College news
• Michaela Shea-Gander, a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School attending Denison University in Granville, Ohio as a member of the Class of 2019, received the Denison Founders Scholarship. The Denison Founders Scholarship is based on academic achievement, leadership and personal merit.
Transitions
• R.T. Hamilton Brown has been hired by the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. as the regional manager of the Windham County Economic Development Program (WCEDP). His primary role is outreach and opportunity development in the region, ensuring collaboration and coordination among potential applicants to the WCEDP, and he will also be responsible for local and regional management of the WCEDP.
Obituaries
• John D. “Jack” Berkley Jr., 90, of Westminster. Died Oct. 21. Husband of Judith (Gellert) Berkley for 23 years. Former husband of the late Margaret (Ovington) Berkley whom he married in 1953. Father of Lisa Boydstun and her husband, John, of Galesburg, Ill., and Tamara Purcell and her husband, Michael, of Marlboro. Stepfather of Noel Hoffmann of Stratton. Also survived by four grandchildren. Born in New York City, the son of the late John D. and Elizabeth (Doyle) Berkley, he was raised in Philadelphia, and attended Temple University. He fell in love with Vermont after organizing ski trips to Mount Snow. In 1961, he and his family moved to Wilmington to own and operate The Vermont House, a country inn. He worked in real estate for R.J. Fisher of Brattleboro before opening his own firm, Berkley & Veller Realtors, with his partner, Jack Veller in 1963. This successful partnership continued for 20 years. During this time, he served as president of the Vermont Association of Realtors, director of the National Association of Realtors, and had the distinction of being elected as Realtor of the Year for the state of Vermont. In 1990, he merged Berkley & Veller with Judith Gellert's Greenwood Country Realtors to create the current business of Berkley & Veller Greenwood Country Realtors, the largest independent firm in southern Vermont. He was an outgoing, gregarious person who made friends easily wherever he went. He and his wife Judith loved to travel and had amazing adventures together all over the world. He enjoyed history, politics, skiing, sailing, and spending time with his family. He celebrated his 90th birthday this summer in true “Jack style” with lots of parties! MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A celebration of his life was held Oct. 25 at West Village Meetinghouse in West Brattleboro. Donations to the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, the Windham County Humane Society, or a charity of the donor's choice. Atamaniuk Funeral Home of Brattleboro was in charge of arrangements.
• Joan Diane (Smith) Büttner, 64, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 19 in McNeal, Ariz. Mother of Nathaniel Carr and his wife, Stacy Fraser, of Charlotte, and Hannah Parker and her husband, Brett, of McNeal, Ariz. Also survived by three grandchildren and her family in Canada. Born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, she was a prolific artist who worked in many mediums. Her early work with leather and hides led to jewelry making, which evolved to creating work in the style of Native Americans. She was an avid gardener. She loved to cook, and did it with a big smile on her face, often while dancing the jitterbug. After leaving Canada, she traveled the United States with her lifelong friend Abbey and settled in Edwardsville, Ill., where she had her two children. In 1986, she moved to Brattleboro to raise Nate and Hannah in a community of close friends. She found the love of her life, Peter Büttner, in Guilford, and lost him too soon to cancer. After his death, she made her way to Bisbee, Ariz., looking for relief from Vermont winters and a community of independent thinkers and artists. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: All are welcome to attend a celebration of her life on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 3 p.m., at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in West Brattleboro.
• Blanche M. Mills, 90, formerly of Jacksonville. Died Oct. 11 at Thompson House in Brattleboro. Wife of the late Howard Mills. Sister of Marilyn Farrington of Brattleboro and the late Robert and Herman Farrington. Born in Wilmington, the daughter of the late Howard and Mabel (Clark) Farrington, she attended local schools. Blanche worked for the New England Box Company, Sprague Electric in North Adams, Mass., and was the administrative assistant for the Windham Southwest Supervisory Union for many years. After retiring, she served in town government, was a member of the Whitingham Historical Society, and was very well known to former Gov. Jim Douglas. She enjoyed music and played instruments such as the accordion, violin, organ, and piano. She was very involved as a member of the Wilmington Baptist Church all of her life. In her earlier years, she enjoyed traveling but was very instrumental in the care of her three siblings. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: At the request of the family, there are no formal funeral services. Interment will take place beside her husband in Jacksonville Cemetery. Donations to the Thompson House Nursing Home Activities Fund, or the Wilmington Baptist Church, in care of Covey-Allen & Shea Funeral Home, P.O. Box 215, Wilmington, VT 05363.
• F. Lucile Mitchell, 96, of Hinsdale, N.H. Died on Thursday, Oct. 15, at Thompson House in Brattleboro. Wife of the late Richard M. “Dick” Mitchell for 47 years. Mother of Gary Mitchell and his wife, Doris, of Cape Coral, Fla. Sister of the late Leslie Harrington, Hazel Harrington Ellis, Ruth Harrington Tracy. Also survived by two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Born in Randolph, the daughter of the late Herbert L. and Flora J. (Willard) Harrington, she graduated from Sharon High School. She married in 1943, and the Mitchells moved to Hinsdale in 1949. She earned an associate's degree from Bay Path Institute and was employed as a secretary for the Holstein Association for more than 40 years until her retirement in 1981. She enjoyed knitting, cooking, going for walks, yard work, doing crossword puzzles, and traveling, especially cruises. She was a lifetime member of the Brattleboro and the Hinsdale Historical Societies and a member of the Community Bible Chapel in Brattleboro. She especially loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A funeral service was held Oct. 20 at Ker-Westerlund Funeral Home in Brattleboro, with burial in Pine Grove Cemetery in Hinsdale. Donations to Rescue Inc. 541 Canal St, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• Elizabeth Muskat, 81, of Putney. Died Oct. 21 at her home, just one month after the death of her husband of more than 60 years, Col. Michael S. Muskat (USAF, Ret.) Mother of Peter Muskat and his wife, Debra; David Muskat and his wife, Mary; and Robert Muskat and his wife, Reolina. Daughter of the late Robert Gardner and Julie Sachs Rosegrant, she graduated from The Putney School in 1952, and Smith College in 1956. She received an M.A. in American history and archival administration from Wright State University, and worked at the Dayton Art Institute, the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. She is the co-author of The Way It Was, 1850-1930, and a number of articles on the history of the black militia in the United States. She accomplished this while managing 25 different moves across the United States, Germany. and Korea as the Air Force transferred her fighter pilot husband to new duties. A series of favorite family photographs over the years depict her surrounded by her husband and three sons. It was clear who was in charge. She will be remembered for providing the foundation of family strength, support and continuity that is sustained through her sons and their family's constantly changing lives. On their retirement from the Air Force, the Muskats returned to Putney to expand the home that will stay with the family for future generations to enjoy. Always active, she served as the Chair of the Putney Central School Board, and was instrumental in accomplishing a significant school expansion to meet the needs of Putney students. She served on numerous town committees, and was an active community volunteer. In 1999, the town presented to her its “Citizen of the Year” award. She built stone walls, took great pride in her neat woodpiles, ran the Vermont Marathon twice as she approached 70 years of age and, with Michael, traveled and hiked the world. She lived her life fully, and she would want to thank you for your role in hers. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: Services will be private, Donations to the charity of one's choice.
• Mary M. Smith, 103, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 8 at Holton Home. She was born Mary Margaret Laracy on March 5, 1912 in Walpole, Mass., where she graduated from Walpole High School in 1930 and married Clifford E. Smith, also of Walpole, in 1938. After living in New York City for a time, the couple settled in Weston, Conn., where they raised their son, David, and daughter, Judith. The couple retired to Brattleboro in 1978, where Clifford Smith died in 1989. In addition to her son and daughter, she is survived by her sister, Elizabeth Parquette, and brother-in-law, Kenneth Smith, both of Walpole, Mass., four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at a later date. Contributions in her name may be made to Visiting Nurses and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire.
• Leslie David Wheeler Jr., 85, formerly of Newfane. Died Oct. 15. Husband of Dolores Wheeler for 63 years. Father of Leslie David Wheeler III of Brooksville, Fla., Susan Ledger of Port St. John, Fla., Mark Wheeler and his wife, Lynne, of Brewster, Mass., Scott Wheeler of Keene, N.H., Todd Wheeler and his wife, Martha of Keene, N.H., and the late Cindy Rockett. Also survived by 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Born in Waterbury, Conn., son of the late Leslie Sr. and Edna (Stone) Wheeler, he grew up in Milford, Conn. At age 18, he joined the Navy and served proudly as a U.S. Naval Hospital Corpsman for four years on the USS Noble and USS Mount McKinley during the Korean War. During his service, he began corresponding with Dolores Pettengill which continued throughout his tour of duty. They were married two months after his discharge on June 21, 1952. After attending the University of Connecticut, he went on to have a career in construction as a project manager until his retirement. He fulfilled his dream to build a home on a river and moved his family to Newfane in 1976 and continued his love of carpentry and construction. After retiring, he also fulfilled his love of travel and camping and passed that love onto his loving children. He went on to settle on Cape Cod, Mass., enjoying being with his children and grandchildren watching with much pride all of their accomplishments. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: There will be a private service and burial with no calling hours.