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.
• Norman J. Boyd, 75, of Marlboro. Died Oct. 17. Husband of Joyce Johnson for 53 years. Father of Anthony Boyd. Brother of the late Henry Boyd. Born in Wilmington, the son of the late Donald and Viola (Morgan) Boyd, he attended Wilmington schools and the Vermont Agriculture School in Randolph. He served in the Navy on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. He was employed by Suburban Propane after he retired from the Book Press after 40 years of service. He loved his hunting camp, hunting and fishing, and especially loved planning events at their camp for his family and friends. Memorial information: Funeral services will be private and at the convenience of the family. Donations to Marlboro Rescue, in care of Marlboro Fire and Rescue, Marlboro, VT or to Rescue Inc., P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Messages of condolence may be sent to Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home and Cremation Service at www.kerwesterlund.com.
• Howard B. Bragg Jr., 78, of Rockingham. Died Oct. 17 at the V.A. Hospital in White River Junction. Partner of Dolores Eastman for more than 30 years. Brother of Everett Bragg, of Melbourne, Fla., and the late Bruce Bragg and Hilda Jones. Born in Langdon, N.H., the son of the late Howard and Ernestine (Clark) Bragg, he attended school in Alstead and later joined the Army, serving the 82nd Airborne during the Korean Conflict. He worked as a truck driver for many years. He was a member of American Legion Post 37, the Loyal Order of the Moose, and the Polish American Club, all in Bellows Falls. Memorial information: A graveside service will be held at the convenience of the family in Pine Grove Cemetery in Alstead.
• Fred Carlton Collar, 82, of Marlboro, formerly of Revere, Mass. Died Oct. 14 at his home. Brother of Louise Woodlock, and her husband, Edmund, of Marlboro. Born in Revere, son of the late Fred and Dorothy (Perkins) Collar, he was raised and educated in Revere, attending public schools. As a young man, he worked on Revere Beach, making frozen custard, and at Suffolk Downs, caring for the horses. He served in the Navy during World War II, stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and was honorably discharged from active service in 1948. He had been employed as a trackman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for 25 years. He retired in 1984 and moved to Marlboro to live with his sister and her family. He was a member of American Legion Post 76 in Jamaica Plain, Mass., and held membership in the Boston Carmen's Union, Local 589. He enjoyed bluegrass music, horse racing, and cutting all his wood for the winter with his bow saw. Memorial information: In accordance with his wishes, services will be private with burial in King Cemetery in Marlboro. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Carl Albert “Newt” Newton, 83. Died Oct. 16. Husband of the late Beverly (Sheldon) Newton. Father of Steve, Gary and Scott Newton, and Susan Petrie Climent. Companion of Arlene Brainard. Born in Pittsfield, Mass., he served in the Army during World War II. He moved to Vermont from Colorado in 1966. He was an avid woodworker all of his life. He was a stock car racer and he and loved working on old Jeeps. He also loved his pets. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Oct. 22 at Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home in Brattleboro, with a graveside committal service with military honors in Hinesburg Road Cemetery in West Guilford. Donations to Brattleboro Area Hospice, 91 Canal St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, or the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Messages of condolence may be sent to Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home and Cremation Service at www.kerwesterlund.com.
• Lyman Grayson Powers, 94, formerly of Vernon. Died Oct. 18 at The Center for Living and Rehabilitation in Bennington. Husband of the late Margaret I. (Thomas) Powers for 62 years. Father of Lyman E. Powers and his wife, Peg. Brother of Goldie (Powers) Beswick, Jackie (Shippee) Corcoran, and the late Harding C. “Skip” Powers and Jillian (Shippee) LaRoche. Born in Marlboro, the son of the late Raymond W. Powers and Muriel (Shippee) Powers, he grew up on the family farm on Higley Hill in Marlboro where he attended school at the two-room schoolhouse, “just a stone's throw” from his home, as he would tell his family. He owned his own sawmill and logging operation for many years, and was well known for his use of draft horses in both logging and horse draws at many a local fair. In his early 40s, he began working in local construction, specializing in concrete work. He was proud of having poured concrete for many of the major construction projects in the region, including the Yankee Rowe and Vermont Yankee nuclear plants, Interstate 91, the Northfield Mountain hydroelectric project, and two of the dormatories at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He belonged to the Carpenter's Union, Local 108 and was a member of the Masons in Brattleboro. He was also a member of the Church of Christ in Brattleboro. He was an avid gardener, doing so right up until this summer. He and his wife also rescued many dogs and cats around both their homes in Vernon, and New Smyrna, Fla. Memorial information: Graveside committal services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29 in North Cemetery in Vernon. Donations to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Messages of condolence may be sent to Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home and Cremation Service at www.kerwesterlund.com.
• Marie P. Putnam, 64, of Wells, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 17 at Rutland Regional Medical Center. Wife of the late Prentice L. “Cappy” Putnam. Fiancee of Ted Mendrina of Wells. Sister of Marc Roy and his wife, Margaret, of South Burlington. Born in Newport, the daughter of Hector and Germaine (Lussier) Roy, she was raised and educated in Newport and was a graduate of Sacred Heart High School. While a resident of Brattleborom she had been employed at Eden Park Nursing Home for many years, She worked in numerous positions at the facility, including front desk receptionist, before she retired early due to a disability. She had made her home in Wells for the past seven years. She was a member of Bingham Chapter #30, Order of the Eastern Star, in Brattleboro and was an active participant with the Wells Volunteer Fire Department, where she had served as president. She liked to garden, loved her home and enjoyed travel. She was known for her spirit of kindness and generosity and enjoyed being around people, especially children. She was an excellent baker and during every holiday season enjoyed sharing her baked delicacies with family and friends. Memorial information: Graveside committal services were conducted on Oct. 22 at Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery on Orchard Street. Donation to Wells Volunteer Fire Department, 114 Route 30, Wells, VT 05774. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Richard S. Reeve Sr., 74, of Templeton, Mass., formerly of Jamaica. Died Sept. 10 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. Husband of Mary C. Reeve for 24 years. Father of Richard S. Reeve Jr. and his wife, Maureen, of Franklin, Mass., and Mark P. Reeve of Bellingham, Mass. Stepfather of Christine Jacobsen of Hartland. Born in Union Beach, N.J., he graduated from high school at age 16 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He served in the Army, and was stationed in West Berlin. After leaving the service, he went to Boston to learn electrical engineering, eventually earning a degree from Northeastern University. He started his career with Raytheon, and later worked 30 years for Polaroid. He enjoyed teaching, and was an electronics instructor at ITT Technical Institute, where he earned several honors for his work. He moved to Jamaica in 1995, but kept busy by working at Fireside True Value in Brattleboro and, later, R.K. Miles in Manchester, where he passed on his knowledge to contractors and homeowners alike. He moved back to Massachusetts in 2007. He loved helping his neighbors, dining out, going on trips, and spending time with his extended family. Memorial information: A private memorial service will be held in the spring. Donations to the Grace Cottage Foundation, P.O. Box 1, Townshend, VT 05353.
• John Francis Ross, 63, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 11 at his home. Brother of Paul Ross, and his fiancee, JoAnne Lankford of Daytona Beach, Fla. Born in Brattleboro, the son of the late Simon and Anna (Bennett) Ross, he was raised and educated in Brattleboro, graduating from St. Michael's High School, Class of 1966. He had been employed at the former Book Press in Brattleboro working as an inventory control assistant. He later worked as a sales associate at Agway in Brattleboro. Of his leisure time activities, he enjoyed golf, playing video games, watching spectator sports that included NASCAR racing, and social time at the American Legion Post 5 and at the Fraternal Order of Eagles, both in Brattleboro. He was a devoted son and was his parent's caregiver in their later years. He resided in the family home all of his life. Memorial information: Graveside committal services were conducted on Oct. 20 in the family lot in St. Michael's Parish Cemetery on Oak Grove Avenue. Donations to St. Michael's School, 48 Walnut St., Brattleboro, VT 05301, in care of Elaine Beam, Principal. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
Births
• In Brattleboro, Oct. 15, 2011, a daughter, Ella Sue Pero, to Ariane Lavoie and Eric Pero of Brattleboro.
College news
• Brian M. Schilling of Saxtons River is enrolled in the Class of 2015 at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. Schilling graduated from Vermont Academy.