home with the Rev. Paul Gregoire, pastor, St. Charles Church, officiating. Burial will follow in St. Charles Cemetery.
Those who wish may make donations in her name to the American Cancer Society, 360 State Route 101, Suite 501, Bedford, NH 031100-5032.
