Hampton Falls, NH: Joseph F. McPhee, Jr., 90, formerly of Kingston, NH, died peacefully of natural causes on Wednesday, March 4, 2015. Devoted husband of 35 years to Cecile (Bonin) McPhee, who died in 1983, he was known to his friends and business acquaintances as “Joe.”
Born July 31, 1924, to Joseph and Florence McPhee of Bradford, MA, he is predeceased by siblings, Gertrude Bergeron, Dorothy Bouvier, Allen McPhee, and Barbara Lovering. He leaves six children: Michael McPhee of Barrington, NH; Andrew McPhee and his wife, Gay of Doylestown, PA; Maureen Desilets and her husband, Leonard of Rockport, MA; Christine Melanson and her husband, Daniel of Knox, ME; Steve McPhee of Barrington, NH; and Jeff MacPhee of Rochester, NH. He also leaves ten grandchildren, including Kelly Thomas, Amanda Joubert, Sarah Melanson, Heidi Melanson, Molly McPhee, Kaeli McPhee, Joshua Marchetti Nicholas Marchetti, and Amanda Zaborowski; three great-grandchildren; many of his late wife’s family members; and his beloved niece, Louise Bergeron, from Litchfield, NH, who was like a sister to him, especially in his later years, and was a cherished part of Joe’s life.
He served as a radio operator in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and was stationed primarily in Italy, a country he loved. A graduate of Bentley College in Waltham, MA, Joe served as Treasurer of Cargocaire Engineering Corporation in Amesbury, MA, for many years, and later was the president and owner of Amesbury Specialty Company in Newburyport. He was also the C.F.O. of the former CVD Co. in Woburn.
He was a long-time member of the Amesbury Rotary Club, a Board member of Amesbury Bank, and Chair of the Small Business Association of New England (SBANE) from 1969–1970. For his untiring work for SBANE he received a special commendation from President Richard M. Nixon, a document he kept in a frame in his home office for the rest of his life.
His funeral service will be held on Saturday in the Linnehan-Grondin Funeral Home, 129 Kenoza Ave., Haverhill at 11 a.m. Visiting hours will be held prior to the service from 9 – 11 a.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Interment will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Haverhill. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Joe’s memory to New Hampshire Hospice and Palliative Care Organization at www.nhhpco.org.