Roland L. Harper

He was born in Keene, NH, January 30, 1917, the son of Louis and Helen (Magee) Harper. A lifelong resident of Keene, he was a 1934 graduate of Keene High School and attended the former Dresser Business School in Keene.

Mr. Harper was a staff sergeant serving in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, where he took part in the D-Day Invasion of Europe as well as numerous other military campaigns.

Mr. Harper worked in banking for 40 years and was the first fulltime employee of the former Keene Building and Loan. In a 2010 Keene Sentinel interview, he was compared to George Bailey of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” for his philosophy of home mortgage lending based on the “character of the individual” as opposed to current emphases on computerized credit reports. Keene Building and Loan changed its name to Keene Co-Operative Bank in 1951 and Harper retired as its President in 1978.

He was also the driving force in the establishment of elderly housing in Keene, with the Harper Acres community being named in his honor. He served on the board of directors of the former Elliot Community Hospital and was instrumental in the construction of the new Cheshire Medical Center. In addition he served on the boards of the Keene Housing Authority, NH Catholic Charities and many other local and state organizations. He was a longtime member and past-President of the Keene Rotary Club, and a recipient of the Paul Harris award.

He enjoyed golfing and spending time at his cottage on Granite Lake. He and his wife loved to travel. The couple also enjoyed wintering in Daytona Beach. His greatest pastime was spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

He is survived by a son, John R. Harper and his wife, Jeanne M., of Keene, two daughters, Emily Harper Scott and her husband, Dean, of Keene, Linda L. Holbrook and her husband, Jim, of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, his grandchildren, Brian E. Hammond and his wife Jessica, Kevin J. Hammond, Beth M. Garcia and her husband Javier, Megan Spengeman, Jason Spengeman, Scott Blanchard and his wife Jocelyn and Aimee Dickinson, and seven great-grandchildren, Dillard Collins, Stephanie Price, Robert Price, Javier Garcia, Ashlynn Shelley, Aubree Blanchard and Colby Blanchard. He is also survived by a brother, Norman Harper, of Keene, and several nieces and nephews. His wife of 65 years, Angeline B. (Croteau) Harper, who he married on October 12, 1938, died July 7, 2004. A son, Brian Harper, died at infancy, and a brother, Donald Harper and a sister, Sybil Croteau, died earlier.

A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Saturday morning, September 10, 2011 at 10:30 AM in St. Bernard Church, 185 Main Street, Keene. Burial with military honors will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Main Street, Keene. There are no public calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made in Mr. Harper’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association New Hampshire Chapter, 10 Ferry Street, Suite 427B, Concord, NH 03301-5004, or to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, c/o St. Bernard Church, 161 Main Street, Keene, NH 03431.