Notable New Hampshire Deaths: Former Seabrook Fire Chief

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.

Cynthia Ann (Martin) Bickford, 90, of Hudson, died Jan. 5, 2026. She taught fourth and sixth grades in the Hudson and Amherst school systems and later served as a private tutor and substitute teacher. She also taught at Nashua High School and Mount Pleasant School. She was a member of the King’s Daughters’ Benevolent Society for more than 65 years, serving two terms as president. She was involved with the restoration of the little brick schoolhouse in Nashua. (Davis Funeral Home)

Walter R. “Rudy” Carlson Jr., 91, of Sandwich, died Jan. 5, 2026. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he operated a timber-management company in Wolfeboro and was a Maine guide, leading trips for Camp Kehonka. He and his wife developed an outdoor studies program in Washington, D.C., leading to the creation of Five Days of Sandwich, a day camp for children in Sandwich. The couple founded the Sandwich Community School. He served for many years on the Sandwich Fire Department and the Sandwich Planning Board. (Lord Funeral Home)

Nancy Cristiano, 69, of Thornton, died Jan. 5, 2026. She was a teacher and librarian for more than 20 years in the Linwood Public Schools in Lincoln, later serving for 13 years as a reference librarian overseeing the Family Resource Connection at the New Hampshire State Library. She was recipient of the NAMI award recognizing her contributions to improving the lives of people affected by mental illness and suicide. (Rochette Funeral Home and Cremation Services)

Dr. Thomas Nathan Decker, 77, of Dover, died Jan. 2, 2026. He practiced internal medicine in New Hampshire for almost 50 years and joined Strafford Medical Associates in 1978 to begin his practice of internal medicine at Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover. He also was medical director at St. Anne’s Nursing Home in Dover. (J. Verne Wood Funeral Home – Buckminster Chapel)

Grace Carol (Otten) Jager, 89, of Washington, died Dec. 31, 2025. She was an editor for Indiana University Press and the Harvard Library Bulletin. When her husband joined the faculty at Yale University, she worked for Yale University Press and then as a history teacher at Day Prospect Hill School. She taught elementary school in Hopkinton and fourth grade in Hillsborough from 1982 until she retired in 2001. She was a member of the Washington Board of Assessors and a founding member and chairperson of the Archives Committee. She was also as chairperson of the Washington Monadnock Music Concerts for 30 years and also choir director and organist at the Washington Congregational Church. She and her husband co-authored four books on Historical Pillsbury, Portrait of a Hill Town, New Hampshire: An Illustrated History of the Granite State, and A Cloud Witnesses. (Legacy.com)

Richard A. Morin, 76, of Dunbarton, died Jan. 4, 2026. For more than 30 years he was a photographer for the New Hampshire Union Leader and retired in 2008. (Legacy.com)

John A. Nucci Jr., 83, of Chester, died Jan. 3, 2026. He was an executive in the moving and storage industry and lived with his family in many parts of the country. He was chairman of the Pastoral Council at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Derry and chairman of the board of selectmen in Chester. He also volunteered for nine years with the N.H. Association for the Blind. (Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium)

Lynda Jean Stewart, 72, of Nashua, died Jan. 6, 2026. She was a case manager and advocated for those in need, most recently at Riverbend Community Mental Health. She was an active member of the New Hampshire Democratic National Committee and was a member of the Litchfield School Board. (Davis Funeral Home)

Everett C. Strangman, 82, of Seabrook, died Jan. 1, 2026. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he began his career at Harvard University on staff for 15 years while serving as an on-call firefighter for the town of Seabrook. He served the Seabrook Fire Department for 30 years, as deputy chief for 10 years and chief for two years before retiring in 2014. He was a member of the Raymond E. Walton American Legion Post 70 and a past president of Seabrook Little League. (Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory)

WORDS OF WISDOM: "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." — Plato, ancient Greek philosopher, around 428 BC to 348 BC

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