Wayne R. Bachand

Wayne Bachand, 71, of Manchester New Hampshire, passed away on August 4th after a battle with cancer.  Wayne was born on November 19, 1951 to Helen and Rene Bachand in New Bedford, Massachusetts.  As a child, he spent most of his summers at a family cottage on Long Pond in Lakeville, MA.  Wayne graduated from Bishop Stang High School in 1969, then going on to study education at Bridgewater State College.

Upon graduating, Wayne started a 35 year long, and very illustrious teaching career at Mastricola Middle School in Merrimack, NH.  During this time he also impacted the student population as a basketball and softball coach.  Later in his career he gave his time as a certified youth basketball referee and softball umpire for a total of 25 years.

In 1970, Wayne accompanied Patricia Bachand to her high school prom for a first date, sparking a relationship that led to marriage on January 6, 1973.  They went on to have one child, Joshua Bachand.  For many years, Wayne was involved in Josh’s youth sports teams as a coach, as well as his biggest fan. Wayne and Patricia celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past January amongst family in Aruba.

In 2008 Wayne retired from teaching and went on to spend time with family at the childhood cottage, golfing with friends, working around his yard, and traveling with his wife, Pat. He was always willing to lend a hand or provide a shoulder to cry on. Wayne lit up every room he walked into and often could be the life of the party.  At the same time, he could have an individual conversation that made one feel like they were the most important person in the room.  He was a skilled story teller and loved to make people laugh.

Wayne is survived by his wife Patricia, son Joshua, daughter in law Jessica. Also an aunt,  nephews, and several cousins.

A mass will be held in honor of Wayne at 9:30 AM on August 24th at Blessed Sacrament Church in Manchester, NH.

In lieu of flowers, Wayne’s family requests donations be made to either the Solinsky Center for cancer care at the Elliot Hospital or Dana Farber Cancer Research in his memory.