Leo Paul Demers

Leo Paul Demers Jr. passed away peacefully at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH, on March 25, 2025, just shy of his 81st birthday. Leo was born on April 25, 1944, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Leo and Lena Demers. He grew up spending much of his time in Hudson, NH, with his life-long friend, Fran Coulter. It was this time with his treasured friend that planted the seed in Leo’s mind to return to Hudson to build a family life years later.

Long before it was commonplace to communicate world-wide via the internet or cellphone, Leo spent his teenage years talking with people from near and far on his ham radio set. He carried this hobby into his adult life, often spending hours in his ham shack connecting with people all over the world.

His early interest in ham radio led him to an internship at a radio station and eventually a career in broadcast engineering. Leo went on to work at various television stations in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts taking on just about every job behind the scenes that makes broadcasting possible. Leo worked for over four decades as a cameraman, an audio technician, a master control chief and even helping to build a television station from the ground up. In today’s world of broadcasting, any one of these jobs would require an advanced degree of study, yet Leo was able to do all of this with nothing more than a high school diploma.

It is unknown whether Leo actively studied the philosophy of Stoicism, but he certainly lived a life that exemplified its four virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. Leo possessed a solid understanding of what is right and what is wrong and his decisions in life were guided by that wisdom. An active and ever challenging seizure disorder did little to deter Leo from living a full and eventful life. At 70 years old, he demonstrated great bravery in agreeing to undergo brain surgery to mitigate his seizures and was finally rewarded with 10 years of a seizure-free life. Leo consistently displayed a level of self-control that reflected a balanced life of moderation and simplicity that is rare in our world of excess and over-indulgence. And, above all, Leo was a just person who often thought of and acted upon the common good. Whether walking the picket line despite being the sole provider for a young family or faithfully joining the Salvation Army’s bell ringers each holiday season, Leo lived a life of justice.

Leo is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 59 years, Penny (Sullivan) Demers of Hudson, NH; his son and daughter-in-law, Chris and Paula Demers of Concord, NH; his granddaughter, Katharine Demers of Penacook, NH; his sister and brother-in-law, Eleanor and John McAndrew of Billerica, MA; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Leo will be remembered during a mass at St. Louis de Gonzague’s Catholic Church in Nashua in the spring. He spent his life supporting so many in this world who were in need. All who wish to honor Leo are welcome to make a donation to a charity, organization or cause of their choice. The world is a better place because of Leo’s humble and resilient spirit. He will be missed by many, but his impact will continue to be felt by even more.