top of page

Obituaries

Anne Elizabeth (Campbell)

McLellan-Greene

July 10, 1932 - Feb 7, 2020 – It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Anne McLellan-Greene, daughter of Alexander Campbell and Vera E Donaldson. She was predeceased by her first husband William (Bill) McLellan, brothers Robert, Ross and Ian Campbell and sister Margaret Jean Dube. She is survived by her husband Charles Murray Greene (Charlie), daughter Mary Ann McCrea (Michael), son Scott Alexander McLellan (Melissa), 5 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. Throughout her life, she has lived in Chignecto, Northport, Amherst and Halifax, Nova Scotia and Windsor and Hamilton, Ontario. Thank you to the staff at Parkstone Enhanced Care. According to Anne’s wishes, a private family internment will take place at Maccan United Cemetery.

Grace M. Schaefer

1930-2020 – On March 26, 2020, Grace Marie Antoinette Fauci Schaefer,89, of Bedford New Hampshire, was ushered by the Angels through the gates to eternal peace and to be in the presence of her Lord Jesus Christ. Her loving husband and family were by her side as she took that final journey. 

      Grace was born on November 19, 1930 to parents James and Santa-Josephine (Bertuccio Campagna) Fauci. She was the youngest of eight, growing up in Everett Massachusetts and graduating from Everett High School in 1948.  Grace went on to become an administrative secretary and moved to New York where she met and married her husband Carl on July 31, 1955.  Together they raised two sons and a daughter. Grace later became a medical transcriptionist and worked at several healthcare organizations in Connecticut and New Hampshire.

      Grace loved being around her family and always had a memorable story of her childhood when together at family gatherings. Grace was quite artistic, and her family will treasure the many paintings that she did over the years.  Grace and Carl enjoyed traveling, had taken several cruises, traveled to Italy and Germany but their most memorable trip was to Africa. Grace loved crossword puzzles and solitaire, if we were ever looking for Mom, she was on the computer playing solitaire.

Before moving to Bedford in July 2019, Grace was a resident of Amherst New Hampshire and a parishioner at St. Patrick’s Church in Milford New Hampshire for 42 years.

      Grace is survived by Carl, her husband of 64 years, son Mark Schaefer and his wife Brenda, son Carl Schaefer and his wife Nancy, and daughter Margaret McRae. Grace also leaves behind her grandchildren Gretchen (Schaefer) Dec and husband, Jaymes, Nathan Schaefer, Liam McRae, Melanie Schaefer, Sarah Schaefer, and great grandson Emerson Dec.

Grace was preceded in death by her parents James and Santa, siblings Harry Fauci, Lillian Fauci, Louise Butoff, Frank Campagna, Santa Serra, Martha Calogerro, Lillian Gamby, her grandson William Reuben Schaefer, and granddaughter Rebekah Grace Schaefer.

The family would like to extend their gratitude and thanks to Manchester VNA and Hospice and the staff at Bedford Falls for the care and attention they provided.

      A family service will be held on Tuesday March 31, 2020 with a memorial service to be held at a later date.

      In lieu of flowers, donations in Grace’s memory can be made to Share Outreach, Milford, NH or St. Joseph Community Services, Meals on Wheels, Merrimack, NH.  Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford.  To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com

Ethel M. Sliney

AMHERST – Ethel M. Sliney, 85, longtime resident of Amherst, NH, died on March 16, 2020 in Manchester, NH.

She was born in Malden, MA on March 21, 1934, a daughter of David J. Sliney, Sr. and Ethel A. (Ryan) Sliney.  Ethel graduated from Milford High School, Class of 1952 and made her home in Amherst for more than 60 years.

      She had been employed by the State of New Hampshire working in the Manchester and Milford District Courts and later went to work for Enright Law Offices in Milford.  In addition to working full-time, she devoted much of her time, along with her sister, to help raise their two great nephews since they were toddlers.

      Ethel always enjoyed reading a good book.

      She was a communicant of St. Patrick’s Church, Milford.

Ehtel was predeceased by two sisters, Alice Pezzullo and Theresa Sliney; a brother, David J. Sliney, Jr.; a nephew, Patrick Sliney; and a great nephew, Jeremy Burrows.

      Family members include her great nephew, Joseph Burrows of Salem, NH; two nephews and their wives, Ken and Jen Sliney of Delaware, Jon and Sabina Sliney of Squaw Valley, CA.

Funeral services are private.  Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery, Milford.  Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford, NH.  To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com

Barbara J. McKeen

      MANCHESTER – Barbara J. McKeen, 85, longtime resident of Amherst, NH, died on March 10, 2020 in Manchester, NH.

      She was born in Portsmouth, NH on November 1, 1934, a daughter of the late Norman and Dorothy (Abel) McKenney. She made her home in Amherst, NH for more than 50 years.

      Barbara was an avid golfer and very much enjoyed her days with the Wednesday Ladies League at Amherst CC. She was a longtime member of ACC and valued the friendships she made there. In her teens she played golf with her parents at Portsmouth CC. At age 16 she won the New Hampshire Junior Girl’s Golf Championship. As the years went by she had many memorable days playing in tournaments with both the Maine and New Hampshire Women’s Golf Associations. She enjoyed watching sports, especially professional golf and tennis tournaments, and she was a Boston sports fan. In addition, Barbara loved keeping an eye on the woods and wetlands behind her home, watching for birds, deer, bears and other wildlife.

      She was predeceased by her husband, Donald W. McKeen; and brother, James N. McKenney.

      Family members include two daughters, Karen L. McKeen and her partner, Laura Deluc of Bedford, NH; Andrea D. McKeen and her husband Michael Keating of Victor, ID; sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Edward Hilliard of Camilla, GA; and several cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews.

There are no visiting hours. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory may be made to nhaudubon.org. Arrangements in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to  www.smith-heald.com

Neil F. Wetherbee Sr.

Neil F. Wetherbee Sr. devoted husband, father and grandfather, of Amherst NH, died peacefully Saturday, March 1st , 2020 at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, surrounded by his family. He was born July 21st, 1939 in Quincy, Massachusetts, the son of Annie H. Jones of Pelham, NH and Frederick B. Wetherbee of Braintree MA.      Raised in Quincy, MA with his father absent early in his life, he relied solely on his mother who died of cancer in his sixteenth year. He went to live with relatives in California during this time and did whatever work came

Neil%20Wetherbee%20Sr-OBIT_edited.jpg

his way from driving trucks to odd jobs.

      He later returned home to Quincy where he met the love of his life, Mary (McGrath) Wethebee. They married on July 13th 1964. They had their only son, Neil, the following year. Neil Sr., without a high school diploma did whatever it took to provide for his young family.       He worked 3rd shift for the Honeywell Corporation. While a great job for many, he soon discovered his true passion in the viewfinder of a camera. 

      He soon left Honeywell to pursue that passion. He won numerous national and international awards over the course of his career including the Boston Globe Photo Contest in 1973. That award got him an appearance on WCVB’s Good Morning show. In subsequent years, he was ranked as high as 5th Best Photographer in the world by PSA, the Photographic Society of America and awarded the distinction, EFIAP (Excellence Federation Internationale de L’ Art Photographique). He had a unique and well trained eye for composition and his favorite medium was New England landscapes and oceanscapes. 

      He was a longtime member of the South Shore Camera Club and Greater Lynn Camera Club both of which brought him many lifelong friends. He also lectured and mentored at the clubs and dreamed of one day starting a foundation for the advancement of photographic arts. He was an avid big band jazz fan and was fortunate enough to meet and get to know one of his idols of the day, Stan Kenton.

      Living in Arlington, MA for nearly 30 years, Neil was active in his community as a member of the Arlington Arts Council, the Arlington Youth Visit Exchange Program, hosting several Japanese students over the years (as well as travelling to Japan himself) and also as a Town Meeting Member.

      He was predeceased by Mary his wife of 50 years. He will be forever missed by his only son Neil, and his wife Wendy of Derry, NH, grandsons Dylan of Derry and Keith of Nashua, NH as well has his extended family, daughter-out-law Cheryl (Wetherbee) Cawley and her wife Prudy Cawley of Manchester and cousins from the Lowell area as well as Maine.

      While there will be no services, Neil will be cremated and his family will celebrate his life by journeying to scatter his ashes at some of the places he most loved to photograph, the Jenne Farm in Vermont and Nubble Light in Maine to name just a couple. An Eternal Tribute can be viewed at www.tributes.com/Neil-F-Wetherbee-Sr.  Some of his better work, awards and biographical info can be seen at www.NeilWetherbeeSr.com. In lieu of flowers, take a moment from your busy life to take in the natural beauty that Neil so loved to photograph!

William Guy Stokes

      William Guy Stokes (né Szoke) of Amherst, NH died unexpectedly on April 1, 2020 at the age of 72.

      Bill was born on December 31, 1947, to James and Winola Stokes.  He was raised in Fairfield, CT and was a graduate of Andrew Warde High school and the University of Connecticut.  

      Bill is survived by his wife of 34 years, Peggy (Broderick) Stokes and two sons: Conor Stokes, his wife Mel and their daughter Maddie, of Manchester, NH and Adam Stokes of Brooklyn, NY.

StokesWilliam_edited.jpg

      Other survivors include his siblings Judith Stokes, Dick Stokes, his wife Sandi and their daughter Leah, all of McMinnville, OR and Jayne Stokes and her wife Carolyn Kibbe of Cambridge, NY.  He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Karen Stokes of Spartanburg, SC and nieces Suzanne and Sarah.  He was predeceased by his parents and brother Jack Stokes.  

In-laws from the Broderick family include his mother-in-law Barbara of Peterborough, NH, two brothers-in-law and their spouses, three sisters-in-law and their spouses, four nieces and four nephews, all of whom have fond memories of his spontaneous and outrageous commentary on life around us. 

      Bill lived the life of an artist.  After forays into real estate and building, Bill settled into life as a finish carpenter and cabinetmaker.  As a genuine craftsman, he had an eye for good design, an appreciation of fine tools and an understanding of the properties of the wood that went into each project.   Perhaps that was because he had “aced dendrology” at UCONN.  His talents were recognized through publication in Fine Homebuilding Magazine.  His life’s work lives on in many homes and businesses throughout New England and as far west as Southern California and Alaska.

      People often referred to him as a character or a renaissance man.  In addition to woodworking and construction, Bill was often sought out as a reference for his expertise in cooking, gardening, the natural world, health issues, history and current events.  He is known to have begun more than one long friendship by asking “what the hell do you think you’re doing?”.   That was his version of mentorship and he felt he could show each person a better way to get the job done.

      Numerous health issues plagued his life, beginning with a heart attack at age 37.  He endured multiple major surgeries and responded to each disease as a challenge, diving into and researching details to add to his knowledge bank.

      Post Covid-19, the family intends to host a gathering in Bill’s honor, an event that will certainly include finishing the last of his good red wine.

Bill was a voracious reader who always had a book recommendation just for you. Gifts in his honor can be directed to the Wadleigh Memorial Library (Milford, NH), the Amherst NH Public Library or your local library.  Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford.  To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com

bottom of page