College news
• Emily Dow, an event management major from Brattleboro, received her B.S. degree from Lasell College in Newton, Mass., at its commencement on May 15. She was also named to the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester.
• Charlotte Elwell of Brattleboro, a physics major at St. Olaf's College in Northfield, Minn., was recently inducted into Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society.
• Irene Shamas of Putney graduated summa cum laude from Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington, Mass., with a B.A. in theater arts. Shamas was one of 145 students to receive degrees during the college's 47th commencement on May 21.
• The following local students were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester at Keene State College: Nicholas Ahlgren of Brattleboro, Olivia Capponcelli of Brookline, Stephanie Case of Brattleboro, Patrick Clark of East Dummerston, Sally Densmore of Wardsboro, Lisa Donnelly of Brattleboro, Randii Elie of Brattleboro, Daija Germain of Brattleboro, Emma Parro of Vernon, and Kyle Record of Grafton.
• Alison Spring-Rowell Stringham graduated from State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y., on May 22. She is the recipient of the Medical Society of New York Community Service Award. Dr. Stringham is the daughter of Robert and Susan Rowell of Newfane. A graduate of The Putney School and Elmira College, she will be a Family Medicine Resident at St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse.
• Veronica Faro Bagundes of Brattleboro received a B.S. degree with distinction in chemical engineering, with a sustainable energy systems engineering minor, from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., on May 7.
• Elise Huntley of Wilmington was named to the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester at Benedictine College in Atcheson, Kans.
• The following local students graduated from the University of New Hampshire on May 21: Carli Gossard of Dummerston earned a B.A. in history, Ann Armstrong of Searsburg earned a B.S. in biomedical science, and Ashley Dwyer-Lawson of Wilmington earned a B.S. in environmental and resource economics.
• Molly Ann Rice of Brattleboro has been named to the President's List at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., for the spring 2016 semester.
• Kalinda Roberts of East Dummerston, Emma Straus of Putney, and Caitln Marie Persa of Windham all were awarded Bachelor of Arts degrees from Connecticut College in New London, Conn., on May 22. Roberts, Straus, and Persa also joined the following area students who were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester: Maya Sutton-Smith and Gaia Uman of Brattleboro, and Michael Reilly of Rockingham.
• The following area students were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester at the University of Vermont: Isabel Stewart of Brattleboro, Giannina Gaspero-Beckstrom of Guilford, Megan Siggins of Brattleboro, Rowan Payne-Meyer of Putney, Sebastian Wu of Saxtons River, Ethan Illingworth of Westminster, Linnea Jahn of Brattleboro, Tilden Remerleitch of Guilford, Rebecca Potter of Guilford, Cleo Rohn of Brattleboro, Jonah Ullman of Jamaica, Kailey Rinder of Putney, Kiara Wilhite of Townshend, Miranda Post of West Dover, Jordan Wright of West Dummerston, August Slater-Dixon of Grafton, Riley Moseley of Brattleboro, Isaiah Ungerleider of Brattleboro, Brenda Atwater of Vernon, Colby McGinn of Brattleboro, Jamie Martell of Brattleboro, Stephen Scott of Jamaica, Jeremy Vandal of Wilmington, Tyson Pond of Putney, and Shannon Lozito of Wilmington.
• Maggie K. Schiller, an Austine School for the Deaf alumna, recently earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Vermont. Majoring in history, with a minor in gender, sexuality, and women's studies, Schiller also participated in the ASL Club and served on debate panels involving deaf awareness.
• Kirsten Jobst of Vernon was named to the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester at Dean College in Franklin, Mass.
• Matthew Schultz of Brattleboro received a B.S. in athletic training from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn., during a commencement ceremony held in May.
• Stephanie Green of Westminster was named to the President's List for the spring 2016 semester at Husson University in Bangor, Maine.
Obituaries
• Jeremiah Eliot Moody Crompton, 25, of Brattleboro. Died May 29. The son of Joseph and Carole (Moody) Crompton, he ended his own life after years of frustration, sorrow, rage, fear, boredom, delusion, and pain that were interspersed with times of brilliance and amazing humor. He attended Morningsong School in Putney, Canal/Oak Grove School, Neighborhood Schoolhouse, Brattleboro Area Middle School and Brattleboro Union High School. His gifts were musical and literary and he was also a sensitive visual artist. His unique voice was always evident in everything he created. He wrote good songs from the age of 9 and enjoyed busking for money in his tween years. School friends remember him as a witty class clown. Diagnosed in third grade with Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, he was, nevertheless, found ineligible for special education services. In high school he was again tested and found to have Asperger's Syndrome, or High Functioning Autism. He never accepted this diagnosis and consistently refused medical, therapeutic, social, and vocational assistance for the challenges he faced. In withdrawal from prescribed opiates after a boating accident in 2005, he soon became addicted to heroin. He struggled with the effects of this and other dangerous drugs for the rest of his life. His memory will be cherished by his parents and his sisters, Phoebe Crompton-Tidd of Brattleboro and Willow Broaddus of Rochester, Vt. He also leaves many cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. The family extends deepest thanks to all who helped Jeremiah, deepest apologies to any he hurt, and deepest sympathy to all who will miss him. Let his life remind us that the “safety net” for those who suffer from mental illness, especially those with a dual diagnosis, needs substantial weaving and mending. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A celebration of Jeremiah's life was held June 2 at Guilford Community Church. Donations to Families First, which tried to help him manage his final days, and to the Neighborhood Schoolhouse, where he spent his happiest years.
• Fred Leo Bokum, 88, of East Dummerston. Died May 31 at his home. Husband of Florina T. (Rabideau) Bokum for 64 years. Father of Kathy Dunham and her husband, James, of Putney; Rick Bokum and his wife, Karen, of Brattleboro; Randy Bokum and his wife, Bridget, of Dummerston. Brother of Pauline Devlin of Northampton, Mass.. and the late Raymond, Leo, Theodore, Peter Jr., Chester, Joseph, Henry, and John Bokum, Edward Kopczynski, Clara Shea, Helen Roy, Irene Capen, Edna Diluzio, Florance Dostal, and Amelia Wojick. Also survived by five grandchildren. Born in Hinsdale on Dec. 18, 1927, the son of the late Peter and Josephine (Kopczynski) Bokum Sr., he was raised and educated in Hinsdale. A veteran of World War II, he proudly served his country in the Navy, stationed in Panama. He worked at Fibermark (formerly Boise Cascade) in Brattleboro, which he retired from in 1998 following 25 years of service. Previously, he worked at the former Angell's Automotive Service, Inc., Winchester Manufacturing, and Estey Organ Company. In his earlier years, he worked at the former Kingsley's Market on lower South Main Street. He was known for being a hard worker with a strong work ethic. He was a devoted family man whose life centered around his family. He also enjoyed time with his beloved pet Jack Russell terriers, Tessie and Shiloh. He was a longtime communicant of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church and held membership in American Legion Post 5. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial gathering will be held June 8, from 2 to 5 p.m., at the Elk's Home on Putney Road. A memorial service will start at 3 p.m. Memorial contributions in his name may be made to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302. To sign an online register book or send messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Eric David Griffiths, 37, of Bellows Falls. Died May 28. Born in Hanover, N.H., on May 1, 1979, he is survived by his parents, Dr. Walter and Eileen (Lovering) Griffiths; his beloved son, Owen; Owen's mother Jamie Hallock, his brother, Walter Griffiths; his fiancé, Alexis Jones; his grandmother, Helen Griffiths; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He attended grade school in Bellows Falls, graduated from Northfield-Mount Hermon School, and studied recreation management for two years at the University of Vemont. He was superintendent at Tater Hill Golf Club for 17 years. In addition, he designed and built fountains for the course ponds. As much as his passion was Tater Hill, his first love was his son. He shared with him his love for model trains, planes, cars, and golf. In his short life, he gave everyone joy, laughter, and nothing but unforgettable memories. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A funeral Mass was held June 4 at St. Charles Church in Bellows Falls. Donations to Grace Cottage Hospital, P.O. Box 1, Townshend, VT 05353, or a charity of one's choice. Arrangements were handled by Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls.
• Charles Patrick “Chuck” Gouger, 62, of East Dummerston. Died May 31 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital following a courageous battle with melanoma. Born in Brattleboro on June 1, 1953, the son of the late Henry and Marie (Torrey) Gouger, he attended St. Michael's Parochial School and was a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1972. For the past 17 years, he was a bartender for American Legion Post 5 in Brattleboro. He had also worked at the former Agway on Vernon Road for several years and previously as a contractor for various general contracting firms located in the Midwest, Colorado, and Louisiana. He was a communicant of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church and was a member of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks, Brattleboro Lodge #1499, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Brattleboro Aerie #2445, and also held membership with the Friends of the American Legion, Brattleboro Post 5. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, riding his Harley-Davidson, and playing billiards and ping-pong, at which he was considered a champion. He also enjoyed playing cards, especially his weekday poker games with his buddies at the Legion. He was known for his easy-going personality, spirit of friendship and generosity, always willing to assist anyone in need. He was a loyal friend to many. Survivors include four brothers: Henry “Jack” Gouger of Enfield, N.H., Christopher Gouger of Newfane, and Jeffrey and Mark Gouger, both of Brattleboro; four sisters: Carolee Blouin of Brattleboro, Nancy Whelan of Guilford, Janis Wellbrock of Siesta Key, Fla., and Jill Browne of Palmetto, Fla. Additionally, he leaves many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, several cousins, and a large host of friends. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A funeral Mass was held June 4 at St. Michael's Catholic Church with committal rites and burial will be in the Gouger family lot in St. Michael's Parish Cemetery. Donations to St. Michael's School, 47 Walnut St., Brattleboro, VT 05301, in care of Elaine Beam, principal.
• Mildred Helen “Millie” Grover, 95, of Brattleboro. Died May 30 at her home, following a period of declining health. Wife of the late Clayton W. “Bud” Grover for 68 years. Mother of Jeanne Marie Boroski and her husband, Chester, of Richfield, N.C., and Clayton “Bob” Grover, Jr. and his wife, Judy, of Brattleboro, Sister of Edmund “Bonham” LaFlam of Brattleboro and the late Norman, Charles, and Ernest LaFlam, Marion Noga, and Theresa LaFlam. Half-sister of the late Raymond LaFlam. Also survived by five grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She was born in Easthampton, Mass., on Oct. 25, 1920, the daughter of the late Edward and Helen (LaFountain) LaFlam. She was raised and educated in Brattleboro, attending Brattleboro public schools, including Brattleboro High School. She worked for 22 years at the former Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates in Fort Dummer, and later worked at the former H. Margolin Pocketbook Shop, BookPress and Estey Organ Company. She was a lifelong communicant of St. Michael's Catholic Church. She was an avid Boston Red Sox and NASCAR fan, but she especially enjoyed time shared with her family. She also took great pride in her home, which was kept neat as a pin. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A funeral Mass was held June 6 at St. Michael's Catholic Church, with committal rites and burial in the Grover family lot in St. Michael's Parish Cemetery. Donations to Brattleboro Area Hospice, 191 Canal St., Brattleboro, VT 05301, or to the Guilford Volunteer Fire Department, 108 Guilford Center Rd., Guilford, VT 05301. To sign an online register book or send messages of condolence to her family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Susan “Margaret” O'Connell, 87, of Brattleboro. Died May 29 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Prior to her death, she had been a resident at Vernon Green Nursing Home. Born at home on the family farm in Guilford on July 29, 1928, the daughter of Perry and Pearl (Elmer) Whitney, she was raised and educated in Brattleboro, graduating from Brattleboro High School with the Class of 1946. She went on to attend Castleton Teacher's College. She worked as a proofreader employed at American Stratford, where she retired as head of the proofreading room following 30 years of dedicated service with the company. Previously, she worked as a telephone operator for New England Telephone in Brattleboro. Steadfast in her walk of faith, she was a longtime member of First Baptist Church where, for many years, she served as a deacon. She was a very humble woman whose life centered around her family. She took great pride in her home on Marlboro Avenue, working in her flower garden, and she also enjoyed travel. In 1947, she was married Thomas R. O'Connell. Her faithful and devoted husband of 63 years predeceased her in 2010. Survivors include one son, Thomas O'Connell, Jr. and his wife, Marie, of Guilford; one brother, Hugh Whitney and his wife, Joyce, of Marlboro; two grandsons and three great grandchildren She was predeceased by two sisters, Catherine Emond and Barbara Hewes. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: In keeping with her final wishes, graveside committal services were conducted June 2 in Christ Church Cemetery in the Algiers section of Guilford. Donations to Guilford Volunteer Fire Department, 108 Guilford Center Rd., Guilford, VT 05301. To sign an online register book or send messages of condolence to her family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• ​Axel H. Heimer, Jr., M.D., 62, formerly of Brattleboro. Died May 16 in Buffalo, N.Y., after a five-year battle with brain cancer. He was born in Guantanamo, Cuba in 1954, the son of a coffee heiress and an accountant father whose family grew food for the Guantanamo base. At age 6, he and his family escaped the impending communist takeover by posing as tourists, carrying only what could be considered vacation gear in their well searched luggage. The family home became the Communist Party Headquarters and the Heimer Ranch was confiscated by the Americans. His family landed in St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he grew up. An outstanding student, an artist, and an award-winning orchid grower, it was his summer job with the local ambulance crew that resulted in his main life-long interest: medicine. He also spent time seeing medical professionals in action after a teenage motorcycle accident broke his leg in multiple places and it had to be rebroken after healing badly. That was how he appeared, in a full length cast, when future wife Susan Hutchins (Susan Heimer of Putney) met him at Antioch College in 1971. In his five years at Antioch, he held a variety of interesting jobs including testing spacesuits for NASA, and designing original polymers for Xerox Corporation, in addition to keeping up with his pre-med studies. Medical School followed at the University of Cincinnati, including internships and residencies at Children's Hospital of Boston and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Axel and Susan were engaged in Rio de Janeiro in 1980, and married in St. Thomas in 1981, after he had been urged to return “home” by an offer of a job at the local hospital. Daughter Kristina Heimer (BUHS Class of 2002) and son Axel Henry Heimer (BUHS Class of 2006) were born there. His knowledge of the island, rapport with the local people, and excellent medical diagnostic skills led him to open his own practice as one of three pediatricians on the island at that time. In 1988 Dr. Heimer, representing the Virgin Islands, became the youngest delegate ever to attend the AMA National Convention. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, two hurricanes left the family without running water, electricity, and phone for three months each time, and caused significant damage to the house. Stress related to the hurricanes, and a decision to pursue Board Certification in Family Practice, completed in New Jersey, led to a 1996 divorce and a move for the family to Brattleboro, to be near Susan's family. He later relocated to Jacksonville, Fla., where he worked for Shands Jackson Hospital, as an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Florida, and for Hospice of Jacksonville. The family will remember his motto “strive for excellence,” his service to others, his life of adventure and travel, his “foodie” passions, his huge bilingual vocabulary, his beautiful penmanship (a surprise to all pharmacists), and his unmatched understated sense of humor. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A committal service was held at St. Michael's Episcopal Memorial Garden in Brattleboro on June 4. A memorial gathering will also be held Oct. 19 in St. Thomas.
• Herbert MacArthur Noyes Jr., 89. Died May 30 at Vernon Green Nursing Home in Vernon. He was born in West Orange, N.J., on Nov. 30, 1926, the only child of the late Herbert MacArthur Noyes, Sr. and Frances Fehon Noyes. After graduating from West Orange High School, he served in the Navy at the end of World War II. He attended Yale University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949 and a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1952. An architect for over 50 years, he started his career working for David Hencken's design and construction company, building homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for his Usonia Homes project in Pleasantville, N.Y. During that time, he met Wright when he was dispatched to deliver building samples to Wright's suite at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. “'So you're Hencken's boy,'” he recalled Wright saying, “deflating any sense of self-importance I may have had.” In 1956 he joined the firm of Davis, Cochran, Miller in New Haven , Conn., where he was a partner from 1965 to 1975. When that firm closed in 1975, he founded Noyes Architects (later Noyes-Vogt Architects) in Guilford, Conn. In 1971, he spent a year in Oxford, England, working with Oxford Architects Partnership to broaden his experience in restoration and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. Among his many design, preservation, and restoration projects are the TIMEXPO Museum in Waterbury, Conn., that made use of an historic brass manufacturing building for a museum of archaeology and the history of timekeeping; The Minor Memorial Library in Roxbury, Conn., for which he won the 2000 Connecticut Award for Excellence in Public Library Architecture; The Henry Whitfield State Museum in Guilford, Conn.; several buildings at Yale University; and a number of other public and private projects around Connecticut. He was an avid golfer, making his final (and perhaps only) hole-in-one on a golf course in Hawaii in 2009 with his college roommate; a walker of dogs on beaches; a gardener; and host of many lively and memorable parties given with his late wife, Marjorie Blake Noyes, whom he married in 1956. He is survived by his children, Dianna Noyes and her husband, Max Foldeak, of Marlboro, Vt., and Douglas MacArthur Noyes and his wife, Carter Simpson Noyes, of Trenton, Fla. He is remembered as a sweet and loving father with a wry sense of humor who bestowed upon his children a love for and interest in architecture and design, nature, travel, and just good plain old fun. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: Services will be private. Donations to The Guilford Land Conservation Trust (guilfordlandtrust.org), the Guilford Preservation Alliance (guilfordpreservation.org) or the Vernon Green Activity Fund, 61 Greenway Drive, Vernon, VT 05354. To sign an online register book or send messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Earle “Stebbie” Stebbins, 89, formerly of Brattleboro. Died June 2 at Woodridge Nursing Home in Berlin, Vt. He was born on Oct. 14, 1926 in Brattleboro. During World War II, when he was 17, he joined the Navy as a coxswain serving on minesweepers. Following an honorable discharge in 1946, he operated Earl Cleaners in Brattleboro, until it was sold in the mid-1960s. He then worked in construction as a painter, carpet installer and drywaller until retiring. In 1949, he met and married Anne Marie Hardy. They had three children and raised them in Brattleboro and Hinsdale, N.H. When his wife died in 1990, he eventually settled in Keene, N.H., and spent the next 16 years with his companion and best friend, Laura Stimson until failing health necessitated that Earle relocate to Barre, to be closer to his family. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion and VFW in Brattleboro. He was also a member of the Loyal Order of Moose in Keene where he and Laura attended many dances. He enjoyed boating, fishing, hunting, and golf. No one was a stranger to Earle for long. He had a fabulous sense of humor and could talk to anyone. He is survived by his children Toni Stebbins and her partner, Tim Casey, of Williamstown; Susan Strunk and her husband, Steve, of Punta Gorda, Fla.; and son, Scott Stebbins of Barre. Also survived by five grandchildren and three great-granddaughters. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A graveside ceremony was held June 7 at Morningside Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to Special Olympics Vermont, 16 Gregory Drive, Suite 2, S. Burlington, VT 05403. Arrangements are being handled by Atamaniuk Funeral Home in Brattleboro.
• A funeral Mass for Anita (Doucette) Stacy will be celebrated at a new time, Saturday, June 11, at 11 a.m., at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Brattleboro. Committal Rites and burial will follow in St. Michael's Parish Cemetery. Mrs. Stacy, 88, a longtime resident of Brattleboro, died in Brooksville, Fla. on March 24, 2016. To view her full obituary, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• A celebration of life service for Suzanne “Sue” Chase White Hedgecock will be held on June 18 at 1 p.m. at Marlboro Meeting House on South Road in Marlboro. Mrs. Hedgecock, formerly of Marlboro, died Oct. 22, 2015 in Park City, Utah. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Marlboro Meeting House, P.O. Box 64, Marlboro, VT 05344, Attention: The Hedgecock Fund.
• A celebration of the life of G. Frances “Gee” Costelloe will be held on June 25, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., at Williamsville Hall on Dover Road in Williamsville. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Brattleboro on June 26 at 1 p.m. Mrs. Costelloe died on March 29, 2015. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Friends of the Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St., Brattleboro, VT 05346, or to the Leland & Gray Educational Foundation, in care of the Leland & Gray Players, P.O. Box 449, Newfane, VT 05345.