MANCHESTER, NH – The CEO of The Courvilles Communities, four local assisted living and retirement homes, and his wife were two of the three people killed in a three-car accident on Route 101 Saturday.
Richard Courville, 77, was founder and CEO of The Courville Communities, an assisted living and retirement home business with two locations in Nashua, as well as one each in Manchester and Bedford. He and his wife, Denise, 65, were killed when their 2023 Jeep Wagoneer was hit head-on Saturday afternoon by pickup truck. The couple lived in North Hampton.
The Courvilles Community President Ryan Courville, Richard’s son, announced the news to employees, “with a broken heart.” Richard Courville was “the founder and visionary who built The Courvilles,” he said, according to several news outlets that quoted the note.
“At this time of shock and sorrow, I ask that anyone who knew my father, or Mr. C as he was affectionately called by many, take a moment to reflect on your memories of him and lift a prayer up to heaven for him and Denise,” Ryan Courville said.
A post that simply says “It is with heavy hearts that we post this. In loving memory, The Courvilles.” with a photo of the couple was posted to The Courvilles Facebook page Tuesday. The photo has been posted on the home page of The Courvilles website. Facebook and LinkedIn commenters spoke of what a wonderful couple the pair were, and what a loss to the community their deaths are.
Michael Wescott, 59, of Greenville, also died in the accident, which is under investigation by New Hampshire State Police. The initial investigation determined that a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, driven by Wescott, was traveling east at a high speed on Route 101 in Candia, and side-swiped a 2018 Nissan Sentra, struck a guardrail, then veered across the median into the westbound lanes, hitting the 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer driven by Richard Courville head-on.
Richard Courville had been in the nursing home business for more than 50 years and The Courville Communities is the state’s largest private senior living services company, according to the company’s website. He and Denise are described by colleagues as a “legacy owners” of senior-based care centers in New Hampshire.
Richard Courville was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of the New Hampshire Health Care Association Board of Director. No information on Denise Courville was immediately available.
Westcott was most recently employed by Hitchiner Manufacturing in Milford, and was the father of six and grandfather of 16, according to an online obituary.