Notable New Hampshire Deaths: Concord Neurosurgeon Bagan; Stern Of The New York Times

By InDepth NH

InDepthNH.org scans the websites of New Hampshire funeral homes each week and selects at random some of our friends, relatives and neighbors to feature in this column. The people listed here passed away during the previous weeks and have some public or charitable connection to their community. InDepthNH.org is now offering obituaries through the Legacy.com service. We view this as part of our public service mission. Click here or on the Obituaries tab at the top of our home page to learn more. And if you know of someone from New Hampshire who should be featured in this column, please send your suggestions to NancyWestNews@gmail.com.

Dr. Merwyn Bagan, 87, of Concord, died Feb. 27, 2026. He was a neurosurgeon who served as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service at the NIH and Walter Reed Hospitals. He established the Surgical Neurology P.A. practice in Concord in 1970 and expanded to Manchester by 1993. He was chief of surgery, medical staff president, and trustee at Concord Hospital and president of the N.H. Medical Society. In 1993 he was elected president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He was a founder of Healthsource New Hampshire Inc. in 1985 and was president and chairman from 1985 to 1993 and chairman of Healthsource Inc. from 1985 to 1997. In 1995, he and his wife Carol moved to Kathmandu, Nepal, and established a neurosurgical ward and training program at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. (Legacy.com)

Mira M. Petrovic Braunstein, 86, of Concord, died Feb. 28, 2026. A native of Croatia, she immigrated to the U.S. in 1966. She was a staff psychologist at the Institute for Study of Developmental Problems of Children and Youth in her native Zagreb and became a psychology intern and later staff psychologist at New Hampshire Hospital. She taught at Nathaniel Hawthorne College in Antrim and was an associate professor of psychology at New England College in Henniker for more than 35 years. In retirement, she taught part time in the NEC Prison Program in Concord. (Legacy.com)

Karen E. Cue, 77, of Windham, died March 2, 2026. She was a pharmacist in Illinois, Vermont and New Hampshire. She and her husband Charles owned and operated Crossroads Pharmacy in Londonderry for several years. She worked at Portsmouth Hospital, Exeter Hospital and Derry’s Parkland Medical Center, which awarded her with their humanitarian award in 1994. (Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium)

Hank W. Drury, 91, of Hancock, died March 3, 2026. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and worked in publishing and banking in Manhattan. He was a member of the Peterborough Unitarian Church, Harris Center for Conservation Education, Rotary Club of Peterborough, and Hancock Memorial Day Committee. He coached youth sports and was an organizer with Hancock Democrats. (Jellison Funeral Home)

Jean (MacDougal) Grogan, 100, of Exeter, died March 2, 2026. Her husband Tom served in the foreign service, mostly in the Middle East and West Africa. They retired to Newton in 1976 and she was town librarian. (Brewitt Funeral Home)

Larry James Houghton, 70, of Bow, died Feb. 28, 2026. He attended nursing school and then changed to a career in law enforcement. He joined the Pembroke Police Department in 1979 and spent his entire 22-year career with the Pembroke Police Department, retiring in 2001 with the rank of sergeant. He also served as police prosecutor, handling criminal cases for the department in Hooksett District Court. In retirement, he was a court security officer, mainly at Hillsborough District Court, retiring in 2021. (Bennett Funeral Home)

Ruth Lewis, 88, of Colebrook, died Feb. 27, 2026. She was a nurse at the Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital and the Indian Stream Clinic. She changed careers and worked for the New Hampshire District Court. She was organist and choir director of the Monadnock Congregational Church. She served on the Colebrook School Board. (Bailey Funeral Home)

Bernard O’Neil, 89, of Manchester, died March 2, 2026. He served on the Manchester Fire Department for many years, retiring as captain. Following his retirement from the fire department, he continued working with the Teamsters. (Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory)

Dennis L. Stern, 79, of Lyme, died Feb. 24, 2026. In his 28-year career at the New York Times, he held senior positions in the newsroom and business operations. He began working at the New York Times in 1981 as an editor on the metropolitan desk and later held positions on the national desk and Sunday business desk. In the early 1990s, he was promoted to head of newsroom administration and was involved in preparing for the launch of the Times’ online newspaper. He later headed human resources and was named senior vice president and deputy general manager. He had a law degree from New York University and while in law school worked part time covering New York City for the Associated Press. He worked at newspapers in Miami and Washington, D.C. He was vice president for administration at Vermont Law School until 2014. He taught classes in news literacy and American humor for Osher, Dartmouth’s life-long learning program. (Knight Funeral Home, White River Junction, Vt.)

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them.” - George Eliot, author (Nov. 22, 1819, to Dec. 22, 1880)

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.