William J. Linney

William J. Linney, 91, of Keene, New Hampshire passed away on Wednesday, May 14th, at home with family and hospice caring for him.

He was born on March 22, 1934 in Pennsylvania, son of Robert Joseph Linney and Irene Jette Linney, and raised in Port Henry and Plattsburgh, also spending time in Lyon Mountain and Elizabethtown New York. He spent many summers in Westport, NY at Camp Dudley, the oldest continually running boys camp in the United States, on the shores of Lake Champlain.

He married Nancy J. Ladue on August 22, 1959, and they celebrated their 65th anniversary before Nancy died on December 2, 2024. They started their family in Menands, New York, also residing in Plattsburgh, East Greenbush, and Malone, New York before making New Hampshire their permanent residence.

Bill attended St. John's in Plattsburgh before graduating from Worcester Academy in 1952, and attended Brown University (a member of Delta Phi fraternity) prior to graduating from Russell Sage College in 1964 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He served in the US Army Reserve, PFC, honorably discharged in 1962.

Bill was employed by KeyBank (formerly "The Bank") from 1959 to 1981, starting as a teller and trainee. He worked in offices in Menands, Colonie, Rensselaer, Plattsburgh, and Albany. He served as the VP of retail banking and branch operations at Farmers National Bank in Malone, before coming to New Hampshire as the Senior Vice President of Loan Administration at First Cheshire Bank in Keene, NH.

Bill loved to read (especially history) with weekly trips to the Keene Public Library, to play golf, as well as being an avid sports fan and "Jeopardy!" fan. His family was involved with the sport of bobsledding in the Adirondack region, and he was proud to volunteer at the track during the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, NY. After retirement, he took art lessons and studied watercolor painting. He also worked for the U.S. Census Bureau on decennial and specialty census surveys and data collection. He served in Rotary International and the American Red Cross. Bill and Nancy were members of the Parish of the Holy Spirit in Keene and attended St. Bernard Catholic Church, serving as eucharistic ministers, and involved in parish groups.

Bill was a prostate cancer survivor for over twenty years, but his health had declined further in recent years with a dementia diagnosis in 2020. He had a fall last month with a fractured vertebrae that left him unable to walk. At this point his family decided to get hospice involved with his care. The family is grateful to the staff at Cheshire Medical Center and Hospice at HCS for their compassionate care and support.

He is survived by his 4 children, Kathy Schnyer (Stephen), Mary Linney, Sarah Bryant (Jay), and Joseph Linney; 2 grandchildren, David Schnyer (Hayley Frazier), and John Schnyer; 2 great grandchildren, Thatcher and Charlotte Schnyer; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Nancy, his parents, brother Joe Linney (wife Anita), and sisters Mary Ducatte (husband Ross) and Beth Roberts.

Family and friends are invited and may call on Thursday, May 29th from 6-8pm at Cheshire Family Funeral Home, 44 Maple Avenue, Keene NH, and a funeral mass will be held at 9:30 am on Friday, May 30th at Saint Bernard's at 185 Main Street, Keene NH.

Interment of both Bill and Nancy's ashes will take place following the funeral at 10:30am at Monadnock View Cemetery, 499 Park Avenue, Keene NH.

Memorial contributions can be made in Bill's memory to Hospice at HCS, 312 Marlboro Street, Keene NH 03431.

All services are under the care of Cheshire Family Funeral Home, Chapel, and Crematories. www.cheshirefamilyfh.com.