It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the death of Joseph DiClerico, Jr., on April 2, 2022. Joe was a Board member of the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust from 2010 to 2019, serving as Secretary for the last four of those years.
Although he grew up in Nahant, Massachusetts, he and his family enjoyed summer vacations at Twin Lake Villa, and Joe became familiar with New London and the surrounding area. His attachment was so strong that after graduating from Williams College and Yale Law School, he settled on the shore of Little Lake Sunapee. In 1975 he married Laurie Breed Thomson of Swampscott, Massachusetts and New London, one of the best decisions he made during his life according to Joe. Their daughter Devon was born in 1978.
Joe’s legal career began in 1966 when he served as law clerk to the Honorable Aloysius J. Connor, United States District Judge for the District of New Hampshire. The following year he served as law clerk for the five Justices of the NH Supreme Court. For two years he was an associate with Cleveland, Waters and Bass in Concord. In 1970 he became an Assistant Attorney General for New Hampshire and in 1977 began his judicial career as an Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court. Governor Judd Gregg appointed him Chief Justice of that court in 1991. His career as a federal judge began in 1992 as a District Judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire, serving his first five years as Chief Judge. In 2007, rather than retire outright, he became a Senior Judge, carrying a reduced caseload, and continued in that capacity until his death.
Both Laurie and Joe shared their time and talent with Ausbon Sargent. Laurie worked as the Development Associate from 2001 until 2016 and is currently a member of the Board. Joe brought energy, curiosity, and serious consideration to every decision that came before the Trustees. He was a careful listener who thought about both short and long term impacts. Generous with his time and grateful for this community, Joe was willing to add to the usual six-year tenure of a trustee to serve three more years as an officer. The Board was delighted to have the additional time to benefit from his wisdom, leadership, and wry sense of humor. He influenced the direction of Ausbon Sargent and contributed greatly to its success. We are grateful for all he did to support Ausbon Sargent’s work and we will miss him.
