Obituaries
Editor's note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news, free of charge.
• Mona Amelia Duke, 82, a resident at Charlene Manor Nursing Home in Greenfield, Mass., and a former resident of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 5 at the Farren Care Center in Greenfield. Former wife of Alderic Bourbeau. Wife of the late Robert Duke. Mother of Stephen Bourbeau of Greenfield. Sister of David Markley, Judy Vidor, and the late Ronald Markley. Born in Veazie, Maine, daughter of the late Wilbur and Annie (Doane) Markley, she was raised and educated in Greenfield and was a graduate of Greenfield High School, Class of 1947. She was a faithful and devoted homemaker and mother whose life centered around her family. She played golf for many years and was a former member of the Brattleboro Country Club. She also enjoyed reading, jigsaw puzzles and classical music. Memorial information: Graveside committal services were held Oct. 7 in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to Rescue Inc. P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Corey Michael Lang, 32, of Hinsdale, N.H. Died April 3 in Erving, Mass., after a long courageous battle with mental illness. Brother of Janelle Barrett, Trevor P. Lang, and Jacob M. Harris. Born in Keene, N.H., son of Sandra J. (Robarge) and Gene M. Lang, he graduated from Hinsdale High School, Class of 1997. He had worked for Erving Paper Co. as an oiler mechanic. He had also worked at the Vermont Bread Co. as a mechanic. He also served in the Army. He was an avid reader of literature, and loved all types of history. He enjoyed hiking the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail. He was talented with his hands, and would buy junked motorcycles and rebuild them to showroom condition. He liked to ride his bicycle and rode one time to Maine. He was an avid swimmer and loved to run. He was a complex man and gentle soul, with great love for his family. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Oct. 9 at Stonewall Farm in Keene. Donations to The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill/New Hampshire (NAMINH) 15 Green St. Concord, NH. 03301.
• Aline Diane Martin, 83, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 3 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Wife of the late Edward W. “Bub” Martin for 51 years. Mother of Diane Corey and her husband, Douglas, of Salisbury, Cindy Foster of Brattleboro, Richard Martin of Baltimore, Vt., and Dean Martin of Milton. Sister of Frank Bald of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Louis Bald of Bristol, Conn. Born at home on the family farm in Stanton, Quebec, the second to the youngest of 12 children to the late and Louise (Laventure) Bald, she was raised and educated in Stanton. A resident of Brattleboro for almost 60 years, she was a nurse's aide at the former Linden Lodge Nursing Home, retiring in 1993 after 20 years of service. Previously, she performed private duty care in the Brattleboro area. She was steadfast in her walk of faith and her daily worship was important to her. She was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Brattleboro. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, her cats, and time shared with her family, especially her grandchildren. Memorial information: A memorial service was conducted Oct. 9 at the Kingdom Hall in West Brattleboro. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Jane Hwa Pu (also known as Ching Ying Pu), 97, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 5 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Wife of the late Hung-Ki Pu. Mother of Sung-Wen Chang, Ching-Wen Taylor, Robert and Glen Pu, and the late Wei-Wen Chang. Born in Guiyang, Guizhou, China, daughter of the late Wen-chi Hwa and Tsun-lan Hsieh, she led a remarkable and sometimes adventurous life. She came from a well-known and respected Guiyang family, renowned for managing the salt monopoly first in Sichuan and then in Guizhou, establishing the Wentong Press (one of seven major presses in the nation), the Yongfeng paper mill, and developing the famous Maotai liquor distillery - used to this day in China to celebrate official and other important events. In 1944, as World War II was winding down, her husband, an educator, scholar and gifted linguist, left China for graduate study in the U.S. In 1949, with China in the turmoil of civil war, Mrs. Pu and her three daughters made their way to Hong Kong and from there took a ship to the United States to rejoin her husband in New York, who had by then become a Chinese-Russian translator for the United Nations. During these years, their two sons were born, and she devoted herself principally to raising their five children. After her husband retired, she moved to Brattleboro, where their son Robert and his family lived. They spent the rest of their lives enjoying life in Vermont and cooking wonderful feasts for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren whenever they visited. Memorial information: A private memorial service was held at the Atamaniuk Funeral Home on Oct. 8. Donations to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital or Brattleboro Area Hospice.
• John Paul Suskawicz, 90, of Hinsdale, N.H. Died Sept. 30 at home. Husband of Felicia (Matuszewski) Suskawicz for 63 years. Father of Janice Nichols of Westbrook, Maine, and Donna Suskawicz of Boston. Brother of Paul, Jr., Alexander and Ignatius Suskawicz, and Ann Donley. Born in Hempstead, N.Y., son of Paul and Mary (Poly) Suskawicz, who immigrated to the United States from Russia. As a teenager during the Depression, he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and traveled around the country working on construction projects, including the Surry Dam in New Hampshire. He enjoyed boxing and participated in the Golden Gloves Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Served in the Navy during World War II in the South Pacific. He was a talented artist and, after the war, received a scholarship to attend the Vesper George School of Art in Boston. Marriage and family delayed his artistic pursuits, but he continued to paint throughout his life, and was well known for his paintings of local covered bridges and historic buildings. He worked for many years at the Hinsdale Paper Mill and later as a pressman at the Book Press in Brattleboro. He was a skilled gardener and produced a bountiful vegetable garden each year. He participated in the Brattleboro Farmers' Market for many years. He also created a Christmas Tree farm and frequently donated Christmas trees during the holidays to families who were less fortunate. Throughout his life, he was a lover of nature and animals. Memorial information: Graveside committal rites with full military honors were held Oct. 6 at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Hinsdale. Donations to Brigham House/Zola Center for Persons with Disabilities, 20 Hartford St., Newton, MA 02461. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
Births
• In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), Sept. 27, 2011, a daughter, Lucy Elizabeth Nims, to Dawn (Descant) and Jonny Nims of Brattleboro; granddaughter to Ken and Lorraine Nims and Gene and Debbie Descant.
• In San Francisco, Calif., Aug. 21, 2011, a daughter, Bryher Elowen Lake Burtis, to Jennifer Thomas and Patrick Burtis; granddaughter of Jack Thomas of Sanibel, Fla., and Richard and Irene Burtis of Brattleboro.
Awards
• The Brattleboro Retreat recently bestowed the 2011 Anna Marsh Award to former state Sen. Robert T. Gannett. The Anna Marsh Award was established by the Brattleboro Retreat in 2009 to recognize individuals for their advocacy on behalf of people with mental illness. Gannett served on the Brattleboro Retreat Board of Trustees from 1967 to 1981.
Gannett graduated from Harvard College in 1939 and Harvard Law School in 1942. He came to Brattleboro with his wife, Sarah Alden Derby Gannett, in 1946 after completing four years of military service in the Army. He became a member of the Vermont state bar in 1947 and has been a practicing lawyer for more than 60 years. Gannett represented Brattleboro in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1953 to 1959, and Windham County in the Vermont Senate from 1973 to 1992.
He has served as a corporator and past president of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital; director of National Life Insurance Co.; director of the United Way of Windham County; and trustee of the Vermont Community Foundation. In addition to his involvement with these and many other organizations, he has been an avid golfer, fisherman and fan of the Boston Red Sox.