Notable New Hampshire Deaths: Rob DeCesare Jr. Died Protecting His Family During Shooting

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.

Albert John Akerstrom III, 81, of Belmont, died Sept. 16, 2025. He was a member of the Belmont Fire Department Call Company in 1963 and then served in the U.S. Army from 1964-1967. He started full time with the Laconia Fire Department and rose through the ranks to captain. He was the forest fire warden in Belmont and a member of the Forest and Lands Grant Committee. In March of 1984, he was named Belmont Fire Chief. He spearheaded a drive to build the town’s current fire station soliciting donations and volunteer labor to get the $1.2-million project completed for under $200,000 and without any taxpayer money. He retired as chief in 2004 and remained a member of the Belmont Call Company until 2013. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home)

Rene G. Cardinal, 78, of Rochester, died Sept. 22, 2025. He was owner of The Cardinals Ranchhouse then later Cardinal’s Seafarer and Remember When Lounge, with his brother Wayne, wife Luanne and sister-in-law Pal. He brought famous performers to Rochester, including Chubby Checker, The Tokens, Ronnie Dove, The Platters and Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons. After the Seafarer was lost to a fire, he and his wife started the Remember When Diner. He later operated a BBQ catering truck and deli. He was a member of the Rochester Elks Lodge and a past president of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce and a Rotarian. (Peaslee Funeral Home)

Robert S. DeCesare Jr., 59, of Nashua, was killed by a shooter Sept. 20, 2025, as he ate dinner at Skymeadow Country Club in Nashua with his wife and daughter. A former club worker has been charged in his death and the wounding of another patron and a staff member. Rob died as he lived his life, protecting his family, as reported by friends and family. He operated a multi-million-dollar HVAC business and founded ProTrade Staffing, LLC, a mechanical trades staffing agency. According to his Linked-In profile, he worked in various restaurant roles and owned a successful beach bar in St. Croix from 2005 to 2008. A celebration of his life is Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, at noon at the Centerpoint Community Church, 101 School St., Salem. (Carrier Family Funeral Home)

George Ignatius Gauthier Jr., 78, of Dover, died Sept. 22, 2025. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and general manager of the Old Cove Steak House and chef at the Inn Crowd in Ogunquit, Maine. He and his wife Mary Jo opened Jacob’s Deli in Dover in 1981. He was active in the Lions Club, serving as president for a term. He was a real estate broker and owned apartment buildings in Dover and Rollinsford. He was chairman of the Dover Industrial Development Authority. (Purdy Funeral Home)

Robert J. Kent, 85, of Danville, died Sept. 21, 2025. He was a captain in the U.S. Air Force, where he served for more than 30 years. He was chief engineer at the Air Force’s Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, lead engineer for the NORAD Combat Operations Center at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, and was instrumental in developing the National Civil Defense Warning System. He established the first-ever Command and Control Network Innovation Laboratory, a state-of-the-art facility designed to prototype, test, and enhance secure military communication systems. He was advisor to the president of the MITRE Corporation and a senior fellow to the provost at Carnegie Mellon University. He founded SOSSEC, Inc., where he was chairman of the board. He was a chairman of the Danville board of selectmen. (Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home)

Kenneth Gerald Lerner, 86, of Manchester, died Sept. 21, 2025. He had a distinguished career in hematopathology in Seattle, Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, then did a second residency in psychiatry at the age of 58 and moved to Hanover with his family. He was a psychiatrist, first helping children and families, and ending his career working with veterans at the VA Hospital of New Hampshire. He played the piano, saxophone, flute, clarinet and the penny whistle. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)

William D. Littlefield, 71, of Portsmouth, died Sept. 22, 2025. His passion for history brought him to UNH where he was library service supervisor at the UNH Library for more than 30 years. He semi-retired in 2005. He was historian for the USS Albacore, a tourist attraction in Portsmouth, and gave tours of the Langdon House, Jackson House and Wentworth–Coolidge Mansion operated by Historic New England in Portsmouth. (Brewitt Funeral Home)

Shirley M. Mahoney, 82, of Rindge, died Sept. 20, 2025. She and her husband, Don, managed the former Cathedral House Bed and Breakfast on the grounds of the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge from 1994 until 2004. She was president of the Jaffrey Women's Auxiliary and state officer for the American Legion. (Cournoyer Funeral Home & Cremation Center)

Denis J. Maltais, 72, of Manchester, died Sept. 20, 2025. He was a performer, songwriter, producer, and founding member of several bands that performed around the area, including the Javis Miles Band, The Valiant Trio, The Convertibles, and most recently Blacklite. He founded Shooting Star Recording Studio in Manchester, later known as Madman Digital Recording Studio. He worked for Jutras Signs in Manchester, Barlo Signs of Hudson, and Tri-State Signs in Derry. He started his own business, Classic Signs of NH, in 2018. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)

George Michael Otterson, 81, of Concord, died Sept. 17, 2025. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and a longtime resident of Washington, where he served as a selectman, assessor, town moderator, volunteer firefighter, and ambulance driver. (Legacy.com)

Michael Summersett, 73, of Northfield, died Sept. 16, 2025. He was public works director for the town of Northfield and was Tilton-Northfield's first full-time firefighter, serving 32 years as a mechanic, safety officer, and captain of Engine 1. He was chairman of the Tilton-Northfield Old Home Day committee and a longtime member of the Sons of the American Legion Post 49. (Smart Memorial Home)

Eric F. Tenney, 81, of Antrim, died Sept. 19, 2025. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and was an officer on the USS Shangri-La aircraft carrier from 1966 until 1969 during the Vietnam War. He was a lifelong dairy farmer and converted his family's dairy farm into fruit and vegetable production. The New Tenney Farm still operates 55 years later under his family’s leadership. He served three terms as selectman, 15 years as sewer and water commissioner, and was an employee after serving as commissioner. He also served on the selectmen's advisory board to the ConVal School District, was town treasurer, USDA Farm Bureau Representative for Hillsborough County, and head of the town’s budget committee. He volunteered in the Antrim and Bennington Lions Club, and Antrim Historical Society. (Jellison Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

WORDS OF WISDOM: "The real work of this holiday is on yourself. You really need to look deep inside. What did you do last year? What is life? What does it mean to me? What can I do to make it better? What do I want next year to turn out to be? Spirituality is inside you. Only you can do the hard work of sitting still and listening to yourself." - Rabbi Randall Konigsburg, retired senior Rabbi at Beth Sholom B’nai Israel, Manchester, Conn., commenting on Yom Kippur, the Jewish high holiday which begins Oct. 1, 2025, at sunset. (See his website at https://rabbikonigsburg.com)

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