WALPOLE, N.H. – A couple together in life and death. Catherine (Cathy) B. Fletcher, 88, passed away peacefully on June 23, 2022, at the Jack Byrne Hospice Center in Hanover, N.H. after a period of declining health. Her beloved husband followed only eight days later. William (Bill) S. Fletcher, 89, passed away peacefully on July 1, 2022, at Langdon Place in Keene, N.H., of Alzheimer’s.
Cathy was born June 14, 1934 (Flag Day) and grew up in Proctorsville, Vt. At 13 years old, she moved to Chester, Vt. to live with her brother and sister-in-law, Herman and Muriel Briggs, to attend high school. She was forever grateful for this opportunity and the love her brother and her sister-in-law showed her.
In 1953, Cathy moved to Boggy Meadow Farms in Walpole, N.H. with her two-month-old son, Mike. Her daughter Debbie joined them a short nine-and-a-half months later. Cathy became a single mother in 1959. Life was not easy, but she persevered. Cathy worked as a bookkeeper at R.N. Johnson’s in Walpole for eight years. It was here that a customer by the name of Bill Fletcher caught her eye. She thought he was “pretty cute.”
Bill was born April 18, 1933, at the Walpole Hospital and grew up in town on the Fletcher Family Farm. He was a “Walpole Boy” through and through. In 1955, Bill was drafted into the U.S. Navy, where he served as a cook on the aircraft carrier “The USS Randolph.” The ship had more crewmembers than the whole population of Walpole. In 1957, Bill returned home with a new talent for cracking three eggs in each hand at the same time – a skill that would later wow his children and then grandchildren – and went to work with his father at the family’s small tractor dealership, Pinnacleview Equipment.
On Nov. 9, 1963, Bill and Cathy married, and along with Cathy’s two young children, they became an instant family of four. Bill officially adopted Mike and Debbie in 1966.
Their union was not only one of matrimony, but also of business, as Cathy left R.N. Johnson (since she had literally married the competition) and went to work beside Bill as a bookkeeper and business partner.
In 1972, Bill and Cathy took over the business. Together they worked long, hard hours to grow Pinnacleview Equipment from the tiny shop on the hill to the thriving business you see today. They, along with their son Mike, owned the business up until their death.
In addition to work, Bill was active in the New England Equipment Dealers’ Association, serving as president in 1973 and then later as the New England Representative to the National Equipment Dealers Association Board of Directors. Bill also served his community as a Trustee of the Savings Bank of Walpole.
Although they worked hard, Bill and Cathy had their fun too. They enjoyed going to dealership conventions, which led to their love of traveling – including all 50 states in addition to many countries internationally, including Japan, Australia, and Thailand. They enjoyed spending their winters “snow-birding” in South Venice, Fla. and were known for their hopping cocktail parties! They enjoyed going to the casinos and playing the slot machines.
Bill enjoyed hunting and tinkering in his “toy shed” and Cathy enjoyed playing cards and watching the Red Sox. They both enjoyed spending time together and with their family. They loved their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren deeply. Their family finds peace knowing that they are together.
Cathy and Bill were predeceased by Cathy’s parents Ralph and Miriam Briggs, her brothers, Myron, Herman, Herbert, and Robert Briggs, and her sister, Margaret Farrar, along with Bill’s parents, Albert and Lena Fletcher, his brother, Henry Fletcher and their daughter-in-law, Elizabeth (Betty) Snide.
They are survived by their two children, Mike Snide of Walpole, N.H. and Debbie Newman (Dwight) of Sammamish, Wash. Their five grandchildren, William Kinson (Cassie) of Kirkland, Wash., Kimberly Jones (Lance) of Sammamish, Wash., Elizabeth Snide of Walpole, N.H., Michael F Snide (Hilary) of Lempster, N.H., and Carolyn Edson (Sam) of Walpole, N.H. Their nine great-grandchildren, Lebron and Chancellor Jones, Eliza Ward, Harvyn and Dax Kinson, Aidan and Madelyn Snide, and Troy and Liam Edson. Two step-grandchildren, Ryan (Angie) and Cory Newman, and two step-great-grandchildren, Finn and Saige Newman. Sister-in-law Miki Fletcher Grady. Nephews Bryon (Amy), Barry and Bradly (Jackie) Fletcher, Dennis and Kevin Briggs, Steve Farrar, and Dennis McCutcheon, as well as many great-nieces and nephews.
Joint Services for Cathy and Bill will be held as follows:
- Calling hours will be held at Fenton & Hennessy in Bellows Falls, Vt. on Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 5–7 p.m.
- A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 3 at 1:30 p.m. at the Walpole Cemetery.
- A reception will be held immediately following the graveside services until 5 p.m. at Cathy and Bill’s Homestead at 14 Maple Grove Rd in Walpole, N.H.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in memory of Cathy and Bill to the Alzheimer’s Association (225 N Michigan Ave, Fl. 17, Chicago, IL. 60601. Fed tax ID 13-3039601).