Donald R. Stickney

Donald Stickney, late of Loudon, New Hampshire, began his next adventure on March 3, 2023. He departed from home after spending time with his loving wife Judy, his children Dawn Dixon, Fran Buczynski, sons Jay and Dan Stickney, their spouses, and many of his grandchildren. That journey of nearly 91 years began in his parents’ home on April 11, 1932, in Alexandria, New Hampshire.

Awaiting his arrival at the next stop are his parents, Ira and Laura (Elliott) Stickney and siblings, Ira Jr., Roland, Ray, Maggie, and Larry. He sadly left behind many dearly loved nieces, nephews, grand- and great-grandchildren, all of whom meant the world to him. A favorite memory of his was the most recent Stickney family reunion, held at the Alexandria Town Hall. He loved watching the littles run wild around the space he’d played in as a child as he chatted with folks young and old.

Don loved the outdoors, choosing a life of work and play in the wild. He grew up hunting and fishing in the woods of Alexandria, but he was always sure to get the work done first- a Stickney man, he reliably found the hard way to do a job and took considerable pride in doing so.

That life outdoors prepared him well for his career choice as a surveyor after serving in the Navy as a radio man. He was stationed on Guam during the Korean War and made many lifelong friends in the service. Among his later accomplishments at work were the role he played as a Party Chief for the State of New Hampshire Department of Transportation, where he helped survey the current path taken by Route 93 through Franconia Notch. Leaving New Hampshire for Alaska, he continued his work as a surveyor. A particular point of pride, he and a fellow crew member turned the first angle of the Alaska Pipeline- from two different mountaintops, using only manual equipment.

He returned to New Hampshire in 1982 with Judy and Dan, when his first and second families came to better know each other- family was incredibly important to him, and he passed that love to all his children.

Don thrived on fishing, whether for salmon in Alaska or trout and warmwater fish in New Hampshire. Eventually he took to the salt, chasing striped bass with bait and fly on the New Hampshire coast. Together with that love of fishing was his love of collecting, restoring, and fishing with bamboo fly rods.

He undertook his third home building project late in life. Don built houses in Wasilla, Alaska and Canterbury, New Hampshire with the help of Judy and Dan, but he took special pleasure in working together to build the family camp in Jefferson, New Hampshire, now a place of comfort and happiness in the North Country for all who visit. He took a deep joy in watching kids play in the river behind camp, and often joined them in building swimming holes and dams to give the Israel River’s native brookies deep water and cover.

Honoring Don’s memory, we are holding a celebration of his life on May 21, 2023 at the Shaker Road School in Concord, New Hampshire from 10:00am to noon. All who knew him are welcome to join us for remembrance and conversation; please dress for the bright, sunny day we hope to have for this happy event. Graveside services with military honors will be held at the New Hampshire Veteran’s Cemetery on March 20, 2023, at 10:00am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to either the Robert S. Hicks Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Shaker Road School or to the Basil W. Woods Chapter of Trout Unlimited, both in Concord, New Hampshire. Each was greatly appreciated by him for the good work that they do.