Laconia lion John Veazey dead at 81

LACONIA — Local businessman, civic leader and politician John A. Veazey died Tuesday night after a period of declining health. He was 81-years old.

Veazey was one of the lions of Laconia — working tirelessly as president of the Laconia Industrial Development Corp. through the 1960s and 1970s to bring industry and business to his beloved hometown, all while raising a family and running Boulia Gorrell Lumber Co.

"Just a real nice gentleman," said long-time friend and former co-legislator Stephen Nedeau of Meredith. "He liked to do things his way."

Nedeau served with Veazey on the N.H. House Transportation Committee and said Veazey was always there with a story about some life experience that was relevant to the topic.

"You always knew something was coming," he said.

Veazey was born in Laconia in 1929 to Allen G. and Nina (Suttie) Veazey. His father also owned Boulia Gorrell and the son was fond of recalling details of the great hurricane of 1938 and that, even though he was only 9-years-old at the time, he was tasked with following the steamships cleaning the fallen logs from Paugus Bay and retrieving the ones that got away.

He earned a Bachelor of Science from the N.Y College of Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y. and his Masters of Arts from Nichols college in Dudley, Mass. He served form 1949 to 1951 in the United States Air Force.

Among his contributions to Laconia and the Lakes Region was his service as a Ward 1 city councilor and four terms in the N.H. House of Representative, from 1996 to 2000, from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2008 until Dec. 1 — the day before he died.

He was also a Laconia Police Commissioner and the city tax assessor.

One of his last accomplishments as state representative was helping enact the boating speed limit law for Lake Winnipesaukee — a cause in which he believed deeply.

Veazey and his wife Phyllis have three children: Allen, Jane MacFazden and Sally McGarry.

Though he retired "officially" from Boulia-Gorrell in 1996, he spent nearly every morning there greeting his customers and keeping his presence known.

"I really liked John," said Nedeau. "And I'm really going to miss him."