Milestones

Obituaries

• Tad Clawson of West Townshend. Died March 2, after a brief illness. Husband of Heidi Andrus Clawson for 30 years. Son of the late Robert and Muriel Smythe Clawson. Brother of Jill Berghel and her husband, Bill, of Mem­phis, Tenn. He graduated from Duke Uni­versity with a B.A. in Business Ad­ministration and went on to an insurance career as partner in the agency, Bono-Clawson Asso­ciates. After retirement, he be­came an independent consultant for investments and small busi­ness management. He was very active in his church, volunteered in the over­night shelter in Brattleboro, and also served in the chaplaincy pro­gram at the Southern State Correc­tional Facility in Springfield. A longtime member of the Brattleboro Country Club, one of his great passions was golf. He took up the sport early in life, and won the local club champion­ship at age 16. He went on to win numerous other trophies over the years. For him, golf became a metaphor for life — a place to practice focusing one’s thoughts. He explained that when you hold a good and steady thought, the golf shot is straight and true. He was a straight shooter, both on the golf course and off. In addition to his deep integrity, his good nature, storytelling, and sense of humor could always be counted on. More recently, he de­lighted in learning to play the bass guitar, picking out the bass notes by listening to his favorite recordings, and even played in a gig or two. Memorial information: In accord­ance with his wishes, there will be no memorial service. Donations to the West River Community Project, (a nonprofit organization at the ren­ovated West Townshend Country Store), 6573 Route 30, West Townshend, VT 05359, or to the Brattleboro Country Club Junior Golf Program, P. O. Box 478, Brattleboro, VT 05302.

• Daniel P. DeLuca of Jupiter, Fla. Died March 4 at the Broadmoor Assisted Living Facility in Fort Pierce, Fla. Husband of Ginger DeLuca. Father of Daniel DeLuca of Bolton, Conn., and Kelly DeLuca of New Haven, Conn. Brother of Maria DeLuca of Brattleboro and the late Paul DeLuca. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of Margaret and the late Michael DeLuca, he lived in Greenwich, Conn., before moving to Jupiter, Fla., in 1978. He attended Norwalk Tech, and received a B.S. in Me­chanical Engi­neering. He worked for Pratt & Whitney in West Palm Beach, Fla., for 29 years and was an Associate Fellow with an expertise in fatigue fracture micromechanics and engine service investigations. He re­ceived nine patent awards while working at Pratt & Whitney and authored many technical papers. Some of his notable accomplish­ments include an entry in Who’s Who of Engineers and inventing many metals for the defense and aerospace industry. Memorial information: A memorial service was held March 12 at Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home in Jupi­ter, Fla. Donations to Treasure Coast Hos­pice, 5000 Dunn Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34981.

• John G. Fuchs, 67, of Bellows Falls. Died March 4 at Springfield Hospital after collapsing at the Rockingham Annual Town Meeting. Husband of Deirdre Nora O’Shea for 44 years. Father of John and Matthew Fuchs. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of John and Marie (Holzman) Fuchs, he was a 1967 graduate of Manhattan College, where he earned a bachelor’s de­gree, and a 1968 graduate of University of Massachusetts, where he earned a master’s degree. He was a lifelong educator and an avid gardener with a love of reading and collecting books. Memorial information: A memorial service was held March 8 at Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls. Memorial donations may be made to Parks Place, 44 School St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101, or to Our Place Drop In Center, 4 Island St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101.

• John Francis Kennedy, 85, of Bellows Falls. Died Feb. 27 in Key West, Fla. Husband of Jean Ann Kenneally Kennedy for nearly 52 years. Father of Jeanne F. Kennedy and her husband, Rick Bascom, and the late Jack Kennedy. Born in Bellows Falls, son of the late Timothy and Hattie (Farr) Kennedy, he at­tended Bellows Falls High School where he became a Hall of Fame football player, and also excelled on the BF baseball diamond as a catcher. Upon graduation, he was awarded a football scholarship to attend the University of North Car­olina, but chose instead to serve his country in the Pacific as a Marine. After World War II ended, he worked in construc­tion before enrolling first at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and then transferring to the University of Vermont, where he earned an engineering degree in 1959. After obtaining his degree, he embarked upon a engineering career. With transit and machete in hand, he surveyed the backwoods of Northern New England, engineer­ing interstates, access roads, and ski resorts, first for the state of Vermont and later for Perini Construction Co. In 1967, John founded Soils Engi­neering in Charlestown, N.H., which he ran for over 25 years. A devoted fa­ther, John passed on his value of education and his love of the out­doors to his children and, later, his grandchildren. Having the name of John F. Kennedy brought smiles and comments wherever he went, enhancing the glint in his eye that sparkled whenever he was about to begin a tale. Masterful in both the art of story­telling and fishing, he accrued a lifetime of anecdotes from time spent on both fresh and salt wa­ters. For him, it was never about the size of the fish he caught, it was about the size of the adven­ture. He retired to Northern Maine at his summer camp trolling East Grand Lake un­til he knew its inlets by heart, de­claring he never had a bad day on the water. Winters were spent in Little River, S.C., until John’s son-in-law con­vinced him that Key West winters were friendlier, and there were plenty of fish there just waiting to be caught. He embraced all of life’s ex­periences. From youthful dives from the top of the old Arch Bridge, falling to the Connecticut River 100 feet below, to, at age 84, venturing into the rainforests of Nicaragua to visit one of his granddaughters serving in the Peace Corps, no leap was too large. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held this summer in New Hampshire, at a date to be deter­mined. Donations may be made to http://runforgrumps.com, for a triathalon that benefits Leukemia research, or to the Norris Cotton Cancer Cen­ter at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medi­cal Center.

• David A. Ladd, 59, of Saxtons River. Died March 1 at his home. Husband of Chonqsuk Ladd. Father of Shannon and Shawn Ladd. Brother of Roger Ladd and Barbara Pellett. Born in Laconia, N.H., the son of Winnie (Lovely) and the late Maurice Ladd, he attended Kurn Hattin School in West­minster, VT, graduated from Hartford (Conn.) High School, and then joined the Air Force. He attended Officers Training School, rising to the rank of captain. He served as a NATO offi­cer in Europe and as a base commander in Korea. He attended the University of New Hampshire and earned his B.A. from Troy State University in Alabama. At the time of his death he was Postmaster of the U.S. Post Office in Bel­lows Falls. He was a member of American Legion Post 37 in Bel­lows Falls, the Cribbage Club at the Loyal Order of the Moose in Bel­lows Falls, and the National Asso­ciation of Postmasters. He was a beloved husband, father, and a friend to all. Memorial information: A memorial serv­ice was held March 6 at the Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls.

• Duane Edward Miller, 58, of Westminster. Died March 4 in Williamsburg, Mass, the result of an accidental fall while on a job site. Husband of Lori J. Bell for more than 27 years. Father of Samuel Miller of Marlborough, N.H. and Matthew Miller of West Dummerston. Brother of Donald Miller of Sumter, S.C., Virginia Parry of Englewood, Fla., Lynn Hume of Lempster, N.H., and Kathleen Nightingale of Winchester, N.H. A resident of the area since the age of five, he was born in Bessemer Township, Mich., the son of Duane Edsel and Joann (Rose) Miller. He attended New England Kurn Hattin Homes and was a graduate of Bellows Falls Union High School, Class of 1974. He went on to attend Keene State College. For the past several years, he was a self-employed commercial painter and owner of Team Paint based in Westminster. Previously, he had worked at Kurn Hattin Homes for 18 years as a house parent. He loved the outdoors and helping the area youth, serving as a mentor. A large percentage of his workforce included young single adults from the greater Bellows Falls and Brattleboro area. In conjunction with his painting business, he also was an arborist. Memorial information: A memorial serv­ice will be held Saturday, March 23, at 10 a.m., at Grace Community Evangelical Free Church in Spofford, N.H. A reception will follow the services to be held in the church’s fellowship hall. Donations to New England Kurn Hattin Homes, P.O. Box 127, Westminster, VT 05158, attention: Connie Sanderson.

• Joyce Turner Porett, 71, of Beach Park, Ill. Died Feb. 18 at Highland Park (Ill.) Hospital. Wife of Peter M. Porett for nearly 42 years. Mother of James J. Porett. Sister of the late Terry Turner. Born in Brattleboro, daughter of the late Luther Turner and Dorothy (Graves) Turner, she was a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1960. She worked at Vermont National Bank for several years and met her future husband at the wedding of Charles and Elaine Ranney in 1970. She got married a year later and moved to her husband’s hometown of Lake Bluff, Ill. She loved growing up in the Brattleboro area, and her love of Vermont remained strong throughout her life. She and her family took annual summer trips back to her beloved Brattleboro. She was a loving wife and mother and co-owned the former Lake Bluff Hardware with her husband. She was a member of the Calvary Way International Fellowship in Libertyville, Ill. Memorial information: A memorial serv­ice was held March 1 at Village Church of Gurnee, Ill., with entombment at Warren Cemetery Mausoleum in Gurnee. A memorial gathering will be held this spring in the Brattleboro area for New England-area family and friends. Details to be announced. Donations to the Arthritis Foundation, Compassion International or http://www.CaringBridge.org.

• Mary Ann “Andy” Bertles Stewart, 93, of Brattleboro. Died March 4. Wife of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart for 42 years. Mother of Harriet Stewart Virkstis and her husband, Ri­chard, and Potter Stewart Jr. and his wife, Robin Stern, all of Brattleboro, and David B. Stewart and his wife, Peggy, of Chatham, Mass. Sister of Cornelia Pollard, and her husband, Robert, of Palm Beach, Fla., the late Katharine Ley, Katy Redwine, William Bertles, and John Bertles. Born in Grand Rapids, Mich., the daughter of the late William Matthew and Katharine Hummer Bertles, she grew up in Glen Cove, N.Y., and then Tucker’s Town, Bermuda. She attended The Green Vale School, The Fermotta School, The American School in Ber­muda, and Bennington College. While living in Bermuda with her family at the beginning of World War ll, she had a job at Pan Ameri­can World Airways. During this time, she met and became engaged to an Eng­lishman, Christopher Scrutton, who was in the RAF. Soon after the en­gagement, he and his plane were lost during a mission over the Sea of Gibraltar. She later moved to New York City, and was working for Life when she met then-Ensign Potter Stewart when he was home on leave from naval duty in the Mediterra­nean. They married soon thereafter. She continued as a photojournalist for Time and Life in Washington, D.C., until the war ended and the Stewarts were reunited. They spent their early years in New York, where their daughter had been born, and soon moved to Cincin­nati, Ohio, where their two sons fol­lowed. In 1958, the family moved to Washington, D.C. when Mr. Stewart was appointed to the Su­preme Court. As the wife of a Su­preme Court Justice, she had occa­sion to know and befriend many in­teresting people. Much as she enjoyed and appreciated the ex­citing social aspect of her Washing­ton life, her vast store of energy and knowledge was endlessly funneled in­to various humanitarian causes. She sat on many boards, too many to name, but was particularly interested in juvenile justice, the court system, family and child serv­ices, the Visiting Nurse Association, the prevention of crime and delin­quency, women’s rights and issues of equality, prisoners’ rights and rehabilitation through the arts, and wom­en and the arts. She was appointed an Ambassador to UNICEF during the George H.W. Bush Administration and also sat on the National Osteo­porosis Foundation Board and the Board of the Jefferson Awards for Public Service. After her husband’s death in 1985, she lived on for many years in Washington, until 2008, continuing to be active and in­volved with her contributions of time and energy into philanthropic endeav­ors. She spent the final four years of her life in Thompson House in Brattleboro, where she lived her final days with courage, grace and dignity; with patience, gratitude, and a loving heart. Memorial information: A celebration of her life will take place in Washington D.C. in the spring, and in Franconia, N.H. in the summer. Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery. Donations to the Thompson House Activities Fund, Grace Cottage Hospital, or Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.

• Anne Vorce, 84, of Manlius, N.Y. Died Feb. 9. Born in Syracuse, N.Y., the daughter of Harold and Frances Brown Vorce. She retired as an art teacher for the Dryden School District. After retiring, she moved to Newfane, where she lived until her move to Manlius nine years ago. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Newfane. Surviving are her niece, Virgin­ia True of Chittenango, N.Y., and her nephew, Richard Leland Judge of Deland, Fla. Memorial information: A graveside services will be held in the spring in Valley Cemetery in Syracuse.

Transitions

• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital announced Sean Amos, MD has joined its Department of Hospitalist Medicine. Amos is a 2003 graduate of Harvard Medical School and has worked as a hospitalist on a contract basis in several settings. Most recently, he worked for St. Vincent’s Hospital in Santa Fe, N.M. Amos was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 2006. The BMH Hospitalist staff is a team of physicians specializing in internal medicine who provide immediate care to patients experiencing acute medical conditions when they are admitted to the hospital. The other hospitalists are Amy Gadowski, MD, Christopher Meyer, MD and Aida Avdic, MD, who also serves as Hospitalist Director.

• Brattleboro Memorial Hospital has hired Brian Richardson as EMS Liaison/Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. His responsibilities will include maintaining and strengthening relationships with EMS first response services and EMS agencies that transport patients to BMH. He will also oversee all policies, procedures and programs related to emergency preparedness. He has been involved in EMS for nearly 25 years and has been a paramedic for the past 20 years. In 2008, he joined Brattleboro’s Rescue Inc. as the Assistant Chief of Operations and Agency Training Coordinator.

• New England Youth Theatre announces that four new board members and one student representative are joining its board of directors. They are Rusty Blossom, who has taught high school English with a focus in Shakespeare for 38 years; Mary-Ellen Bixby, who has taught youth for 42 years and counting and also serves on the Vermont Humanities Council; Todd Mandell, a psychologist and theater aficionado; and Chip Greenberg, an architect with a major focus in design of arts and education buildings, including the 2007 New England Youth Theatre building. NEYT’s new student representative, elected by the NEYT mentors, is Kaelan Selbach, an active NEYT mentor who most recently played Romeo in Peter Gould’s Romeo & Juliet last October. Bo Foard will serve as NEYT’s new board president. And at the most recent meeting, the following officers were also elected: Chip Greenberg as Vice President, Kirsten Beske as Secretary, and Steve Fitch will remain Treasurer for another year.