Harry Everett Simano, 85, died Friday, May 15, 2026, after a brief illness.

He was born on October 17, 1940, in Exeter, to Harry Prosper Simano and Jennie Elizabeth (Smart) Simano Piper. He grew up in the Derry, Raymond, and Chester areas and graduated from Raymond High School in 1958.

While attending high school in Raymond, NH, he met the love of his life, Gail Ann Brown. They married on June 2, 1963. As Gail completed nursing school, the couple spent the first eight years of their marriage in Manchester.

In September 1971, Harry and Gail moved to Pike, NH, after purchasing the Pike Station Store. They loved being part of the small-town community and were active in many local activities, including Scouting, foster parenting, and community service. Harry proudly served as a Haverhill Selectman from 1990 to 1992.

After selling the Pike Station Store in the early 1990s and later the home they built, Harry and Gail moved to Lake Gardner in Bath, NH, where he spent the next 20 years enjoying the people and life around the lake. There was always an open seat at his table for a cribbage game. Much of his retirement was spent playing cards with friends at the American Legion and around the lake. Up until his final days, cribbage remained a regular part of life, usually mixed with laughter, a little cussing, and a Busch beer close at hand.

During his younger years, Harry loved fishing, hunting, traveling throughout northern New England, and spending time with family. Cars were also a big part of his life, as his family owned a garage in Raymond.

Over the years, he worked for his family garage and towing business, The New Hampshire Fence Company, Sears, and after selling the Pike Station Store, Shur Auto Parts (Napa). Bradford, VT, Kar Products as an outside salesperson, Service Manager at Walker Motors, Bradford Golf Club, and Produce Manager at Price Chopper in West Lebanon, NH.

Harry loved people and had a gift for making connections wherever he went. His family often joked that you always knew where you stood with Harry because his heart was always on his sleeve and he told you exactly what he was thinking. Golf was one of his great passions and became something proudly shared across generations of the family. He also treasured watching his sons grow through the ranks of Boy Scouts and enjoyed many trips to Hidden Valley Scout Camp during the 1980s.

Watching his children and grandchildren succeed in life brought him great joy.

Harry and Gail shared 50 years of marriage before Gail passed away in 2013. Together they enjoyed traveling, trekking through Europe, visiting Pete in Guatemala, Alaska, and Indonesia, and spending winters in Myrtle Beach, where he made his only hole in one on the golf course, and at their home in the Florida Keys, where they enjoyed boating and fishing, which they passed on the love for that to his children and grandchildren. One of their favorite adventures was driving the Alaska Highway together and seeing more of the country. Above all, Harry loved having family nearby and making memories together.

Harry was predeceased by his parents, Harry Prosper Simano and Jennie Simano Piper; his brother, Norman Simano; his sister, Betty Collins; his beloved wife, Gail Simano; and his son, Scott Simano.

He is survived by his son Pete Simano of Ankara. Turkey; his son Brian Simano and daughter-in-law Deborah Cole-Simano of Pike, NH, and their daughters, Mayghan Glaude and Brooke Simano; his great-grandchildren, Mallory Glaude and Dawson Cassidy; his daughter-in-law Dee Simano of Pike, NH, widow of Scott Simano, and their daughters Lauren Simano and Abigail Gillis; Jeff and Nancy Simano of Cheyenne and their children Ford and Phoebe Simano and Chad Neilson; Tess and Kyle Clark of Franklin and their children Ben, Cassandra, Luke, and Alex Clark; as well as bonus family members Brian Dyke, Kimberly Graham, Krystal Brown, and Kristopher Brown.

Harry leaves behind friends all across the North Country, but Pike, Haverhill, and Bath always held a very special place in his heart.

He will be remembered for his kindness, his stories, his humor, his service to others, and the way he made people feel welcome wherever he went.

A celebration of life will be determined by the family at a later date.