The Rockingham News Obituaries, Rockingham, New Hampshire, from Friday, April 4, 2003 Copyright retained by the newspaper. Permission recieved to include in the USGenWeb Archives. Robert E. Prescott Jr. EXETER - Robert E. Prescott Jr., 87, of 50 Hampton Road, passed away Thursday, March 20, 2003, at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. He was born Feb. 14, 1916, in Quincy, Mass., the son of the late Robert E. and Clara L. (Webber) Prescott Sr. Mr. Prescott was a graduate of Quincy High School and attended Lowell Institute. He moved to Exeter in 1953, where he started the R.E. Prescott Company, retiring in 1980. He was a member of the Hampton Falls Baptist Church. Mr. Prescott is survived by his wife of 50 years, Rose A. (Jutras) Prescott of Exeter; three sons, Robert E. Prescott III of Philadelphia, Perrin T. Prescott and his wife Phyllis of Exeter, and Russell E. Prescott and his wife Susan of Kingston; two daughters, Judy R. Ierna of Seminole, Fla., and Beverly A. Prescott of Redington Beach, Fla.; one sister, A. Roberta H. Krause of Hingham, Mass.; 12 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by an infant son, Ross Prescott, and his sister, Clara Lou Buontempo. Services were held at the Hampton Falls Baptist Church, and private burial was in the Exeter Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hampton Falls First Baptist Church, 3 Lincoln Ave., Hampton Falls, NH 03844. Arrangements were by the Stockbridge Funeral Home, Exeter. Edward Tracey Heckman EXETER - Edward Tracey Heckman, 94, died March 30, 2003 at Exeter Hospital. He was born April 26, 1908, in East Aurora, N.Y., the son of the late James Conrad Heckman and Ida Elinor (Johnson) Heckman. He resided in Newtonville, Mass., for 46 years before becoming a resident of Langdon Place, Exeter. Mr. Heckman was a graduate of Lafayette College, Class of 1930, and Harvard Business School. He worked for the Boston Woven Hose Co., the Raytheon Co. Power Tube Division, Waltham, Mass., and Fotobeam of Waltham. He was a longtime member of Newtonville Methodist Church and served on the Norumbega Council of the Boy Scouts of America for many years, and helped found Troop 49. He was a lifetime member of the Isaac Parker Masonic Lodge of Waltham, Mass. He enjoyed ham radio, reading, music, and photography. The widower of Dorothy Lena (Johnson) Heckman, his wife of 56 years, who died in 1995, he is survived by his son Robert Tracey Heckman of Kingston; four grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. A private memorial service will be held at the Brewitt Funeral Home, Exeter, at the convenience of the family. Interment will be in Beechwood Cemetery, New Rochelle, N.Y. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one’s choice. Lila H. Bonis FREMONT - Lila H. Bonis, 85, of Main Street, died Monday, March 31, 2003, at Exeter Hospital after a brief illness. She was born Feb. 13, 1918, in Dover, the daughter of the late Max W. And Freda M. (Amundsen) Leighton. Mrs. Bonis grew up in Dover where she graduated from the local high school. She attended both McIntosh Business College and the New York Institute of Photography. She had been a resident of Fremont since 1952. In 1943 she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps and served as a corporal from 1943 to 1945. She served in the South Pacific and later became a member of the American Legion Post of Deerfield. She worked as a budget analyst at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard both before and after World War II. In 1952 she resigned her post after her marriage to Joseph C. Bonis, who passed away in 1976. She enjoyed photography, gardening, and bird watching. Mrs. Bonis is survived by one son, Stan Bonis of Newmarket; two daughters, Bonnie Bonis of Florence, Italy, and L. Jean Bonis of Londonderry; one brother, Otto Leighton of Dover; two grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, April 8 at 11 a.m. at the Brewitt Funeral Home, 14 Pine St., Exeter. The Rev. Brad Greely will officiate. Burial with military honors will follow in the Pine Grove Cemetery, Raymond. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, 3 Silk Farm Road, Concord 03301. Daniel P. Schmidt HAVERHILL, Mass. - Daniel P. Schmidt, 54, of South Elm St., Bradford, Mass., died Friday, March 28, 2003, at Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill. He was born in Benton Harbor, Mich., and was raised and educated in Watervliet, Mich. Mr. Schmidt was a resident of Haverhill for the past several years and was most recently employed as a roofer at Pettis Construction of Haverhill. He had also worked on the grounds maintenance staff at Canobie Lake Park in Salem. He was a member of the Zodiac Club of Haverhill. Mr. Schmidt is survived by his wife, Louisa M. (Libby) Schmidt; a son, Daniel P. Schmidt of Haverhill; a daughter, Taqua Lapre of Haverhill; his father and stepmother, Charles W. Schmidt Jr. and Grace Schmidt of Watervliet; three brothers, Charles W. Schmidt III of Haverhill, Daniel L. Schmidt of Pawpaw, Mich., and Richard L. Schmidt of Illinois; two sisters, Gloria D. Smith of Watervliet and Barbara J. Hamilton of Hartford, Mich.; a stepson, Michael Libby of Texas; a step-daughter, Amy Libby of Lawrence, Mass.; eight grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Arrangements are by the Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home, Plaistow. Mary D. McKendrick EXETER - Mary D. McKendrick, 93, died Sunday, March 30, 2003, at Langdon Place of Exeter. She was born Nov. 18, 1909 in Exeter, the daughter of the late Norman S. and Clara (Dunham) McKendrick. A native of Exeter, Miss McKendrick graduated from Robinson Seminary and Gorham (Maine) State Teachers College. Subsequently, she earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Boston University and a master of science in education from Harvard. She pursued a teaching career, highlighted by her work in western Massachusetts with bed-ridden children suffering from rheumatic fever. Upon her return to Exeter, she continued to tutor children home-bound because of illness. In recognition of her services to education and to church life, Piedmont College conferred upon her the degree of Doctor of Humanities honoris causa. During the early years of World War II, Miss McKendrick organized Exeter’s production of garments and surgical dressings for the American Red Cross. She had been a member of the Exeter Congregational Church and later, wishing to become a member of a church affiliated with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, she joined the First Congregational Church of Kingston, where she had been an active member of the Missions Committee. She was instrumental in the establishment of a fund that enables the church to offer financial assistance to its delegates to attend the annual meetings of the National Association. Miss McKendrick was among the founders of the New Hampshire Congregational Fellowship, later serving as scribe, executive secretary and on the Executive Committee. Her promotional exhibits of Congregational literature were a feature of fellowship meetings. Within the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, she attended annual meetings at her own expense, enabling several small churches to have representation and through her reports, to be informed of the progress of the NACCC in ministry and mission. The Granite State Congregationalists chose her to be their first ambassador in that NACCC program. She honored her father’s memory through the Norman S. McKendrick Scholarship to aid students from New England in the Congregational Foundation for Theological Studies Program. Miss McKendrick was a former member of the Corporation of Exeter Hospital, the Eventide Home, the Exeter Historical Society, Board of Directors of the Seacoast Branch of the Child and Family Services of New Hampshire, a sponsor of the Spaulding Youth Center, the Friday Club, the East Side Current Events Club, and the Exeter Republican Women’s Club. She is survived by two cousins, Harriet Hall Friedman of Concord, Mass., and Howard Dunham of Edison, N.J. A memorial service will be held Friday, April 4 at 11 a.m. at the Kingston Congregational Church. Private burial will be in the Exeter Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Boston Guild for the Hard of Hearing Inc., 1505 Commonwealth Ave., Suite 420, Brighton, MA 02135, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Northeast Region, 3 West 35th St., New York, NY 10001. Arrangements are by the Brewitt Funeral Home, Exeter. Pamela Jean Kaufman MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Pamela Jean Kaufman, 52, died Thursday, March 6, 2003, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She earned a master of science degree from Dartmouth College and was employed by the University of Minnesota. She spent many years among friends in New England, which she considered her home. She is survived by her partner, Renee Sugrue; a niece and nephew, Amy and Christopher Harwick; and many friends. A memorial service is planned for early fall. Call Nancy Demers at 772-9455 or e-mail ndemers@attbi.com.