Notable NH Deaths: Former School Superintendent Ed Melanson; Former NESN President John Claiborne

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.

Mary Ann Ashcroft, 85, of Derry, died Oct. 17, 2025. She was appointed in 1998 to serve on the New Hampshire Compensation Appeals Board, which she did for 27 years. She worked for the Travelers Insurance Company in Boston as a secretary, then as a claims representative for more than 50 years. (Peabody Funeral Homes & Crematorium)

Bruce Rogers “Hap” Barton, 80, of Newbury, died Oct. 14, 2025. He was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army who retired to a career in banking. He retired as an executive with Bank of America, and while living in Newbury with his wife Cheron, they were volunteers at the Fells Estate. He joined the Veterans Committee and chaired a group instrumental in building a veterans memorial. He also helped with an outreach program to support young soldiers returning from active duty. (Legacy.com)

John W. Claiborne III, 86, of Manchester, died Oct. 19, 2025. His career as a scout in Major League Baseball brought him to the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, and Boston Red Sox. He transitioned to management and then served as the president of New England Sports Network (NESN) in Boston for 13 years. (Lambert Funeral Home)

Judith Mary Clark, 83, of Chichester, died Oct. 15, 1942. She worked in the SAU 8 superintendent’s office from 1964 to 1970, and then at Chichester Central School from 1977 to 2024 as a paraprofessional for 24 years, substitute teacher for 10 years, and secretary to the Chichester School District Board for 35 years. (Roan Family Funeral Home)

David Paul Doyle, 70, of Alexandria, died Oct. 19, 2025. In 1993 he and his wife Ava purchased Sun Valley Cottages in Laconia, which they operated for 30 years. He was a board member of the Lakes Region Tourism Association for many years. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Brian Landry, 47, of Litchfield and formerly of Salem, died Oct. 20, 2025. He was a Derry police officer for 23 years and served as school resource officer at Hood and West Running Brook Middle Schools and Pinkerton Academy. He was a volunteer coach for the unified basketball team. (Carrier Family Funeral Home)

Edgar R. Melanson, 84, of Hampton, died Oct. 19, 2025. He was an intelligence specialist for the U.S. Army in Germany and a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 17 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2520. He was a teacher in Plymouth and moved to the Berlin school district, where he was English department chairman and an assistant principal. He was principal of Lisbon Regional Schools, then principal of Groveton High School. He became assistant superintendent in the Berlin School District in 1985 and superintendent of schools of the White Mountains Regional School District. He was superintendent of the Franklin and Hill School Districts. While in Franklin, he was an adjunct professor at Plymouth State University. He retired from the Somersworth and Rollinsford school district as superintendent. He served many years on the N.H. and National Department of Education's Technology committee. He was a member of the executive board of N.H. Association of School Principals, president of the N.H. Association of School Administrators, and president of the New England Association of School Superintendents. He was president of Rotary International in Frankli and later a member of the Somersworth Rotary club. (Bryant Funeral Home)

Richard Nieder Jr., 94, of Newbury, died Oct. 15, 2025. He and wife Nancy moved to New Hampshire in 1980 to buy a horse farm, which they operated with their daughter as Twin Ridge Farm in Warner. He sat on the board of the Community Action Program in Warner. Richard and Nancy also established a mission in the African country of Rwanda to help empower women with the skills needed to support themselves and their families. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. (Holt-Woodbury Funeral Home)

Beverley Call Smith, 89, of Concord and formerly of Deering, died Oct. 19, 2025. She was the charter president of the Wilton Lioness Club and a member of the Deering Ladies Guild and the DAR, Burtin Rumford Webster Chapter. (Michaud Funeral Home & Crematorium)

Billye Murry Waldron, 94, of Strafford, died Oct. 21, 2025. She was town clerk in Strafford for 16 years and a member of the Women’s Club, Community Club, Book Club, the Red Hat Club and the Ladies Circle. She raised money for various missions at the Bow Lake Baptist Church in Strafford. (R.M. Edgerly Funeral Home)

Timothy Wolfe, M.D., 75, of Washington, died Oct. 20, 2025. He was a traveling physician throughout 17 states, and in 1984 he began an internal medicine practice at Newport Hospital. He later transitioned to group practice at Newport Health Center, where he practiced for 30 years. He chaired the Medical Board. He was also director of Sullivan County’s Neurodiverse Agency. (Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home)

Mary Elizabeth (Picknell) Woodman, 82, of Claremont, died Oct. 20, 2025.She was elected Claremont school district secretary, the secretary of the Claremont, Cornish and SAU No. 6 school boards, and was an officer for the Stevens High School Alumni, the Sullivan County Farm Bureau, and Sullivan County 4H. She retired as a secretary at Kimball Union Academy in 2011. (Stringer Funeral Home)

WORDS OF WISDOM: "Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.” - Vicki Harrison, inspirational speaker and author.

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