Feb 22, 1930 – June 7, 2016

Roger O. Topliffe, 86, passed away peacefully under hospice care at Bed­ford Falls, Bedford, after a period of declining health.

He was born in Brooklyn, NY, and grew up in Scars­dale, NY, son of John and Gladys (Wethey) Topliffe. He received a BSME from the University of Vermont in 1952, where he also met his wife and life partner Nancy Neal. He and Nancy were longtime residents of Amherst, moving to their winterized summer home on Lake Sunapee after re­tirement, and later to Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda, FL. He is pre-deceased by his beloved wife of 55 years, Nancy Neal Topliffe, and his one brother, Jack Topliffe.

Roger was a creative and imaginative mechani­cal engineer throughout his life, starting out de­veloping gyroscopes, and working on projects as di­verse as the NASA Lunar Excursion Module land­ing gear, and military ve­hicle suspension systems. After retirement, he was instrumental in develop­ing the mechanism for a medication dispens­ing machine of which he was particularly proud. He also served as a Com­missioner of the Amherst Village District for many years beginning in 1969.

He was a die-hard do-it-yourselfer, which always kept him busy at home. He had the ability to un­derstand how almost any­thing worked and could repair anything. He often re-engineered the item under repair for improve­ments. Boating was also a life-long passion.

Roger is survived by two daughters, Diane Leigh of White River Junction VT, Susan Neal of Durham; one son, Douglas Topliffe of Mont Vernon; six grand­children, Andrew Topliffe, Neal Topliffe, Brian Enos, Coretta Enos, Frank Duch­arme, and Megan Neal; and one great-granddaughter, August Enos.

His remains will be in­terned beside his wife at Meadowview Cemetery in Amherst at a graveside service June 25 at 10AM. In lieu of flowers, memo­rial donations can be sent to the 1st United Methodist Church of Punta Gorda. 507 W. Marion Ave, Punta Gor­da, FL 33950 or Lake Su­napee Protection Associa­tion, 63 Main St., P.O. Box 683, Sunapee, NH 03782.