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Longtime GKMSA Member Ron Starkey Passes After Sudden Illness

 

Ronald H. Starkey

Ronald H. Starkey, 78, a 60-year resident of Keene, passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, July 30, after a sudden illness.

He was born in Westmoreland on Nov. 17, 1939, the son of Lynn and Marion (Harvey) Starkey.

 

Ron was said to be the last baby born at the former Maplewood Hospital in Westmoreland.

He grew up in Westmoreland and was a 1958 graduate of the last class at the Walpole High School.

He was employed by the MPB/Timken Corporation in Keene for many years. He served on the MPB Credit Union Board of Directors and was an active committee member of the MPB Annual Picnic program.

Ron was very involved with the area softball teams and was a player, a coach and a mentor. He was the coach of the Nimrods Softball Team in Keene for several years and he is listed on the Softball Ball of Fame Monument at Wheelock Park. He also enjoyed bowling especially 10-pin bowling.

He was a member of the Keene Senior Citizens Center.advertisement

 

He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Carol A. (Eager) Starkey of Keene; a son, Kevin Starkey and his wife, Pat, of Keene; a brother, William Starkey of Keene; two granddaughters, Emily Watson of League City, Texas, and Elizabeth Watson of Keene, and an honorary grandson, Derek LaFond of Keene; and several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his son Bruce Starkey and his brother Lynn “Junior” Starkey.

Graveside services will be held in the Westmoreland Village Cemetery on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 11 a.m. There are no visiting hours. Following the services, there will be a reception at the Westmoreland Town Hall.

For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Westmoreland Public Library, 33 South Village Road, Westmoreland, NH 03467.

To leave a condolence message or to sign the memorial book, visit www.foleyfuneralhome.com.

Paul Wilcox

Paul dedicated a great amount of his time and effort into making softball what it is today and always maintained a high level of involvement in the GKMSA and ASA. Paul also was a great community man, volunteering at the local community kitchen. Paul will be greatly missed, but forever remembered. In Paul's dedication the Greater Keene Men's Softball Association had this plaque made up in his memory that will forever hang on the Durling scorer's booth.

 

 

Chuck Beauregard

The Greater Keene softball community has lost a great and long-serving member.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Beauregard family.
You are all in our thoughts and prayers.


Please visit the link below to make a donation to help Chuck's family pay for funeral costs.

https://www.gofundme.com/2hbt6hw


 

 

The GKMSA softball community lost Danny Blood II on Tuesday November 1.

He was a member of the G.N.C. team in Division 4.  
Thoughts and prayers go out to Danny, his family, friends and teammates.

In keeping with Danny’s wishes there are no religious services and burial will be private.
Calling hours will be held on Sunday, November 6 from 2 to 5pm in the Cheshire Family Funeral Chapel, 44 Maple Ave. Keene, NH. 03431.

https://www.gofundme.com/d-bloodstaggers-memorial-fund

 

  

Keene man mourned after motorcycle crash

Keene man mourned after motorcycle crash

 

Posted: Friday, November 4, 2016 12:00 pm

As police continue their investigation into a fatal motorcycle crash on Keene’s West Street Tuesday morning, tributes have flooded in from family and friends of the man who died.

On Tuesday morning, Danny Blood 2nd, 29, of Keene was driving a 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle east on West Street when he collided with a 2006 Jeep Liberty driven by Katherine Morelli, 19, of Keene, according to Keene police.

Morelli was traveling west on West Street, making a left turn onto Island Street, police said, and was uninjured in the crash. Blood, who was traveling east on West Street, suffered serious injuries and died after being taken to Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, according to police.

Police haven’t said yet whether either person was at fault, and Detective Joel Chidester said the investigation could take days or weeks.

In the meantime, the effects of the tragedy have rippled through the community.

Dozens of people have pledged donations to a GoFundMe page set up for the family, raising $5,000 in two days. Messages of condolences have accumulated on Facebook from mourners and well-wishers.

Those closest to Blood remember him as a font of energy, whose optimism never seemed to fade, and whose supportiveness extended from family members to members of his tight-knit football team.

He played football throughout his time at Keene High School, at Becker College in Massachusetts and beyond, playing for the Monadnock Marauders semi-professional football team. He started a landscaping business from scratch, growing it into a livelihood and pouring long hours into it throughout the week. He had a close role in raising his niece and nephew, and bought a house, hoping to start his own family someday.

Blood could never seem to stop moving. But in anything he did, friends and family say, he was a force.

To Eva-Marie Blood, his sister, Danny was a grounding force in their childhood. Stubborn, at times bossy, but good-hearted and motivated by love, Danny Blood was always ready to stand up for others, she said.

“No matter how hard he was (in an argument), he’d always end the conversation with ‘I love you,’ “ she said by phone from her home in Boiling Springs, S.C.

Vicci Tarr, a longtime family friend in Keene who thinks of Danny and Eva-Marie like children, said Danny’s intensity extended to all corners of his life.

He kayaked, skied, snowboarded, sky-dived — any activity to attach his energy to. He was a devoted uncle to his nephew Lamont and his niece Jasmine, doting on them and constantly talking up their accomplishments.

“The kid just loved life,” she said.

Raised largely by his mother, Joanne Moore, Danny and his mom had a close bond, Tarr said. He would visit her often, and keep in continual contact. He’d make sure other friends gave the same respect to their own mothers.

Eva-Marie Blood agreed — “A bit of a mama’s boy,” she recalled.

According to Eva-Marie, Moore has been hospitalized at Concord Hospital since Danny’s death, in treatment for heartbreak syndrome, but is expected to be released from the hospital today. The American Heart Association describes the syndrome as a stress-induced physical condition affecting some who experience emotionally stressful events.

Fellow Marauders teammates said Blood forged close bonds with friends as well, bringing an infectious, if brash, spirit both on the football field and off.

“He was very enthusiastic; you could hear his voice over others (on the field),” said Michael Salce, who helped coach him at Keene High.

The energy was a natural motivator for his teammates, according to Salce. And it applied as much to any room he walked into as to the football field, other friends said.

But his personality extended beyond his booming voice. Blood went to lengths to help others, friends said. He inspired several classmates to get through examinations in high school. He would show up to charity basketball games on a whim. He’d lend his support to friends who lost loved ones, and was expert at knowing when someone was feeling down.

And his hard work at making his business, Country Flair Lawn Care, thrive, provided constant inspiration, friends said.

“Danny was the type of friend that anybody wants — he was loyal, selfless, gave the shirt off his back,” said Jared Keller of Stoneham, Mass. “There’s a void in my heart that’s never going to be filled.”

Gordon W. Bemis III Obituary

Gordon W. Bemis 3rd

 

Gordon W. Bemis 3rd

Gordon W. “GB,” “Papa” Bemis 3rd, 62, of Keene passed away Oct. 27, 2016, at Genesis on Court Street, due to complications from diabetes.

He was born in Bambridge, Md., Jan. 16, 1954. He was the son of Gordon W. Bemis Jr. and Joan (Robbins) Bemis.

Gordon grew up in Keene and attended local schools. He was a loving son, father, grandfather and uncle, who was much loved by his family.

Gordy was one of the best baseball players to ever come out of Keene High School. In 1973 he helped lead the team to a Class L state championship. He coached many over the years and helped them learn the basics of baseball. In addition he played softball for the Benny’s Auto Body team in the ‘70s. He continued with his passion of sports, watching his son, grandsons and granddaughter play ball. In addition to baseball he played football and basketball throughout his high school years.

He lived for his grandchildren, who could always put a smile on his face. He could often be seen on his front porch watching the kids playing outside.

He loved camping and participated in an annual Fourth of July trip to Old Orchard Beach each summer with his family. In addition, he loved taking the grandchildren to the Hopkinton Fair each September. The traditions will be continued in his memory by his family.

Gordon is survived by his mother, Joan J. Bemis of Swanzey; his daughter, Mandi Davis and her husband, James Kent, and grandson Aaron Kent of Keene; his son, Matthew A. Bemis and his companion, Joni Rhoades, and granddaughter Avery Bemis of Stoddard; grandsons, Taylor Bemis of Gilsum and Dylan and Nate Evans of Maine; sisters, Sharon and brother-in-law, Wendell Chickering, of West Chesterfield, and Pam and brother-in-law, Dale Russell, of Swanzey; brothers, Randy Bemis of Keene and Gregg and sister-in-law, Kellie Bemis, of Keene; nephews, Richard Russell and his daughter, Kaylynn McKeon of Keene, Chris Russell and his companion, Allison, of Brattleboro; nieces, Heather Chickering and companion, Mike Graham, and their daughter, Cylee-Rae, of Springfield, Vt., Sarah Latolais and her husband, Nate, and boys, Colton and Cody, Hilary Martel and her husband, Adam, and children, Cayden and Carleigh of Chesterfield, and Rachel Bemis and her two children, Conner and Chloe, of Keene.

His father, Gordon W. Bemis Jr., passed in June of 2008.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6, from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Elks Club on Roxbury Street in Keene.

Burial will be private at a later date.

 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the American Diabetes Association, 2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 999, Arlington, Va. 22992.