Bradley Whitney

Bradley Whitney, long-time Nashua pharmacist and business owner, who lived to the age of 95, died at home, peacefully on October 30, 2024. He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Patricia Linsert Whitney and their four children: Todd A. Whitney and his wife, Cynthia, of Nashua; Jennifer W. Oswald and her husband, Kurt, of Auburn, Maine; Bradley J. Whitney of Nashua; and Pamela L. Whitney of Takoma Park, Maryland. Descended from a long line of Nashuans, Bradley was born in Buffalo, NY on April 15, 1929; the youngest of three children of James M. Whitney and Helen F. (Bradley) Whitney. He was predeceased by his brother, Allen J. Whitney and sister, Suzanne Shattuck, both of Nashua.

Bradley grew up in Nashua attending the local public schools and participating in Boy Scouts. His business interest began at age 16, when he sold Whizzer motorbikes, and even held the Whizzer dealership here. After high school, Brad attended Bryant College of Business Administration in Providence, RI and the University of New Hampshire before deciding on a career in pharmacy. He was admitted to the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and graduated in 1954, then began working in Nashua. He and Patricia met and were married in 1956. In 1957, Brad started his own pharmacy, Whitney Prescription Pharmacy, at the corner of Main and Kinsley Streets.

On weekends, he worked as a musician. Brad was a trained drummer who led his own party orchestra, lining up the other musicians and arranging the gigs. In those days, the weekend scene was in the many local social clubs, and he and his band played them all, in addition to many weddings and parties. Music was a lifelong passion of his and jazz music was his specialty. In retirement, he returned to drumming as a drummer with the American Legion Band. Even then, he still sought out paying jobs for his jazz band to play at receptions, dinners, openings, and other occasions. He was blessed with a winning personality and an engaging style; an enthusiastic conversationalist who made new friends easily.

As a dedicated businessman with a keen business intellect, he was always learning and thinking of new ways to compete; with advertising, practical innovations, management, business methods or locations. He had the foresight to acquire locations where Nashua’s growth was moving to, and during the 1960’s and 70’s, Whitney Pharmacy grew to a total of three pharmacies. He was a member of the Kappa Psi fraternity at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, an active member of the National Association of Retail Druggists, a Member of the Corporation of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and a Fifty-Year registered pharmacist in the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy. In 2018 he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the New Hampshire Pharmacist Association and the New Hampshire Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

During those early years of business expansion, he discovered the joy of sailing and owning a sailboat. Sailing became a part of family vacations when a system was designed to load the sailboat on top of the tent trailer towed behind the station wagon. Many of those vacations were taken along with other families, where he entertained us all by reciting funny stories, jokes, tales, and epic poems from memory. In 1982, he moved from lake sailing to ocean sailing when he acquired a sailing sloop which he named “Salty” and moored in Salem Harbor, Mass. He had many cruises and adventures on Salty, sailing her to

the Pacific Seacraft Rendezvous at Block Island, RI and Christmas Cove, ME, or further up the Maine coast to Acadia, or down to Nantucket. Many friends, family, neighbors, employees, or Nashua acquaintances have fond memories of their sails with Brad and Pat aboard Salty out of Salem Harbor. A conversation with Brad almost always led to an invitation to come down for a day of sailing along the North Shore and Cape Ann, usually finishing the day with dinner and drinks on “The Rockmore”, the floating restaurant in the middle of Salem Harbor.

Brad is also survived by his seven grandchildren: Charlotte P. Brewer (John) of Marlborough, MA; Zane P. Whitney of Somerville, MA; Anna Hoogler (Ganesh) of Belfast, ME; Morgan S. Whitney of Raleigh, NC; Zoe O. Kinsella (Charlie) of Durham, ME; Maya B. Whitney and Bailey L. Whitney, both of Takoma Park, MD; and six great grandchildren. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law, Marguerite Linsert Lentz of Duxbury, MA and Elizabeth “Betsy” Linsert of Alexandria, VA, and many nieces and nephews including Denny W. Shattuck of the UK; Suzanne Whitney; Martha M. Whitney of Amherst, NH; Elizabeth A. Fagan of Scarborough, ME; Sarah J. Loy of Epping, NH; James R. Whitney of Beford, NH; Anne M. Whitney of Milford, NH; Kristina Lentz Capano of Jamaica Plain, MA and New Gloucester, ME; Erika E. Lentz of Kingston, MA; Susan K. Linsert of Arlington, VA and Juliet Linsert of Fairfax, VA and their families.

Brad always put family first and was a guiding and trusting mentor to us. He will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, and friend; the teacher of many lessons about life, music, business, and sailing. He will be missed by many.

The family wishes to thank all of Brad’s doctors, nurses and health professionals, and a special thank you to his loving caregivers.

Calling hours will be held at Davis Funeral Home, 1 Lock Street, Nashua, NH on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, between 2:00 and 4:00pm and 6:00 and 8:00pm. A memorial service will be held at The First Church, UCC at 1 Concord Street in Nashua on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 10:00am. He will be interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, 101 Kinsley Street, Nashua, NH. An online guestbook can be found at www.davisfuneralhomenh.com (603)883-3401 “ONE MEMORY LIGHTS ANOTHER.”