ROCHESTER - Gary Stenhouse of Rochester died of a sudden illness on March 12, 2015, at Frisbie Memorial Hospital, in the arms of his loving family.
He was born to Irene (Pont) and R. Burnie Stenhouse on May 16, 1943 in Westerly, Rhode Island.
Gary will be profoundly missed by his devoted wife of 49 years and best friend Donna.
A committed family man, he will be lovingly remembered by his daughter Emily Burega and husband Scott of Pittsfield, MaSS., and his daughter Amy Goodwin of Chevy Chase, MD. His cherished grandchildren, Julia and Michael Goodwin, and Charlie and Matthew Burega, will sorely miss the numerous activities they enjoyed with their beloved Grampy. Gary is survived by his proud mother Irene, his brother Robert and wife Anne of Southport, NC and his sister-in-law Leslie Lowe of West Warwick, RI. He will be missed by many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father.
Following graduation from Westerly High School in 1961, Gary attended the University of Rhode Island, earning his undergraduate degree in 1965 and his master's degree in public administration in 1966.
Well-known and greatly respected in municipal circles throughout New England, Gary served as town manager in Killingly, Plainville and Bloomfield, CT, as well as city manager for 10 years in Rochester, NH and five years in Derry, NH. He was also Operations Manager with Primex in Concord, NH.
After retiring from city management, Gary became a consultant with Municipal Resources Inc. Through them, he acted as interim town manager in Farmington, NH and Seekonk, MA and at the time of his death, in Berwick, ME.
In addition, Gary served in the Army National Guard, was a member of the International City Management Association, and was a past president of both the NH and CT Managers Associations. He was also twice elected to the Rochester, NH Police Commission.
Gary was happiest spending time with Donna on their boat on the coast of Maine, entertaining family and friends.
He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing, hiking, skiing, bicycling, reading and could often be seen walking his pugs Chauncey and Fenway.