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Alice B. Demers
PORTSMOUTH - Alice B. (Freeman) Rines Demers, 92, of 928 South St., widow of Leo Demers, died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999 at the Edgewood Centre in Portsmouth.
Born Dec. 17, 1906, in Eliot, Maine, she was the daughter of Allan and Bessie L. (Smart) Freeman
Mrs. Demers and her husband, who died on April 1, 1993, were married on July 2, 1992 after they had met as residents of the Edgewood Centre in Portsmouth. At the time of their marriage, Alice was 86 and Leo was 81.
Before her retirement, Mrs. Demers had been employed at the Rockingham Hotel.
She was predeceased by her first husband, retired Lt. Sewell L. Rines, U.S. Navy, who died April 5, 1966.
She is survived by two nieces, Paula Knight of Bushnell, Fla. and Robin Marlowe of Orangeburg, S.C.
Ruth R. Varney
ELIOT - Funeral services for Ruth R. Varney, 99, of 26 Varney Lane, widow of Judge George D. Varney Sr., were held Monday at the Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home, 91 Long Sands Road, York, Maine.
The Rev. David Avery, pastor of the First Congregational Church of Eliot, officiated.
In attendance were members of the church; the Kittery Fire Chief, with a contingent of members from the Kittery and Kittery Point Fire Departments; members of the Town of Eliot Republican Committee; representatives from the Berwick Academy Alumni Association; and Town of Eliot Police Chief, Al Boston.
Interment was in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Eliot, with committal prayers by the Rev. Avery. Honorary pallbearers were Kathlyn Miller, Joyce Oschlager, Laura Stark, Laurie White and Karen Valencia.
Rita O'Hurley
PORTSMOUTH - Rita (Laroche) O'Hurley, 82, died Nov. 3, 1999.
Born July 20, 1917, in Hartford, Conn., she was the daughter of Arthur and Almadrina Laroche. She had 10 siblings. Mrs. O'Hurley attended St. Anne's School, Buckley High School and Comptomery School. She was employed by Underwood, Pratt & Whitney; Phoenix Mutual Insurance; Northeast Compensation Rating Bureau; and the Comptroller's Office, State of Connecticut.
As a member of Le Cercle des Dames Francaises, she met her husband, Arthur O'Hurley. She was president of the state and local Women's Auxiliary of the Catholic War Veterans, a member of the DAV and VFW auxiliaries.
Mrs. O'Hurley is survived by her son, Kevin A. O'Hurley of Weare, N.H.; two daughters, Genevieve Hartwick of Bedford, N.H. and Siobhan O'Hurley of Redding, Calif.; three sisters, Claire Lyman, Eveline Hodges and Sister Agnes Therese, DHS; four grandchildren, Meghan and Michael Hartwick and Shauna and Colleen O'Hurley; and many loving nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband.
Annie G. Trefethen
NEWINGTON - Annie G. (Paul) Trefethen, 84, of 116 Little Bay Road, widow of Emerson H. Trefethen, died Thursday, Nov. 4, 1999 at her home.
Born Sept. 29, 1915, in Eliot, Maine, she was the daughter of the late Harry and Florence (Howes) Paul.
Along with her husband, Mrs. Trefethen founded Futuramik in Hartford, Conn. and resided in the area for over 40 years while running the business.
She was a member of the Newington Congregational Church in Newington.
Survivors include a son, Daniel P. Trefethen of Newington; four grandchildren, Scott D. Trefethen of Portland, Ore., Tracy L. Trefethen of Phoenix, Ariz., Christine E. McKeel of Aiken, S.C. and Kimberly Ann Trefethen of Aibonito, Puerto, Rico; five great-grandchildren; a sister, Iva Paul of Portsmouth, N.H.; nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was predeceased by two brothers, Charles S. Paul and Francis D. Paul.
Margaret D. Ballay
LEECHBURG, Penn. - Margaret Davidek Ballay, 84, died Oct. 22, 1999.
Mrs. Ballay was a staff writer for the Valley News Dispatch, Tarentum, Penn. and also a registered nurse for Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Penn. and for the Allegheny Valley Hospital, Tarentum.
She enjoyed flower gardening, reading, sewing and traveling, especially travels to Martha's Vineyard, Mass., with companion Eileen Foley of Portsmouth, N.H.
Survivors include a daughter, Diane Ballay-Foley, wife of Jay Foley of Portsmouth; and a step-grandson, John Foley III.
Donations in memory of Margaret D. Ballay may be made to the Wound Care Center, Columbia Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Portsmouth, N.H. or to the American Diabetes Association.
Jean E. Philbrick
HAMPTON - The funeral for Jean E. Philbrick, 70, of 3205 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, was held Friday from the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home. Services were conducted at the First Congregational Church. The Rev. Deborah Knowlton, pastor, officiated. Jean Goss was organist and Karen Cameron was soloist. Mrs. Philbrick's grandchildren, Kristin Carpenter and Steven Minutelli, offered words of remembrance. Burial followed in the High Street Cemetery with the committal service conducted by the Rev. Knowlton. Pallbearers were Jay O'Neill, Chris Cheney, Norm Reinhuld, Tom Biron, John Simmons and Eric Minutelli.
Eleanor Mitchell
LEESBURG, Va. - Eleanor Mary Doane Mitchell, 94, died Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999 at Loudon Long Term Care.
Born April 2, 1905, in Haverhill, Mass., she was the daughter of Kendric and Jeanette Pike. She was a graduate of Boston Children's Hospital and had a nursing career of almost 50 years. She attended Hamilton Baptist Church in Hamilton, Va.
Ms. Mitchell is survived by one daughter, Jeanette and her husband, Joseph Zellner of Leesburg; a sister, Mrs. Cora Munsey of Canaan and Hampton, N.H.; and two grandsons, Kendric and Lawrence Zellner.
Joyce M. Morrissey
HAMPTON - Joyce M. (Murphy) Morrissey, 60, formerly of Manchester and Chelmsford, Mass., died Friday, Nov. 5, 1999, at her home after a battle with ovarian cancer.
Born Dec. 23, 1938, in Lowell, Mass., she was the daughter of Gertrude L. (White) Murphy of Exeter and the late John Murphy.
She held a managerial position for many years with Sears & Roebuck Inc. of Manchester. More recently, she worked with her husband in the family business, American Food Products of Methuen, Mass.
She was the wife of John J. Morrissey.
In addition to her husband and mother, survivors include a daughter, Patricia (Morrissey) Chase Reed of Manchester; a sister and brother-in-law, Louise A. and John Dutney of Princeton, N.J.; a niece, Kristen Dutney of Princeton, N.J.; three brothers-in-law and their wives, Kenneth and Guia Morrissey of Contoocook, N.H., Richard and Kathleen Morrissey of Cumberland, R.I., and Michael Morrissey of Groton, Mass.
She was predeceased by a son, John Jay Morrissey, who died in 1998.
Private services will be held at the convenience of family. Memorial donations in support of ovarian cancer research may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 1309 Beacon St., Brookline, MA 02446.
Ida Selleck
EXETER - Ida (Vennell) Selleck, 89, of 16 Oak St., died Saturday, Nov. 6, 1999, at the Rockingham Home in Brentwood after a lengthy period of illness.
Born Nov. 20, 1910, in Lubec, Maine, she was the daughter of Merritt and Alice (Mitchell) Vennell. She graduated from Machias High School and the University of Maine in Machias. She was a grade school teacher in many Washington County (Maine) schools.
In 1948, she moved to the Seacoast area. She and her late husband lived on Pine Street in Exeter for many years.
From 1953-1976, she was employed as a switchboard operator at Exeter Hospital.
She was an active member in Christ Church, including its Crafters Group and annual rummage sale.
She was a longtime member and past noble grand of the former Fraternity Rebecka Lodge of Exeter.
She was the wife of the late Jerome Selleck, who died in 1962.
Survivors include two daughters, Alice J. Selleck, with whom she resided in Exeter, and Elizabeth Collins of Standish, Maine; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and two nieces and a nephew.
Elvie V. Johnson
HAMPTON - Elvie V. Johnson, 91, of 7 Dearborn Ave., died Saturday, Nov. 6, 1999, at Seacoast Health Center.
Born Aug. 18, 1908, in Somerville, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Bernard and Sarah (Freeman) Hardy. A graduate of Somerville High School, she had resided in North Hampton for many years. She moved to Dearborn House in 1981.
For 20 years, she worked at the North Hampton Public Library. Prior to that, she and her husband owned and operated the Getty gas station in North Hampton.
She was a member of the United Church of Christ, North Hampton; the North Hampton Women's Club; the Seacoast Senior Citizens Club; and a supporter of the Lane Public Library, Hampton. She was past president of the Dearborn House Association.
She was past president of the Dearborn House Association.
She was the wife of the late Harold F. Johnson, who died in 1985.
Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Barbara J. Bowen of Hampton; a grandson, William "Smokey" Bowen and his wife, Alice, of Hampton; two granddaughters, Mrs. Michael "Cheryl" Oiler of North Hampton and Mrs. George "Sandy" Johnson of Hampton; two great-granddaughters, Erika and Jessica Oiler, both of North Hampton; and a great-grandson, Brad Johnson of Hampton.
George Higgins
MILTON, Mass. (AP) - George V. Higgins, the prosecutor-turned-novelist who put Boston organized crime figures in both prison and fiction, including his best seller "The Friends of Eddie Coyle," has died at the age of 59.
Higgins was found Saturday at his home, and apparently died of natural causes, police Sgt. Jack Richman said Sunday.
Higgins published about 25 books. And "Eddie Coyle," which was published in 1972, was made into a movie directed by Peter Yates and starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle.
His fictional characters were inspired by the underworld figures he rubbed elbows with while prosecuting organized crime cases, and he was praised for using authentic Boston speech and settings in "Eddie Coyle," which told the story of a small-time mobster.
Higgins started out in journalism, working as a reporter for the Providence Journal and for The Associated Press in western Massachusetts, before attending law school.
He took a job as a legal assistant at the Massachusetts attorney general's office in 1967 and quickly worked his way up to assistant attorney general. He became an assistant U.S. attorney in 1970.
Irene Jewell
DES MOINES, Wash. - Irene (Spead) Jewell, 82, died Monday, Nov. 1, 1999 in Burien, Wash.
Born June 2, 1917, in Exeter, she was a graduate of Robinson Female Seminary Class of 1935.
She and her husband, Paschal H. Jewell, owned homes in Rockport and Pepperell, Mass., before moving to Washington, where they eventually built a home on Eliza Island in Puget Sound.
Irene had worked as a distributor of Stanley Products in New England and as a mutual funds saleswoman for Waddell & Reed in the Washington Area.
The Jewells traveled across the country.
She is survived by a son, James Jewell of Stanwood, Wash.; two daughters, Jacqueline Francis of Portsmouth, R.I. and Judith Heller of Des Moines, Wash.; one sister, Marguerite Anderson of Newfields; a half-brother, Jon Spead of Walnut, Calif.; eight grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
Debra J. Palmer
PORTSMOUTH - Debra J. Palmer, 45, of 88 Blue Heron Drive, died unexpectedly Saturday, Nov. 6, 1999.
Born March 4, 1954, in Dorchester, Mass., she was the daughter of Henry J. and Mary (Coughlin) Kirby. She lived in Portsmouth for the last 23 years, coming from Shirley, Mass.
She worked as a cashier at Hanscom's Truck Stop. She enjoyed playing bingo, cross-stitching and making doll houses.
She was the wife of Vernon Palmer Sr.
In addition to her husband, survivors include a son, Vernon Palmer Jr. of Barrington; two daughters, Lisa Campie of Billerica, Mass. and Crystal Palmer of Portsmouth; one brother, James Kirby of Rhode Island; three sisters, Mary Fields of Arizona, Loretta Dickey of Searsport, Maine and Kathy Walsh of Dover; and three grandchildren.
Louise W. Rifkin
PORTSMOUTH - Louise W. Rifkin, 88, of 188 Jones Ave., formerly of Rye, died Friday, Oct. 29, 1999, at Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
Born Dec. 23, 1910, she was the daughter of Gustav and Garnet (Pence) Whitehead.
She first moved to the Seacoast in 1955 with her husband while he was stationed at Pease Air Force Base. She returned to the area after her husband's retirement.
She was an accomplished writer and talented artist. She volunteered with the Guild of Strawbery Banke doing publicity for the Guild for many years.
She was the wife of the late Col. N.J. "Rif" Rifkin of the Air Force (retired).
She is survived by a niece, Pennie (Rifkin) Sherman of Olympia, Wash.; and a grandniece, Sarah Oliver of Poulesbo, Wash.
