Joseph R. Desfosses

MANCHESTER - Joseph R. Desfosses, 70, of Manchester, died June 16, 2015, at his home, after a period of declining health.

He was born in Cambridge, Mass., on Jan. 29, 1945, to Rene and Stella (Dachowski) Desfosses. He attended grade schools in Boston, Mass., and Auburn Village School. He graduated from Bishop Bradley High School, Manchester, in 1962 and Keene State College in 1968.

Mr. Desfosses was a biology teacher for 35 years. He taught briefly at Trinity High School and 33 years at Manchester High School Central, where he retired in 2001 as head of the science department.

He served in the N.H. Army National Guard 197th Field Artillery Brigade for 29 years and was honorably discharged in 1998 as a sergeant major.

Mr. Desfosses was a past president and member of the board of directors of VOPAR, an affiliate of the Manchester School of Technology. He also worked as a union carpenter and helped in the construction of the Mount Washington Observatory. He enjoyed deer hunting.

The family includes his wife of 48 years, Pauline A. (Morency) Desfosses, of Manchester; two sons, David Desfosses and his wife, Lori, of North Hampton and Brian Desfosses and his wife, Maryam, of Bedford; two grandchildren, Alina and Nicolas Desfosses of Bedford; three brothers, Robert Desfosses and his wife, Annette, of Auburn, Roland Desfosses and his deceased wife, Zelma, of San Miguel, Calif., and Michael Desfosses and his wife, Deborah, of Bradford; one aunt; one uncle; and cousins, nieces and nephews.

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services: Calling hours are Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., corner of North Street, Manchester. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Monday at 8:30 a.m., at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 3 Litchfield Way, Litchfield. Committal prayers will follow at 10:30 a.m. at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen.

To leave a message of condolence, go to www.lambertfuneralhome.com.