Obituaries
• Regina E. Carlise, 86, of Townshend. Died Oct. 7 at Grace Cottage Hospital. Wife of the late Robert Carlise for 63 years. Mother of Kathy Lafkas of Shingletown, Calif., David Carlise of Townshend, Christine Moffett of Grand Forks N.D., Teresa Calhoun of Idaho Springs, Colo., Bobbie Jean Spiewak of Ontario, Calif., Sanford Carlise of Broad Brook, Conn., James Carlise of San Clemente, Calif., Patricia Romalo of Weston, Regina Carlise of Hinsdale, N.H., Darleen David of Murrieta, Calif., Mari Carlise of San Clemente, Calif. She enjoyed roller skating, roses, reading, and crocheting. As the use of her hands slowed, she completed her goal of crocheting a blanket for each of her children. She was a devoted Catholic and she looked forward to helping in her church tag sale for Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church every year. She will be remembered for her quiet caring love of all who came into her life, and her passion for dogs, all breeds, all sizes. Her final wishes were to donate all her blankets to keep the shelter dogs warm. Memorial information: A memorial Mass will be celebrated for both her and her husband at a later date. Donations may be made to Windham County Humane Society, 916 West River Rd., P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Condolences may be sent to www.kerwesterlund.com.
• John “Bungalo Jack” Delello Jr., 59, of Wilmington. Died Oct. 2 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was raised in Yonkers, N.Y., and educated at St. Mary's Parochial School. He went on to study with the Jesuits and had a passion for sports, especially hockey and baseball. He attended college in Syracuse on a baseball scholarship. Over the years, he had been employed as a property appraiser and tax assessor, computer operator, and cat herder, managing his menagerie of cats professionally, as mousers, to clients both private and commercial. He was also a woodworker, cook, chef, researcher, bookbinder, and proofreader. He was a bright and private man with a curious mind. He was an avid reader who appreciated great literature, loved word play and debate, enjoyed challenging math problems, chess, and his computer. He was a talented musician and creative cook who liked to dance and loved cats. Memorial information: Mr. Delello had the foresight and consideration to give himself to the anatomical gift program at Albany (N.Y.) Medical College. Donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
• Virginia S. Fontaine, 94, of Springfield, formerly of Bartonsville. Died Oct. 7 at Springfield Health & Rehabilitation Center. Wife of the late Caroll G. Fontaine for 60 years. Mother of Linda Laflamme. Daughter of the late of Frank and Marguerite (Taggart) Snow. A 1938 graduate of Bellows Falls High School, she retired after 30 years' employment with the U.S. Postal Service, first as RFD carrier and later as Bartonsville Post Office postmaster, working out of her home. She served on the Rockingham Zoning Committee, was a member of the Community Clubs/Home Dem Clubs in Bartonsville, the National Grange, and was a master of Bartonsville Grange. She enjoyed camping, hunting, canning her garden vegetables, and swimming in the backyard pool. Memorial information: A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, in Oak Hill Cemetery in Bellows Falls.
• Richard Fredrick “Dick” Graber, 85, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 9 after months of declining health. Father of Becky Graber and husband, Tim Ellis, of Brattleboro; Nancy Luther of Washington D.C.; and John Graber and wife, Beth, of Colorado Springs, Colo. Brother of John “Jack” Graber and wife Abby of Burnsville, Minn. Born in Minneapolis, the eldest child of the late Robert and Ruth (Quinn) Graber, he spent his boyhood in Granite Falls, Minn., a small town on the Minnesota River. He served as a Navy medic in Hawaii during and after World War II. He graduated from the University of Minnesota, and spent his professional life as a writer, first in newspapers and later as a medical writer and editor. In 1960, he had a story, “DeTurtling,” published in The New Yorker. It was rejected the first time he submitted the story, but he thought it was good enough for publication. He resubmitted it without changing a word, and the second time, they bought it. He wrote many nonfiction articles and four novels that were categorized as young adult fiction: A Little Breathing Room, Pay Your Respects, Black Cow Summer, and Doc. He loved the people he met in his professional life, and began many deep and satisfying creative friendships in the workplace. In 1954 he married a coworker from Better Homes and Gardens magazine, Barbara Ann Smith. That marriage ended in divorce after three children and 17 years. In 1977, he married Ethel Jason in Riverside, Conn.; after a second divorce he moved to Cape Cod for several years. On returning to his home state of Minnesota, he married Janet Steiner of Burnsville, Minn., a fellow writer. They wrote and worked together for many years. He found music sustaining and enriching throughout his life. He was a great harmonizer and improviser, a Dixieland enthusiast, and a devoted band and chorus member. Most recently, he played a swinging clarinet in the Thompson Players here in Brattleboro. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held early in November, time and place to be announced. Donations to The Commons, a publication he admired, in care of Vermont Independent Media, P.O. Box 1212, Brattleboro, VT 05302, or the Brattleboro Women's Chorus at www.brattleborowomenschorus.com.
• Catherine M. Jerome, 91. Died Oct. 7, in Portland, Ore. Wife of the late Norman B. Jerome. Mother of Deborah Davis and her husband, Dan, of Portland, Ore.; Darlene Jerome of Accra, Ghana; Cindy Jerome and her husband, Peter Wrenn, of Dummerston; and the late David and Daniel Jerome. Born in Camden, N.J., the daughter of the late Mabel (Glaser) and Walter Hozey. After the communist revolution ended her dream of being a missionary in China, she married a pastor in Doylestown, Pa., who had recently been widowed and left with two young sons. The Jeromes had three daughters, and lived in Parma, Ohio and Horseheads, N.Y., before returning to Doylestown. Memorial information: Donations to Holton Home, 158 Western Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• Michael John Johnson, 63, of Roundup, Mont., formerly of Londonderry, Died Oct. 2 at Roundup Hospital. Husband of Pamela Johnson. Father of Rebecca Ann Henderson. Born in Springfield, the son of Rollin and Vera Johnson, he served in the Londonderry Volunteer Fire Department for 27 years. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and making people laugh. Memorial information: Memorial services were held Oct. 11 at the Roundup Masonic Temple and Oct. 14 at the Weston Rod & Gun Club. Donations to Londonderry Volunteer Fire Department, Londonderry, VT 05148.
• Beatrice S. “Bea” Matthews, 94, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 6 at Pine Heights Nursing Home. Wife of the late Gerald Duncan Matthews for 51 years. Mother of Gerald “Jerry” Matthews of West Brattleboro, Joanne Matthews of West Brattleboro, Juanita Sylvester of Charlestown, N.H., Nancy Lord and her husband, Peter, of Vernon, and the late Sandra Stratton. Born in South Reading, the daughter of the late Durward and Amanda (Stickney) Stocker, she received her schooling in a one-room schoolhouse in South Reading. A resident of Brattleboro since the early 1960s, she had been employed at the former Hinsdale Racetrack. She previously lived in North Walpole, N.H.. and worked at the Petco Convenience Store, which she managed, and as a cook at the former Texas Nursing Home, both in Bellows Falls. On a part-time basis, she worked as a seamstress. She had been a volunteer for RSVP, and was active in several other nonprofit organizations. She was a member of the American Legion Brattleboro Post 5 Auxiliary, and had attended West Brattleboro Baptist Church for many years. She enjoyed music, dancing, gardening, flowers, and playing Bingo. Additionally, she loved going for long rides to see the foliage and enjoyed decorating her home for all the holidays. Memorial information: A graveside committal service was held Oct. 12 in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to Pine Heights Activities Fund, 187 Oak Grove Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301, or to Rescue Inc. P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Condolences may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Harold A. Newton, 96, of Northfield, Mass. Died Oct. 6 at his home. Husband of Elizabeth (Clark) Newton for more than 72 years. Father of Ann Graves and her husband, Robert, of State College, Pa.; Alice Moody and her husband, D. Mark, of Valley Falls, N.Y.; Arthur Newton of Sillans, France; Constance Stancell and her husband, Arnold, of Greenwich, Conn.; and Carol Mintzer and her husband, Howard, of New York City. Brother of Laurence Newton and his wife, Anna, of Vernon. Born in West Brattleboro, the son of the late Clara (Taylor) and W. Roy Newton, he graduated from Brattleboro High School and attended the Vermont School of Agriculture. He was a dairy farmer, owning his first farm in Walpole, N.H., and then with a partner, Joel Scrogins, bought Pine Meadow Farm in Northfield in 1960. Later on, he became the sole owner. He was always interested in learning about the best agricultural practices and was a strong supporter of Cooperative Extension programs. He mentored many young people who started farming and loved sharing wisdom and knowledge with others. While his children were growing up, he was a 4-H leader, and then became a strong leader in the agricultural community. He was president of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau, served on the American Farm Bureau Board of Directors as well as the Board of Directors for Farm Family Insurance Co. For many years, he was a member of the Northfield Planning and Zoning Board and was instrumental in bringing a branch of the Greenfield Cooperative Bank to Northfield. He served on the Greenfield Cooperative Bank Board of Directors. He was a member of the Trinitarian Congregational Church and loved helping with the annual church chicken barbecue. He was also a member of the Northfield Kiwanis Club, treasurer for the Harmony Lodge of Masons in Northfield, and was the Worthy Patron of Eastern Star. After selling Pine Meadow Farm, the Newtons bought a home in Davenport, Fla,. and one in Vernon, spending over 20 years with winters in Florida and summers in Vermont. They moved back to Northfield six years ago. In Florida, he joined the Davenport Lions Club where he also served as president. Memorial information: A memorial services was held Oct. 12 at the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Northfield, with a private burial in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to the Trinitarian Congregational Church, 147 Main St., Northfield, MA 01360. To send condolences, visit www.kidderfuneralhome.com.
• Maurice “Mo” Relihan, 71, of Bellows Falls. Died Oct. 11 in Burlington. Husband of Catherine (Konesko) Relihan for 50 years. Father of Timothy Relihan and his wife, Gail, of Stowe; Alicia Roberts and her husband, Douglas, of Walpole, N.H.; and Heather Nicholson and her husband, Scott, of Lebanon, N.H. Brother of Lorraine Smith and her husband, Fay, of Canaan, Maine. Born in Bellows Falls, the son of the late Maurice and Veronica (Kopacz) Relihan, he was a 1960 graduate of Bellows Falls High School and worked at the Rockingham Book Press, Brattleboro Book Press, Holston & Burnes Photo Albums, True Value of Brattleboro, and Aubuchon Hardware Store in Walpole, N.H. He was also a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose and the Polish American Club, both in Bellows Falls, the Chester Rod & Gun Club, and the Bellows Falls Cribbage Club. He loved taking trips to the track for horse races as well as hunting and fishing with close friends. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Oct. 17 at St. Charles Church in Bellows Falls, with burial to follow in St. Charles Cemetery in Westminster. Donations to Disease Control at Fletcher Allen Health Care, 111 Colchester Ave., 4106 Old Hall, Burlington, VT 05401; or to the Fish & Wildlife Trust Fund, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, 103 South Main St,, 10 South, Waterbury, VT 05671-0501.