F. Roger Bies Jr., 91

F. Roger Bies Jr., age 91, of 41 Blueberry Hill Lane, Gilford, died in Jacksonville, Florida, of a subdural hemorrhage and right hip fracture on March 4, 2026.

Roger was born Jan. 7, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of the late Frank R. in Eleanor A. (Sweeney) Bies. He had been a year-round resident of Governors Island since 1971.

Roger had grown up in Springfield, New Jersey, and graduated from Regional High School in 1952. His love of New Hampshire began when he worked on the Arlyn dairy farm in West Plymouth, during his high school summers. In 1956, he received a bachelor science degree in agriculture from the University of New Hampshire where he had been a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and played on the UNH hockey team. After graduation from UNH, he was a commissioned naval officer upon completion of Officer Candidate School at Newport, Rhode Island. He flew for two years with the Navy Hurricane Hunters in radar configured, Super Constellation aircraft, and a year with anti-submarine patrol squadron in P2V Neptune patrol bombers — both from NAS Jacksonville, Florida. His next tour of duty for five years was with Naval Air Transport Squadron, flying three worldwide transport missions out of Maguire Air Force Base in DC-6 and C-130 aircraft. The last year of military service was spent working for the Air Force Eastern Transport Command Headquarters in the Plans and Programs Department at Maguire Air Force Base, New Jersey. In 1966, he left the Navy to become a Pan Am pilot where he flew B-707, DC-8, B-747 and L-1011 aircraft out of JFK airport, New York.

In 1956, the Bies family moved from Springfield, New Jersey, to Atkinson. It was from Atkinson that he and his brothers Edward and Gary entered the military services. Their names are engraved in the Atkinson Vietnam Veterans War Memorial.

He is survived by two sons, Frank R “Buzz” Bies III of Manchester and William J. Bies of Jacksonville, Florida; grandsons James Roger Bies and Jacob A. Bies; granddaughters Heather R. Bies and Cézanne C. Bies; and brother Gary E. Bies. He was predeceased by brother, Edward A. Bies.

Burial will be private at Gilford Pine Grove Cemetery at a date to be determined.

Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, visit wilkinsonbeane.com.