William B. Webb, 72

HOLDERNESS — William B. Webb, affectionately known to most as Bill, 72, of Holderness, passed peacefully from this life into eternity on April 19, at the Jack Byrne Hospice Center in Hanover. His immediate family had been in attendance at his bedside.

He was born in Portland, Maine, on June 15, 1950, the son of John and Ruth (Sherry) Webb. Bill was raised in Framingham, Masssachusetts, where he graduated from Framingham North High School class of 1968 and later attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, where he graduated in 1972 with a political science degree. He later married Bonnie L. (Shores) Webb and they settled in Framingham.

Bill was active in the Republican Party at a young age and ran for State Representative office in 1974 but was not elected. He then was employed by Leisure Guide, a book distributed in hotel rooms nationwide guiding guests to restaurants, shopping and attractions. This opportunity took Bill and Bonnie to Camarillo, California, for a short time. In 1980, a move back to New Hampshire provided an opportunity for Bill to start his own business with his wife, an 8-room bed and breakfast, which Bill named The Inn on Golden Pond. The business flourished and Bill retired in 2017, moving up the hill from the Inn overlooking Little Squam Lake.

Over the years, Bill served his community as budget committee chair and selectman. He founded and chaired a local community-based nonprofit, Holderness 2000, Inc., which was responsible for constructing a recreation path in Holderness. Following this project, he was involved in purchasing land and constructing a town common in Holderness village. Bill served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center (chair two years), the Whole Village Family Resource Center in Plymouth (treasurer two years), and the NH Charitable Foundation — North Country (chair three years). He served on the board of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, president of the Grafton County Economic Development Board, and board member of the Plymouth State University President’s Council. When he wasn’t attending a board meeting, he and his wife enjoyed watching the Plymouth State University basketball games, hiking and traveling the world.

Bill is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Bonnie L. (Shores) Webb; son, Richard and daughter-in-law, Krystal and their two children, Kyle and Logan of Belmont; daughter, Rebecca K. (Webb) Bartlett and son-in-law, Andrew, and their daughter Lilian, who reside in Kittery, Maine; his two brothers and sisters-in-law, John and Denby Webb of Shaker Heights, Ohio, and their children, John and Jennifer, and Robert and Susannah Webb of Glastonbury, Connecticut, and their children Gus, Lucy and Thomas.

Bill’s life will be celebrated with a memorial service at Merrill Place Conference Center, 14 Merrill St., Plymouth, NH 03264, on Saturday, May 6, at 11 a.m.