KB1NXE - Thursday 4/4/2019

In a tragic accident, Jim Philopena - KB1NXE passed away while trying to save his dog which fell through the ice. Although, not named in this story, this is him. He was a former coworker of mine, great ham radio buddy and I will miss him immensely... He was an active poster here, and I'm sure a lot of you have seen his posts and debated him in friendly banter.

https://wgme.com/news/local/nh-man-dies-while-trying-to-save-dog-who-fell-through-ice

 

Sorry to read this. He really loved his dog (link from February).

 

That is so sad. I loved his posts and reading his thoughts and opinions. I only knew him on QRZ but he seemed like a very cool guy. If I remember right he had a girlfriend. My heart goes out to her. I will be praying that the Lord of all eternity helps her through this and helps her with the grieving process that can last a long time and hurts more then anything else we can go through. I am working on that right now. It takes a lot of talking and crying.

John, WB0MPB

 

Very sad news.

 

Jim was one of the good guys. I always enjoyed reading his posts. R.I.P.

 

WITH RESPECT

GOD REST HIS SOUL

​

 

Very sad news. He was the HRD expert, And enjoyed helping others.

R.I.P. Jim

 

Wow. Shocking. Life is short.

 

Yes, we need to embrace our friendships while we can.

 

Here's the updated story identifying Jim.

https://www.sentinelsource.com/news...cle_e26fa6c1-16d2-5ab5-a320-2058c862d7b5.html

 

So sorry to hear that news....I would do the same for my Buddy...so sorry it happened...he did what he loved doing, being with his best friend....

 

MARLBOROUGH — Police have identified a local resident who died last week after falling through ice on a Marlborough pond.

James Philopena, 59, drowned in 12 feet of water in Meetinghouse Pond sometime Thursday eveningwhile trying to save his dog that had wandered onto the ice, Marlborough Police Chief Christopher Lyons told The Sentinel Sunday. The dog also died, police said.


Marlborough police went to Philopena’s home for a welfare check Friday morning after a friend called and said they hadn’t heard from him since Thursday around 4 p.m., according to a news release from the department.

Lyons said he knew Philopena had a dog, a golden retriever named Murphy, and lived alone. When he got the call Friday morning, he went to Philopena’s house and found the car in the driveway and no dog. Lyons said he surmised Philopena had walked his dog and began talking to neighbors, including David and Deb Durocher.


“They immediately sprung into action,” Lyons said. They gave police a list of Philopena’s dog-walking spots, and they found the hole in the ice on Meetinghouse Pond within an hour.

Without their observation, Lyons said, authorities might not have been able to bring closure to the search: The hole was at the edge of the ice near open water, and if authorities hadn’t spotted the hole before the ice melted, the evidence of what happened might have disappeared completely.

Philopena worked as a senior network and systems administrator at Landmark College in Putney, Vt., the college said. Lyons said Philopena was a retired master sergeant in the Air Force and a “big-time ham radio enthusiast.”

 

https://www.cournoyerfh.com/obituaries/James-Jim-Philopena?obId=4285964#/obituaryInfo

KB1NXE Obituary

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

James Timothy Philopena (Jim), 59, died Thursday, April 4, while attempting to rescue his true companion, Murphy, from Meetinghouse Pond in Marlborough, NH. He will be endlessly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Jim was born to Lois and Frank Philopena in Manchester, CT in 1959 and graduated from East Catholic High School before matriculating into the Air Force. He retired from service in 1998 as Master Sergeant. He worked for CNS in Keene, NH, UMass Amherst, and most recently, Landmark College in Putney, VT, where he served as Senior Network Analyst.

Along with walks and play time with Murphy, Jim thoroughly enjoyed volunteering and communicating with others worldwide as a ham radio operator, listening to music through a world-class sound system he designed himself, exploring new landscapes with his camera, skiing, and most often, being of service in any way he could. He was gifted with his hands, whether in the workshop where he expertly made gifts for both human and canine friends, in the kitchen where he took the greatest of care with the smallest of ingredients, and while giving his rescue dog Murphy the affection and care he needed to learn to how to love life. Of all his talents and traits, it was Jim’s rare and abiding loyalty to those he loved, his slyly silly humor, his perennial good nature, and his thoughtful, incisive comments on life, love, and society for which he will be most often remembered.

Jim was predeceased by his brother, Frank III, his mother, and his father. He leaves behind his sisters, Beth Urbanetti and Catherine Limansky, his brothers, Paul, John, & Ed Philopena, their spouses, and the nieces & nephews of whom he was so proud. He also leaves behind his beloved Kathy, his tight-knit community at the College, and dear friends from NH to Germany.

Special thanks to Chief Lyons of the Marlborough Police Dept., Lieutenant Boudreau of NH Fish & Game, and all the first responders who helped in the search.

All are invited to a memorial service on Saturday, April 13 at 11:00 a.m. at the Cournoyer Funeral Home, 33 River Street, Jaffrey, NH.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Pets4Luv, 1504 Old Country Rd, Westbury, NY 11590, where Murphy was adopted by his hero in April, 2018.

To send flowers to the family of James 'Jim' Philopena, please visit Tribute Store.