Notable NH Deaths: Former Manchester Fire District Chief Brassard; Salem Restaurant Co-Owner

by Staff Report, InDepthNH.org

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.

Hisham Nasrat Ashkouri, Ph.D., of Newton, died Dec. 23, 2025. A native of Iraq, he studied architecture in the United States and earned a Ph.D. in ergonomics from Tufts University. He was awarded contracts to design an oil compound in Iraq, Baghdad City Hall, and the Ministry of Justice. An award to design the Baghdad Opera House was rescinded when the government in Iraq realized he was in the U.S. Other notable design awards were for the UAE Public Library and Cultural Center, Killington, Vt., Skiing Village Complex Design Competition, Kansai-Khan Library in Tokyo, and the Playground for All Children in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, N.Y. (Rochette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Paul Andre Brassard, 91, of Manchester, died Dec. 27, 2025. He was a veteran of both the U.S. Naval Reserve and the N.H. Army National Guard. He was appointed to the Manchester Fire Department in 1958 and advanced through the ranks to lieutenant in 1967, captain in 1979, and district chief in 1984. He retired in 1991. He was elected to the N.H. House of Representatives from 2002 to 2006 and served as a court officer at Hillsborough Superior Court from 1991 to 2004. (J.N. Boufford & Sons Funeral Home)

James M. House, 82, of Woodsville, died Dec. 28, 2025. He graduated from the Cincinnati School of Mortuary Science and worked for Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls, Vt., for three years before moving to Woodsville in 1970 to begin a long career at the Ricker Funeral Home. (Ricker Funeral Home & Cremation Care)

Tabitha S. (LaPointe) Jordan, 46, of Salem, died Dec. 26, 2025. A native of Korea, she and her husband Joshua were former owners of the Mill Pond Tavern in Salem. (Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home)

Edward Maloof, 85, of Boscawen, died Dec. 25, 2025. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he was a flight instructor at the Hampton Airfield and later flew for Precision Airlines and Northwest Airlink in Manchester. He worked for the Federal Aviation Administration in Connecticut before transferring to the FAA office in Concord. In 1989, he was hired by the N.H. State Police as a pilot in the aviation unit, serving the state and the governor until 2000. He was senior flight instructor at Concord Aviation Services at Concord Airport for more than 20 years. He was a former Boscawen selectman and member of the United Flying Octogenarians. (Bennett Funeral Home)

Scott Berton McLain, 90, of Londonderry, died Dec. 29, 2025. He was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and was a teacher at Nashua High School. He also owned and operated Hudson Driving School for many years. He also worked in research and development at the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. (Dumont-Sullivan Funeral Home)

Joyce Eleanor (Olsen) Papps, 87, of Laconia, died Dec. 24, 2025. She was Gilford town clerk and tax collector for more than 30 years. (Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services)

Andrew Dominic Scala, 74, of Hooksett, died Dec. 22, 2025. He was a physician’s assistant who worked at the University of Chicago Medical Center’s Burn Unit from 1976 to 1978, then moved to New Hampshire and worked at Concord Hospital’s Emergency Department. He joined Concord Orthopaedics in 1988 and specialized in spine care and surgery for more than 20 years. He was past president of the New Hampshire Society of Physician Associates and was the PA advisor to the N.H. Board of Registration in Medicine. (Bennett Funeral Home)

Tony D. Trubiano, 75, of Bedford, died Dec. 27, 2025. He was director of the Boys and Girls Club of Pinardville and later worked in sales within the lumber industry until his retirement. He volunteered for 10 years as a driver for Meals on Wheels and devoted countless hours to coaching youth soccer, basketball and baseball. (Connor-Healy Funeral Home and Cremation Center)

Peter S. Vitello Jr., 67, of Jaffrey, died Dec. 27, 2025. He earned a Ph.D. in pastoral ministry and a doctorate of theology. He began his ministry as a youth pastor at Calvary Assembly of God in Jaffrey and later served as associate pastor and interim senior pastor at Jaffrey Bible Church. He was senior pastor of Good News Bible Church in Wilton for 25 years. (Legacy.com)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Let us endeavor to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” (Attributed to Mark Twain, Nov. 30, 1835, to April 21, 1910)

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