William Lloyd Harper

William Lloyd Harper, 67, of Rindge passed away peacefully on November 18, 2023 after a hard fought and courageous battle with cancer.  He was born in North Huntingdon, PA on August 28, 1956, the only child of William and Betty (Harter) Harper and attended Norwin High School and Milligan College.

William, better known as “Bill”, was an avid outdoorsman from a young age.  In his early 20s, he attended then instructed at the National Outdoor Leadership School (N.O.L.S.) in Lander Wyoming and often joked that he was a “handy guy to have on a camping trip.” His love of nature and the outdoors continued throughout his life, including many hiking and skiing trips with his wife. Bill especially loved ice climbing and winter mountaineering.  On an extremely cold January day on Mt. Washington in the early 1990’s, he and his climbing buddies rescued an injured climber, who they witnessed falling 800 feet in Huntington’s ravine.  The story of the rescue was picked up and retold by Outdoor Magazine.  In later years, flyfishing became his passion with trips throughout the US and Canada.  He met his best friend, Andrew, while fishing in the Canadian Artic and their stories and photos of seeking the elusive artic char and striped bass were well known.   He was a licensed helicopter pilot and dedicated beekeeper for over 20 years.

Bill moved to New Hampshire in 1981 and began a career as a builder creating a lasting legacy in the Monadnock Region.  He owned and operated West Rindge Builders and later added Cut&Core. Bill and his crew’s work can be found throughout the region in fine homes, town halls, churches, schools and libraries.  He was known for always finding a solution to any building problem.

Community Service was important to Bill and he served as a volunteer firefighter in Rindge for 8 years.  He also served on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, as a Cemetery Trustee and on the Jaffrey Rindge Ambulance Board. Bill strongly believed in developing an educated workforce and was on the Building & Trades Committee for the Jaffrey Rindge Cooperative School District for many years.

In addition to his wife of 40 years Maryann (Busang) Harper of Rindge, Bill is survived by his sister-in-law, Patricia Giles, his nieces, Caroline Giles and Vanessa Giles Sheehan, his best friend Andrew Eddy, his cousins, Sandy (Harter) Onofray, Jeff Harter, Tracy (Harter) Williams and Jennifer (Harter) Currie and their families and many other friends and relatives.  Bill was devoted to his Great Pyrenees dogs and will be missed by his faithful Pyrenees, Ivy.  His family is grateful for the wonderful care provided by Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Lucas Shippee and staff at Monadnock Internal Medicine and the caring nurses at Community Hospice House in Merrimack that eased his passing from this world.

A Celebration of William’s life will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in William’s name to National Great Pyrenees Rescue ( nationalpyr.org ), the World Central Kitchen( wck.org ) or Community Hospice House in Merrimack ( hhhc.org ).