GILFORD---Roger Owen Gagne, 90, of Gilford, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully after a period of declining health on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. His four sons were with him in his final days as he prepared for his journey home to our Lord.
Roger was born in Laconia, New Hampshire on November 8, 1931, to Napoleon and Marguerite (Richard) Gagne. A life-long resident of Laconia and Gilford, he attended Sacred Heart Parochial Grammar School and Laconia High School, graduating in 1950. Upon graduation, Roger enlisted in the US Air Force and served in cryptographic intelligence at George Air Force Base, California and at Sembach Air Base, Germany from 1950-1954. He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and was also a member of the golf team while in the military.
After completing his military service, Roger enrolled as a student at Oklahoma A&M College in Stillwater, Oklahoma where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Architecture. While home on Christmas break one year prior to his graduation, he met the love of his life, Theresa Decelles. Roger was introduced to Theresa through his sister, Gloria. After graduating, Roger returned to New Hampshire where he and Theresa married in 1959 and raised their four sons. They had sixty wonderful years together before Theresa’s passing in 2019.
Roger was associated with and worked for International Packing Corporation (later merging with Freudenberg-NOK in the 1980s) most of his working life; forty-two years in total which was one of the longest careers of any IPC/Freudenberg-NOK employee. Beginning 1950, he worked as a draftsman at IPC’s Bristol, New Hampshire location. He also spent his summer breaks working as a tool designer in Bristol while studying at Oklahoma A&M. Throughout his career at IPC and Freudenberg-NOK he was responsible for heightening technology and in this capacity held many positions over his years with the company. Roger was appointed Vice President of Engineering for IPC in 1986, and also served as acting Director of Technology at Freudenberg-NOK in Manchester, New Hampshire prior to his retirement in 1992. He had a very creative mind, a passion for designing and an unwavering commitment to expanding the company’s product development and automation capabilities over the years as demonstrated by a number of patents Roger received for high pressure seal applications. Roger also helped build international relationships during IPC’s merger with Freudenberg-NOK. He greatly enjoyed working with his German, Japanese, and Korean counterparts and traveling to these countries to further strengthen collaborative efforts within this international company.
Roger was a generous man, selfless with his time and talent. He had a very strong sense of community. In the 1970s Roger was appointed to the New Hampshire Advisory Council for Vocational Technical Education, serving as Chairman of the Council’s Evaluation Sub-Committee and later Chairman of the NH Advisory Council for Vocational Education until his retirement from the Council in 1978. Roger also served on the Selective Service Commission for New Hampshire and was a corporator for the Lakes Region General Hospital.
Roger’s passion was his art. An accomplished watercolor and pen and ink artist, his love of painting and drawing grew from a serious hobby during his working years into a second career after his retirement. His works are many and in various homes and locations throughout the US and overseas. On the serious side, his love of architecture blended into his artistic talent as one can see in his landscapes and in his more recent works capturing the world of the Canterbury Shakers. His art exhibitions at Canterbury Shaker Village highlighted the beautiful simplicity of the Shakers and also provided a glimpse into the past as his second exhibition revealed in his beautiful reconstruction of the North Family Village. He also had a lighter side to his art, a special talent for the caricature, creating many of these portraits on special occasions for colleagues, friends and family members. These comical portraitures were enjoyed by all who received them.
Throughout much of his life, Roger was a supporter and active member of the Laconia Art Association. Over the years he was recognized for his artistic abilities through the many awards he received in both the amateur and professional categories during the annual LLA Art Exhibitions.
Roger continued to work on projects into 2022 before declining health pulled him away from his work. One project that he was in the midst of completing was a series of paintings in honor of the Laconia Country Club’s Centennial Celebration. Roger was an avid golfer and one of the most senior members of the Laconia Country Club. He loved the game and spending time with his many friends at the Club since becoming a member in the 1950s. In 2017 he was the recipient of the LLC Distinguished Service Award for his time and talent supporting the preservation and advancement of the LLC and the game of golf.
An enthusiastic skier, Roger enjoyed time out on the slopes of Gunstock with his friends and most especially with his sons. He always kept up with his boys while schussing down the trails, something that continued well into his seventies.
Roger is survived by his four sons, Marc O. Gagne of Goffstown; Jean-Pierre Gagne of Hinesburg, Vermont; Martin P. and his wife Vandi Gagne of Farmington; and Eric R. Gagne and his fiancée Bobbi-Jo Hodge of Gilford. He is also survived by three grandsons, Emmanuel “Manny” Gagne, Connor Gagne, and Boden Gagne. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his brother-in-law Norman Krukonis of Hampton, two sisters-in-law Anna (Decelles) Hancock and Theresa (Pelletier) LaRoche both of Laconia, four nephews and four nieces. Roger’s cousins, Julian Richards Jr. of Laconia and his dear “just like a sister” Estelle (Huppe) Talon of Rochester, also held a special place in his heart. Roger was predeceased by his beloved wife Theresa, his parents, and his sisters, Lorraine Casey and Gloria Krukonis.
Roger’s sons would also like to extend their gratitude to Granite VNA Hospice House, Concord Hospital, Catholic Medical Center and Courville at Manchester for the compassionate care they provided for their father this year. The family extends a special thank you to Chung Ae Donahue, Dr. Samuel Aldridge, Dr. S. Alicia Hilburn and Dr. James Flynn. The gentlemen of the Thursday morning breakfast club at the Water Street Café in Laconia deserve a heartfelt recognition and thanks. These men were dear friends of Roger, a band of brothers with a great love for one another and a camaraderie not often found in the tech-savvy world of today.
Calling Hours will be held on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, from 5:00pm-7:00pm, in the Carriage House at Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH, 03246.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at 11:30am, at St. Andre Bessette Parish at Sacred Heart Church, 291 Union Avenue, Laconia, NH.
Burial will be held on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at 11:00am, at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH.
In Roger’s memory, the family welcomes donations to the Granite VNA Hospice House, https://www.granitevna.org/donate, and the Knights of Columbus, https://www.kofc.org.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services and 603Cremations.com, Laconia, NH, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit www.wilkinsonbeane.com.