PELHAM – A former Pelham man was found dead in Nashua’s Merrimack River a day after he disappeared last week, his family said.

Greg McDevitt, 37, the son of Pelham Selectman William McDevitt, was found Wednesday, March 12, after he went missing the day before.

The Pelham selectman recalled coming home Tuesday night after his re-election to the board when he received a call from his son’s wife, Catherine, at about 10:30 p.m. She was concerned because he had not come home, and there had been no sign of him.

“I didn’t have a good feeling from that instant because he was like clockwork,” he said. “We learned that he missed a meeting at 5 (p.m.) that day, and that wasn’t the Greg I knew.”

After going through her husband’s e-mails, she learned he planned to be taking photos of a skate park in Nashua along the Merrimack River before attending a board meeting at the preschool his children attend.

Following the filing of a missing person report, police found Greg McDevitt’s car locked at the same skate park the next day and later found his body in the river.

Nashua police said the death was under investigation, though it did not appear suspicious at this time.

McDevitt, a Pelham High School graduate and father of three, lived with his wife, Catherine, in Nashua. They expected their fourth child this July. He was the sixth of seven children and was known for his quiet confidence, his father said.

McDevitt said his son made goals and ambitiously accomplished them, such as when he joined the U.S. Marines or ran the Boston Marathon without any prior running experience.

“It was certainly surprising when he said he’d do that, but he did it,” McDevitt said. “He was a sort of kid who set his mind and did exactly what he meant to do.”

In recent years, Greg McDevitt created his own business as recruiter for law firms following experience gained as human resources director of Devine, Millimet & Branch in Manchester.

“I think he did well with it despite being such a new business,” his father said.

William McDevitt said his son had a natural talent as a father with “the routine things that are important,” whether it was acting as a coach to one son’s basketball team or participating as a board member at his children’s preschool, the Children’s Winter Garden.

They were the sort of things a good dad does,” he said. “He’s been gone for a couple days now, and our focus is helping his wife and family.”