John David Despres, 70, of Londonderry, NH passed away Friday, April 8, 2016 at his residence after a period of declining health. John was born November 4, 1945 in Nashua and was a son of the late Raymond E. and Yvette R. (Jean) Despres. He was a lifelong resident of the Nashua/Londonderry area.
Mr. Despres served during the Vietnam War in the United States Navy. He was a leather craftsman by trade and was the owner of Mohawk Leather, which sold the fine leather moccasins and other Native American goods he created. He also worked as a butcher with Mr. Steer of Salem and Londonderry. At the time of his retirement, he was employed as a school bus driver in Londonderry. John was very proud of his Native American roots and was of Mohawk and Blackfoot descent. He enjoyed fishing and boating, building models and collecting die cast cars. John built his own log home and spent last summer at a seasonal campground on Lake Wentworth in Wolfeboro. He was a longtime communicant of St. Jude Parish of Londonderry and had been a 3rd degree member of the Knights of Columbus at St. Jude.
Members of his family include his loving wife of 19 years, Renée (Marcoulier) (Gibbs) Despres of Londonderry, his daughter and her husband, Kathy and Richard Castle of Haverhill, MA, and their children, Olivia and Addilyn, Jeff and Lea Despres of Meredith, NH and their sons, Charlie and Calvin, a stepdaughter and her husband, Alyshia and Rick Manda of Millis, MA, four brothers, Daniel Despres of TX, Edward Despres of NH, Dennis Despres of CO and Michael Despres of NH. He will also be greatly missed by his cat, Miss T.J. Willie. He was predeceased by three brothers, Thomas, Ronald and Raymond Despres.
There are no calling hours. At Mr. Despres’ request, his body was donated for research to the Harvard Medical School, in Boston, MA. A Memorial Mass will be held in his honor at St. Jude Parish, 435 Mammoth Rd., Londonderry. Monday April 18, 2016 at 12 pm, with a luncheon to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, NH Affiliate, 249 Canal St., Manchester, NH 03101. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium of Derry are assisting the family. To send a condolence, please visit, www.peabodyfuneralhome.com.