Transitions
• Youth Services has promoted Leigh Madalinski, RAMP assistant coordinator for the past school year, to case manager for its Big Brothers Big Sisters' school and community-based mentoring programs. Madalinski came to Youth Services with three years experience working with school-aged children at both the therapeutic residential and day school programs at the Community House in Brattleboro.
Obituaries
• Jane Black Breslend, 70, formerly of Bellows Falls. Died Nov. 1 at Westwood Health Center in Keene, N.H. Mother of Ashley Tarvit and her husband, Edward; Alissa Houle and her husband, Timothy; and Christian Breslend and his fiancé, Wendy Lufkin. Sister of Susan Smith and the late Carl Black. Born in Bellows Falls, the daughter of the late Russell and Theodora (Orth) Black, she was a graduate of Bellows Falls High School and worked as a private health care provider. She moved 10 years ago to the New Hampshire seacoast where she had always wanted to be. She was an independent woman who had a small group of friends she enjoyed spending time with. Memorial information: Services will be private at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are in the care of Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls.
• Fannie Zimmer Mantel, 92, of Newfane. Died Oct. 25 at her home. Wife of the late William Mantel. Mother of Burk and Joan Mantel of Eagle, Idaho; Laurie and Wally Mariani of Burlington; Henriette Mantel of New York, N.Y.; Chloe Mantel and William Taylor of Wellesley, Mass.; and the late Jeffrey Zimmer Mantel. She was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where she graduated from the Poughkeepsie Business Institute. After graduation, she joined IBM, where she worked in the company's front office alongside Thomas Watson Sr. During World War II, while she worked at IBM, she loved attending dances for soldiers at the Hyde Park home of President Franklin Roosevelt, who often called the dances. While vacationing in Seaside Heights, N.J., she met the man who would become her beloved husband, while he was on leave from active duty in the Army Air Force. They married shortly after World War II, lived on the Jersey Shore, and then moved their family to Vermont, which has been her home for the last 55 years. She was an engaged member of the Newfane community, serving as president of the Newfane Garden Club and the Windham County Historical Society. She was a proud member of the Newfane Congregational Church, where she taught Sunday school while her children were growing up. She helped start the Newfane Kindergarten as well as Newfane's Head Start program. She served on the Vermont Billboard Committee, which helped keep billboards out of the state, and on the board of the Vermont Hospital Association. She was a woman of many interests and talents. She loved to work in her gardens and travel with her husband. She loved being a grandmother and, in recent years, a great-grandmother. She could type more than 100 words a minute and play the piano beautifully. She never lost her sense of humor and treated everyone with kindness. Memorial information: An outdoor memorial service was held at the Mantel home on Oct. 29. Donations to Grace Cottage Hospital, the Windham County Historical Society, and the Newbrook Fire Department.
• Pamela A. Moore, 51, of Cottonwood, Ariz., formerly of the Brattleboro area. Died Oct. 14 in Camp Verde, Ariz., following a lengthy battle with breast cancer. Daughter of Esther and the late Fred Moore. Step-daughter of Harold Carmody. Sister of Greg Moore of San Francisco; Doug Moore and his wife, Carol, of Readsboro; Linda Bolt of Sedona, Ariz.; Brenda Washburn and her husband, Greg, of Bellows Falls; brother Fred Moore Jr. and his wife, Linda, of North Haven, Conn.; Gordon Moore and his wife, Pamela, of Jacksonville; and the late Jeffrey Moore. Born in Boston, she and her family moved to Vermont in 1963. She attended Whitingham School, graduating in 1979. She lived in several Southern Vermont towns before moving to Brattleboro, and worked with the elderly as an LNA at Thompson House nursing home. She attended Community College of Vermont, earning an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies. In 2003, deciding she'd like a change, she moved to Arizona to be closer to her mother and accepted a new job, again working with the elderly, through Nurses Network in Sedona as a CNA, until she became too ill. She was truly an angelic spirit and will be lovingly remembered for the way that she communicated with careful consideration, always conveying her thoughts in a soft-spoken, sensitive way. She enjoyed jewelrymaking, rock-collecting, photography, hiking, family heirlooms, and her two cats, Maggie and Ollie, who were very much like children to her. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Nov. 2 at the Jacksonville Community Church. Donations to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Ste. 250 Dallas, TX 75244, or the Guy Hawkins Cancer Fund, P.O. Box 175, Wilmington, VT. 05363
• Viola Petrie, 98, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 28 at her home in Townshend. Wife of the late Orvey Burgoyne and the late William Petrie Sr. Mother of Darlene and Charles Tarlton of Ellerbe, N.C., and Bruce Burgoyne of Milwaukie, Oregon. Stepmother of Patricia and Philip Perkins of Brattleboro, Peg and Steve Ellingwood of Townshend, William and Olga Petrie of Guilford, Sharon Melendy & Gary of Townsend, Mass., and Deb & Mark Propster of Hinsdale, N.H. She was born in Bloomingdale, N.Y., the daughter of the late Joseph and Olive Madore. In April 1938, she married Mr. Burgoyne and they moved to Brattleboro in 1942. He died in 1975. In 1982, she married Mr. Petrie. He died in 1996. She owned and operated Vi's Beauty Shop in West Brattleboro for more than 25 years. She enjoyed gardening, feeding the birds, and cooking for her family. She won many blue ribbons for her crocheting and needlework. She was a lifelong member of St. Michael's Catholic Church in Brattleboro. Memorial information: Per her request, no services will be held. Donations to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302, where she found her best friend Pumpkin the Cat.
• Joan A. Spaulding, 62, of Westminster. Died Oct. 30. Wife of Francis Spaulding. Mother of Rhonda Richardson. Stepmother of Elliot and Sam Spaulding. Sister of Walter Rainey, Pat Trombley, Barbara Towsley, and Sandy Badger. Born in Bellows Falls, the daughter of the late Kenneth and Myrtle (French) Badger, she was a graduate of Bellows Falls High School. Memorial information: Per the family's request, there will be no services.
• Barbara P. Sprague, 85, of Vernon. Died July 11 at her son's home in Fitchburg, Mass. Wife of the late Edward D. Sprague for more than 60 years. Mother of Carolyn Hawrylciw, Edward Sprague Jr., and Marcia Sprague. Sister of Willard Rowe and his wife, Kay, and Preston Rowe and his wife, Phyllis. Born in New Bedford, Mass., the daughter of Preston B. Rowe and Herma C. Rowe, she was a graduate of University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1949 and worked for Smead Lumber in Vernon for a few years, followed by a long career as a programmer at Northfield Mount Hermon School. She and her husband ran a family rental business in Moody, Maine, for many decades and developed longtime friendships with many of the guests. She was active in many organizations including the Daughters of the American Revolution, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Colonial Dames of XVII Century, Mayflower Society, and Piscataqua Pioneers. Locally, she was a member of Centre Congregational Church, the American Legion Band, Vernon Historians, and Vernon Seniors. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Nov. 2 at Centre Congregational Church. Donations to Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St., Brattleboro, VT 05301, or to the American Legion Band, 32 Linden St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.