Brian D. Ramsay, 85

Brian D. Ramsay, of Loudon, passed away peacefully on July 7, 2026, surrounded by his family. He was 85 years old.

Brian was born to Stewart and Natalie Ramsay and grew up in Laconia, graduating from Laconia High School in 1959. He got his first job at 16, working the counter at the Laconia IGA, where he learned to cut meat.

In 1959, Brian joined the United States Army, serving in Korea with an Army engineers group toward the end of the conflict. Honorably discharged in June 1965, he came home to New Hampshire, and picked up right where he'd left off, back behind the meat counter at IGA.

His career carried him across the grocery business for decades. In the late 1970s, he became a road supervisor for Associated Grocers of New England, traveling New Hampshire's North Country to serve small independent grocers and restaurants. On one of those routes, stopping for lunch at a hotel restaurant in Littleton, he met Penny, who became his wife. From 1980 to 1984, he managed Dixon's supermarkets in Newport and Claremont, then returned to Associated Grocers as director of the meat department, a role he held until retiring in 2003.

If the grocery business gave Brian his living, the land gave him his joy. He and Penny bought a 59-acre property in Loudon, where he farmed nine acres and grew 35 varieties of fruits and vegetables, running a farm stand on the property and a vendor spot at the Laconia Farmer's Market for many years. He never really stopped, still planting a quarter acre at 85, because he loved watching things grow.

Brian was a familiar face in the Loudon community, known for his farm stand, for helping the fire department's annual potluck dinner, and for helping the Loudon Youth Athletics Association build its first concession stand, which funded the baseball and soccer programs for years afterward. He also hired high school kids to work the farm, teaching more than a few young men how to work hard, show up on time, and do a job right. In his final days, several of those men, now grown, came to see him at the hospital and hospice house. The family can think of no better tribute to Brian's work ethic and quiet mentorship than the words those men shared about the difference he made in their lives.

Brian is survived by his wife, Penny; his four sons, Mark (Sheryl), Scott, Paul and Daniel (Adria); his seven grandchildren, Martina, Marcus, Crystal, Ashley, Samantha, Elizabeth and Madison; and his five great-grandchildren, Alexus, Kiera, Maddox, Brandon Jr. and Zoey.

In lieu of a traditional funeral service, the family will hold a celebration of Brian's life at the family farm in Loudon, New Hampshire.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Granite VNA Hospice House, 240 Pleasant St., Concord, NH 03301, or online at granitevna.org/donate.