William J. Upham
William J. Upham, 72, of Nashua, NH, died November 24th, 2023 in his home after a brief battle with cancer.
Born in Manchester, NH on November 24th, 1951, he was the son of Roy H. and Aurie (Duplin) Upham. Bill was educated in the Manchester Catholic school system, ultimately graduating from Bishop Bradley High School. He received his Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Saint Anselm College and his Master’s degree from The University of New Hampshire, where he was also a Ph.D. candidate in Homological Algebra.
Bill taught for a year at Keene State College before transitioning into the software development and computer world. He never fully shed his teaching roots, and helped many people through scholastic and personal pursuits, lighting the spark of discovery in his family, friends, and colleagues. Bill was always inquisitive and curious, and could talk to anyone about anything with genuine interest. He approached his work with profound humility and patience, and took the time to understand any issue before diving into solutions. His easygoing nature brought calm and sanity to any situation, however tense. Bill helped everyone he knew feel acknowledged and heard.
Bill took great joy in spending time with his family and friends, with his various interests including mountain biking, kayaking on the Nashua River, gardening, pool, darts, the New York Times crossword, and playing cribbage. Bill taught cribbage to many, and his pupils will forever be heard parroting his favorite cribbage exclamations, like ‘everybody loves a five’ and ‘excellent pegging’.
With his wife Fran, Bill reveled in international travel, having visited Egypt, Spain, France, Italy, England, Scotland, Holland, Costa Rica, and many other countries. Bill traveled with his children, drove across the USA, and traveled with the whole family to Poland and the Czech Republic. Ever curious, Bill delighted in learning all he could about the places he visited: reading all the plaques, dressing up for Mardi Gras, and posing with camels and a huge grin. Bill brought joy to all he did.
Bill was predeceased by his parents and his infant children, Allison and Joseph Nutter-Upham.
Bill is survived by his wife, State Representative Frances Nutter-Upham; a daughter Katherine Eskine, and spouse Kendall Eskine, of Holliston, MA, and their children Benjamin and Neil; a son Andrew Nutter-Upham and spouse Margaret Harrison of Braintree, MA; a daughter Nora Nutter-Upham of Dorchester, MA; and a daughter Cassandra Nutter-Upham and spouse Nasser Abdelnaby of Framingham, MA and Cairo, Egypt. He is also survived by his seven siblings: sister Alice Dunfey and spouse Michael Dunfey of Manchester, NH; brother Charlie Upham and spouse Patricia Upham, of Chichester, NH; brother Jim Upham and Kathy Upham of Venice, FL; sister Barbara Foster and spouse Dave Foster of New London, NH; sister Betty Griffin and spouse Dave Griffin of Berlin, NH; sister Mary Upham and partner Mike Gualtieri of Rutherford, NJ; sister Meg Pfalzgraf and spouse Dave Pfalzgraf of Hooksett, NH. He is also survived by his lifelong friend and brother-in-law Michael Nutter and spouse Julie Gifford Nutter, and an abundance of nieces, nephews, and their children.
SERVICES: A celebration of life will be held at 11 am on December 8th at the Nashua Country Club, 25 Fairway Street, Nashua, NH. Casual Bill and Fancy Fran would like you to wear whatever you’d like.
If you would like to make a donation in his name, please direct it to the Nashua Soup Kitchen, (https://nsks.org/give-online/ ) or by mail at Nashua Soup Kitchen, PO BOX 3116, Nashua, NH 03061. An online guestbook can be found at (www.davisfuneralhomenh.com.) The Davis Funeral Home, (603)883-3401 “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER.”