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.
• William “Bill” R. Arnold, 89, of Westminster West. Died Feb. 15 of heart failure. Husband of Camilla Tyler Lowman. Former husband of Margaret McCandless. Father of Randolph McCandless Arnold and his wife, Linda, of Waterbury Center; William Ansley Lowman Arnold of Putney; Marshall Foss Arnold of Chicago; and Camilla Elizabeth Arnold and her partner, Wayne Kunkle, of Westminster West. Born in Sioux City, Iowa, the son of the late Homer Ansley Arnold and Enola Fern Randolph Arnold, he received his bachelor's and master's degrees in European History from University of Iowa. He studied for a PhD in philosophy of religion at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary, where he was taught by Reinhold Niebuhr, Richard Kroner and Paul Tillich. He taught at Florida University, Windham College and Castleton State College. For many years, he resided in Greenwich Village in New York City with his wife Camilla before relocating to Westminster West in 1959. He was an avid rail fan and, in later years, focused on trolley car traction layouts, modeling in beautiful detail the Huntington, Indiana, line he had ridden on as a boy. He was a lover of books and jazz and classical music, and enjoyed sharing this love with family and friends over the years. He enjoyed his time spent in the vegetable garden, splitting and stacking wood, and pampering his cats and chickens. He needed no excuse to start reminiscing about his days working on his great uncle Charlie's farm in Indiana. During the 1970s and early 1980s, he worked at Russ and Barbara Seymour's General Store in Westminster West, where he took great pleasure in meeting all the colorful characters of the community. He was a parishioner of St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Brattleboro; his faith in God was his guiding light. Memorial information: At his request, his ashes will be interred in the Westminster West Cemetery at the convenience of the family.
• Gerald O. “Jerry” Beattie, 70, of Grafton. Died Feb. 19 at home. Father of Terri Druke and her husband, Edward, and Vickie Beattie and her husband, Brett Bills, all of Newfane; and Wayne Beattie and his wife, Michele, of Jamaica. Brother of Minnie Smith of Randolph, Florence Smith of Jamaica, Maxine Beattie of Burlington, Gordon Beattie of North Grosvenordale, Conn., and the late Raymond, Robert, Warren, Clifton, Walter, Wallace, Roger, and Wendell Beattie, and the late Marjorie Torrey and Marion Desilets. Born in Londonderry, the son of the late Ray C. and Zoe E. (Gates) Beattie, he attended schools in Londonderry and Chester. He owned and operated Beattie's Upholstery in Newfane, and later in Grafton, for the past 32 years. Previously, he worked for American Stratford in Brattleboro as a linotype operator and foreman. An avid lover of music, he enjoyed playing all types of guitars. He loved watching his grandchildren perform in all of their sporting events, and was especially proud of them. His big love in life was his two horses, Dylan and Capella, and his two dogs Dominick and Buddy. Memorial information: A celebration of his life was held Feb. 28 at the NewBrook fire house in Newfane. Private burial will be held at a later date. Donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont, 100 Dorset St., Suite 14, South Burlington, VT 05403.
• Anna K. Clark, 89, of Guilford. Died Feb. 19 at Thompson House. Wife of the late Rodney J. Clark for 40 years. Mother of the late Jeffrey L. Clark. Sister of the late Helena St. John. Born in Brattleboro, the daughter of the late Levi and Martha (Gottwald) Kempf, she graduated from Brattleboro High School, Class of 1940. For 15 years, she was employed as an accountant with Dunham Shoe Co. Previously, she was an accountant for Estey Organ Co. While working for Dunham, she was awarded Employee of the Year in 1981. She gave freely of her time to both her family and her community, giving special attention to the Guilford Grange, the Guilford Historical Society and Guilford Cares. During her free time, she enjoyed knitting. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Feb. 25 at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Brattleboro. Burial will take place in Baker Cemetery in Guilford in the springtime. Donations to the Guilford Volunteer Fire Department, 108 Guilford Center Rd., Guilford, VT 05301; Guilford Historical Society, 236 School Rd., Guilford, VT 05301; or to Guilford Cares, Inc., 756 Packers Corners Rd., Guilford, VT 05301. Online condolences may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Roland John Fisher, 96, of Brattleboro. Died Feb. 18 at Langdon Place in Keene, N.H. Husband of Harriet Fisher for more than 70 years. Born in Rochester, N.H., the son of the late John and Ora (Vacon) Fisher, he was a prominent businessman in Brattleboro for many years. Together with his wife Harriet, they owned and built several successful businesses. The business most remembered was R.J. Fisher Real Estate on Main Street, one of the premier real estate agencies in southern Vermont. The Fishers loved the Brattleboro community and very generously supported many area organizations over the years. Memorial information: In accordance with his final wishes, there will be no formal funeral services. A private memorial service will be held in the spring at the convenience of the family. Online condolences may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Thomas Edward Manning, 88, of Coldwater, Mich. Died Feb. 24. Husband of Wanetta Mae Reed for 36 years, Former husband of Mary Jacqueline Trask for 25 years. Father of Tom Manning Jr. and Karen Buys of Coldwater, and Sharry J. Manning of Brattleboro. Stepfather of Denise Sowles of Marshall, Mich., Debbie Erber of Boyne Falls, Mich., Scott Reed of Coldwater, Mich., and Dan Reed of Murphy, Texas. Brother of the late Robert Parle Manning. The son of the late John and Anna (Parle) Manning, he resided in Putney, until he was 6 and his family then moved to Brattleboro, where he lived until 1970. He and his family then moved to Coldwater, where he has resided since. He attended St. Michael's High School in Brattleboro, but left during his senior year to join the Marine Corps where he served for three years in the South Pacific during World War II. He later served as staff sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserve until he was honorably discharged in 1952. He was an avid athlete who excelled at basketball and golf. He played on the semi-pro Spalding Cardinals basketball team in Brattleboro in 1946 with teammates Bob Manning, Bob Ratti, and Ernie Johnson, among others. He was a very active member of the Brattleboro Country Club, and later the Coldwater Country Club. There were many years when his handicap hovered below 6 and he was known as a fierce competitor. His strong work ethic and tenacious spirit made him a natural for sales. As manager of Gateway Equipment Co. in the late 1960s, he grew this business segment for R.S. Roberts by outselling every any manufactured home dealer in the Northeast. He later started Tom Manning & Associates in 1982, an independent sales agency, and then started a distribution company, AP Products, in 1995 at age 72 years. His vision and dedication laid the foundation for both these companies and they still flourish today under under the ownership and management of his son Tom Jr. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Feb. 27 at Dutcher Funeral Home in Coldwater. Donations to the Alzheimer's Association.
• Kermit I. Smith, 64, of West Brattleboro, Died Feb. 24 at his home. Husband of Patricia Taylor Smith, his high school sweetheart, for nearly 44 years. Father of Kristin M. Smith of Chester, Va., and Karin A. Smith of Brattleboro. Brother of Albert Smith and his wife Susan of Easthampton, Mass.; Mary Sawin and her husband Jesse of Athol, Mass.; and Kathryn Knapp and her husband Richard of Brattleboro. Born in Brattleboro, the son of Maxine E. and the late Floyd H. Smith, he grew up in Vernon and attended Vernon Elementary School. He graduated from Brattleboro Union High School. Class of 1966. After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy and served as an ordnance mechanic in the Navy from 1966 to 1970. He was stationed on the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt off the coast of Vietnam and in the Mediterranean Sea. He received the Vietnam Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Service Medal and the National Defense Medal. Over the years, he was employed at W.T. Grant, the Book Press, Redemption Metals, Dummerston School, SEVCA and Mastaler Cleaning Services. In 2008, he retired from HPC (formerly Bridgeport Metal Goods) in Hinsdale, N.H. after 30 years of dedicated service, mostly on the third shift. He was an avid Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots fan, and also enjoyed brook-fishing with his daughters. His love of NASCAR took him to races in Loudon, N.H., Dover, Del., and Richmond, Va. He also enjoyed attending Colonel football, baseball and basketball games. Each year, he looked forward to receiving the newest Archer Mayor book for Christmas. He loved attending live theater, whether on Broadway, at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, or at the Saxtons River Playhouse. Most recently, he enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and co-workers, and playing games on Facebook. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Feb. 29 at Vernon Union Church. Burial will take place in Locust Ridge Cemetery in Brattleboro in the springtime. Donations to the Reformer Christmas Stocking, in care of the Brattleboro Reformer, P.O. Box 703, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Online condolences may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
College news
• The following local students graduated from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., in December 2011: Kenneth L. Howe of Jamaica received a bachelor of science in Civil Engineering and James R. Smith of Vernon received a master of science in Electrical Engineering.
• Scott Robert Dorval of Vernon has earned an associate degree in Applied Science/Technical Studies from Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y.
• Carla Yudin of Guilford has been named to the Fall 2011 Dean's List at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I.
School news
• Margherite Dooley of Brattleboro, a student at Brattleboro Union High School, has been nominated to represent Vermont as a National Youth Correspondent to the 2012 Washington Journalism and Media Conference at George Mason University. She is part of a select group of 250 students from across the country to participate in an intensive week-long study of journalism and media. Dooley was chosen based on academic accomplishments and a demonstrated interest and excellence in journalism and media studies.