College news
• Sophie Rodenbush of Putney was named to the Dean's List for the spring 2016 semester at Binghamton (N.Y.) University.
Obituaries
• Justin R. Beebe, 26, of Bellows Falls. Died Aug. 13, while fighting the Strawberry Fire at Great Basin National Park in Nevada. He was born in Springfield, Vt., on Feb. 1, 1990, the son of Sheldon and Betsy (Burrington) Beebe. He was a 2008 graduate of Bellows Falls Union High School and attended a post-graduate year at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River. He called himself a mountain man: From fly fishing to hunting to hiking and more, he was always outside and an avid outdoorsman. He was an intense and talented athlete who excelled in ice hockey, soccer, baseball, and snowboarding. He knew how to live and love life and those he shared it with. His favorite pastime was planting apple and oak trees at his family's Vermont camp, and meticulously caring for them each year. His sidekick lab, named Boo, followed him wherever he went and the two of them knew how to make everyone they met feel extremely lucky to have crossed their path. He wanted so much to be a Hotshot, so he hit the road to meet with many crews and left them each with a can of his family's homemade maple syrup so the superintendents would remember the “Vermonter.” His family and friends know he would have won the best mustache contest at the end of the season. He truly was living his dream, thanks to the Lolo Hotshots. He is survived by his parents Sheldon and Betsy Beebe; his sister, Jessica; and the love of his life, whom he was planning to marry, Jennifer Zaso. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: There will be a public memorial service at the Bellows Falls Union High School auditorium at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. A memorial service was held on Aug. 20 in Missoula, Mont., the base for the Lolo Hotshots. Memorial gifts and donations can be made either to the Justin Beebe Memorial Fund, 10 Deermont Rd., Bellows Falls, VT 05101, which is set up to award scholarships and assist organizations who specifically assist children with dyslexia to get outdoors, learn sportsman skills, and connect with nature to help them find a path to success in life much like Justin found, or to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, wffoundation.org, which has been so helpful to the family and other families who have lost their loved ones in the line of fire duty. Justin was a bright light that God needed more than us. Please take a long walk in the woods to honor him.
•Pierre Bonin, 78, of Boston, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Aug. 21 after living bravely and actively for more than 10 years after his prostate cancer diagnosis. He was a lover of ballet, travel, bicycling, great books, and touching movies. He chose his own path and he made up his own mind about people and things and how he wanted to be in the world. He adored and respected his late wife, Betsey, and his two daughters, Stephanie and Danielle. He loved to get people talking so he could learn more about them, and sometimes so he could spark controversial political conversation. He was an active matchmaker at heart and a romantic, who got such pleasure in seeing other people find love and happiness, and who never gave up on his own. He was a dedicated conservationist who walked and biked everywhere, and would turn around and head out all over again if he forgot his re-usable bags. He cared deeply about how his actions affected the earth, and made every daily decision with that in mind. A diary, given as a wedding gift in 1970, began a lifelong passion for journal writing resulting in what he called his “book,” which contained more than 45 years of his life as a husband, father and traveler. In 1978, after teaching in public schools for a number of years in Massachusetts and Colorado, he and Betsey bought The Book Cellar on Main Street in Brattleboro, where they brought up their daughters. The sudden loss of Betsey in 1992 was devastating for him, but he continued to run the store for eight more years. Upon selling the Book Cellar in 2000, Pierre retired to Boston as he and Betsey had always planned to do, and he made full use of all Boston had to offer, constantly walking, biking, and taking the T to every cultural performance he could. He led personalized, self-created bike tours throughout Boston, and was always striking up conversation with tourists from abroad, helping them get the most out of their time in Boston, and forging new friendships. His love of Paris had him traveling for long periods of time, staying with families, or doing house swaps. His final three-month-long visit was last year. He was well connected with his fellow classmates from Wellesley High School, and looked forward to each reunion where he did his best to convince them to have live music and a dance floor. There were many Friday and Saturday nights, up until very recently, where it was hard to reach him because he was out dancing in Boston, wherever his favorite live music was playing. He was the son of the late Jane and Maurice Bonin of Wellesley, Mass., husband of the late Betsey Bonin, father to Danielle Bonin Wollner of West Hartford, Conn., and Stephanie Bonin of Dummerston, and father-in-law to Andrew Wollner and Keith Arnold. He was also grandfather to Emily Wollner, Olivia Wollner, Maisie Arnold and Lily Arnold, ranging in ages from 4 to 10 years old. He worked hard to impart to them his love of cursive and the written word, and the importance of using a dictionary and knowing their math facts. He was looking forward to meeting their first loves. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: At his request, there be no service or event. There will be an outdoor gathering at Keith and Stephanie's home in Dummerston on Sunday, Aug. 28, from 4 to 6 p.m. All are welcome to join in support of the family and, of course, there will be live music. In lieu of flowers, let's give Pierre his wish for the world: put down your cell phone, take off your sunglasses and have a conversation with a friend.
• Everett L. Garland, 101, formerly of Westminster. Died Aug. 7 at Springfield Health & Rehab Center, where he had been a resident since 2008. He was born Sept. 5, 1914 in Rotterdam Junction., N.Y., the son of the late Howard and Florence (Crispe) Garland. He was raised and educated in Rotterdam Junction. later moving to North Walpole, N.H. He worked most of his career as a truck driver for Fogarty Trucking Co., based in West Springfield, Mass. He also held membership in the Teamsters. He also served as a Boy Scout leader in Westminster, and was a member of the Westminster Congregational Church. In 1938, he married Priscilla Cullinane, who predeceased him in 1995. Survivors include a daughter, Donna Radcliffe and her husband, Richard, of Marlboro; two sons, David N. Garland and his wife, Elaine, of Ludlow; and Nelson L. Garland and his wife, Susan, of Newport, N.C.; a sister, Ruth Duley of Yorktown, Va.; seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a sister, Alvia, and a brother, Howard. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: In keeping with his final wishes, services will be private for the immediate family with burial of his urn in the Garland family lot in Oak Hill Cemetery in Bellows Falls. Donations to the Bellows Falls Area Senior Center, 18 Tuttle St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101, or to the Windham County Humane Society, PO Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302. To sign an online guestbook with messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Jesse Aaron Lucy, 40, formerly of Hinsdale, N.H. Died suddenly on Aug. 5, while vacationing in New England. Born in Brattleboro, he grew up in West Dummerston and Hinsdale, graduating from Hinsdale High School in 1994. He joined the Air Force in 1999, serving in San Antonio, Texas, South Korea, Iraq, Virginia, and New Mexico. He is survived by his wife, the former Wendy Melzer of Williamsburg; his father, Jim Lucy, of Hinsdale; siblings, Jamie Lucy of Newport News, Va., and James Lucy of Tucson, Ariz.; a stepfather, Keith Whitworth of Hinsdale, N.H.; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother, Cheryl Butler Lucy. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial service with Air Force representation will be held at a later date in Williamsburg, Va. A local gathering and time of remembrance took place at the Hinsdale home of aunt and uncle Kendall and Michele Lucy.
• Shirley Lockerby Neathawk, 67, of Newfane. Died Aug. 17 at home after a brief battle with cancer. Born June 7, 1949, in Bellows Falls, she graduated from Bellows Falls High School in 1967. As a young woman, she served in the Marine Corps from 1967 to 1971, and then obtained her cosmetology license. She had a long career as a hair stylist, including more than 30 years as owner and manager of Shear Madness hair salon in Putney. She had many passions. In addition to a busy career, she maintained immaculate sprawling flower gardens at her home. Her love of travel included annual winter trips to Cancun with her girlfriends and regular trips to Georgia to visit beloved relatives. She stayed constantly active, was very social, and always shopping. She loved Christmas and showered family and friends with gifts year round. Somehow there still was time for fishing with her husband, William J. “Willie” Neathawk, who survives her along two sisters, one brother, many nieces and nephews, and three grandchildren whom she referred to as “her babies.” MEMORIAL INFORMATION: In keeping with her final wishes, there will be no funeral service. Donations to Grace Cottage Hospital, P.O. Box 1, Townshend, VT 05353, or Vermont/New Hampshire Veterinary Clinic, 38 East-West Road, East Dummerston, VT 05436.
• Edward Frank Nelson, 83, of Newfane. Died Aug. 13 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, following a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Astoria, N.Y., on March 26, 1933, the son of Frank and Edith Sigler Nelson. He was a graduate of Pace University, where he received his degree in accounting, and lived in Hauppauge and Smithtown, N.Y., until 1999. He proudly served his country in the Air Force during the Korean War, receiving an honorable discharge from active service. In 1999, he retired as /Vice President/Compliance Director with the New York Stock Exchange following 38 years of faithful and dedicated service. He then made Newfane his permanent home with his wife, Betty Ann Nelson. Active civically, he served on the Development & Review Board for the town of Newfane, was a member of the West River Valley Lions Club, and a member of the Newfane Congregational Church, where he served as trustee and member of the church's finance committee. Besides his wife of 41 years, he leaves his son, Gregory Nelson of Albuquerque, N.M.; stepsons Steven Keene of Alvin, Texas and Gary Keene of Spring, Texas; two daughters, Beth Ann Graf of Ronkonkoma, N.Y., and Amy Dettling of Smithtown, N.Y.; 12 grandchildren; one sister, Dolores Goodman of California, and his nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by one stepson, Stuart Keene. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial service in celebration of his life will be Saturday, Sept. 10, at 11 a.m,. at the Newfane Congregational Church with a reception to follow. Burial of his cremated remains will be in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, N.Y. Donations to the Newfane Congregational Church, P.O. Box 27, Newfane, VT 05345. To sign an online guestbook with messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• June A. Williams, 88, of Townshend. Died Aug. 16. Born in Townshend on June 14, 1928, the daughter of the late Burt and Phoebe (Columbus) Brown, she attended schools in Townshend and was a graduate of Leland & Gray Seminary. She worked as a bus driver in Newfane, and as a cook for Grace Cottage Hospital. She was a member of the Eastern Star and the Newbrook Fire Department. She had an ebullient personality and always had a positive attitude. She was also famous for her baked beans and donuts. Her family is grateful to her niece Ellen for her continued care and support of June. She is survived by her sons David Williams and his wife Rindy and their son Nathan, Dennis Williams and his wife Barbara Colgrove and their children Ian, Taylor, and Jameson; her daughters-in-law Patricia Williams and children Kristen Derry and husband, Skip, and Ryan Williams and wife Katrina, and Jane Williams and children Max and Erin; her sister-in-law Helen Newton and her husband, John; and several nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband Lawrence Williams, her sons Donald and Douglas Williams, her brothers Guy, Harry, and Stan Brown, and her sisters Florence and Mable. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A funeral service was held Aug. 20 in the Newfane Congregational Church with burial in Woodlawn Cemetery in Newfane. Donations to Valley Cares Inc. Assisted Living, P.O. Box 341, Townshend, VT 05353. Arrangements were handled by Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls.
• Vickie Lynn Williams, 67, formerly of Brattleboro and Gilsum, N.H. Died Aug. 11 at Genesis-Westwood Health Center in Keene, N.H., following a period of declining health. Born in Brattleboro on Oct. 8, 1948, the daughter of Allen and Barbara (Leary) Williams, she was a lifelong resident of the area. She was a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1968. She proudly served her country for six years on active duty in the Army and 14 years with the Vermont National Guard. She was called into active duty, serving in the Army during Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. She was a life member of the VFW Carl M. Dessaint Post 1034 in Brattleboro. She had been employed as a bus driver for First Student based in Keene, worked as a prison guard at the Cheshire County Correctional Facility in Westmoreland, N.H., as well as a security guard at Swanzey Lake Campground. More recently, she worked as a sales associate at the Keene Walmart. She enjoyed motorcycle riding, time spent at Swanzey Lake Campground, and time shared with her family. She especially loved her beloved pet dogs. She had lived her life to the fullest, her way! Survivors include her partner of 20 years, Janet Pratt of Gilsum; three sisters, Ruth Putnam and Verlene LaShay, both of Guilford, and Nonie Fournier of Dummerston; her extended family, Chris and Pam Pratt; four grandchildren, and her Swanzey Lake Camping Area family. Additionally, she leaves many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by her parents and one sister, Valerie Cummings. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial gathering to include military honors was held at VFW Post 1034 on Aug. 22. Donations to the Monadnock Humane Society, 101 W. Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446. To sign an online guestbook with messages of condolence to her family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Leonard Usher Wilson, 89, of East Montpelier. Died July 31 at his home. He was a committed public servant who worked quietly, but effectively, to help protect the natural beauty and rural character of the state he loved. He was born in Brookline, Mass, on Jan. 1, 1927, the son of Grafton Lee Wilson and Dorothy Usher Wilson. He graduated from the Putney School in 1944, served in the Army from 1944 to 1946, and graduated from Harvard College in 1950. In 1954, he married Priscilla Litchfield in Camden, Maine. Early in his career, Len worked as a journalist, eventually serving as a managing editor at the Bennington Banner. In 1958, he took the position of Director of Public Relations at Bennington College. In 1960, he ran for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont on the Democratic ticket. While not successful, he was enthusiastic about the experience, which predated, by one election cycle, the dramatic breakthrough by Philip Hoff, who became the first Democrat to be elected governor of Vermont. Mr. Wilson initially worked in Washington, D.C., for the State Department, and then in Geneva, Switzerland, as a liaison at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations during a period of intensive international trade negotiations. In Switzerland, he was able to pursue his love of skiing and mountain climbing. Though later he would sometimes wryly recall hikes “trailed by a string of sullen, mutinous children,” his example prevailed and many of his descendants are avid skiers and hikers. In 1965, he and his family moved to Virginia, and he worked in trade negotiations for the Executive Office of President Lyndon B Johnson. He returned to Vermont with his family in 1967 to work in Governor Hoff's administration. For the rest of his career, Mr. Wilson primarily focused his energy on state government and politics. He was an environmentalist, a conservationist, a dedicated steward of the land, decades before it became fashionable or politically correct to be so. In his quiet, unassuming way, he was a teacher and a mentor to the Vermonters who chose to listen to him. He was a lifelong believer in land use planning, and an unabashed advocate for thoughtful, organized use of all of Vermont's natural resources. He worked under five different Vermont governors during three decades of intense change and development pressure in Vermont. He was deeply involved with the development and implementation of the state's landmark land use and development law, Act 250. He was Director of Planning for governors Hoff, Thomas Salmon, and Richard Snelling; was chairman of the state Environmental Board under Governor Snelling, was secretary of what was then the Agency of Environmental Conservation under Governor Madeleine Kunin, and was a member of the Public Service Board under Governor Howard Dean. He left state government for several years to work as a project director and senior research associate for the Council of State Governments, based in Kentucky, from where he traveled widely through the western United States, working primarily on issues related to range land management. He also worked for several years for Robert Burley Associates, a Waitsfield architecture firm. He served from 1973 to 1979 as a trustee for the University of Vermont. He spent childhood summers in Grafton, where he and his brothers continued to meet for years for enthusiastic tennis matches. Throughout his life he loved hunting, skiing, hiking and camping with friends and family, especially his children. He and his family lived in Waitsfield from 1967 until 1989, when he and Priscilla moved to Montpelier and eventually to East Montpelier. In his later years, he retired from public life but continued to travel widely, indulging his love of mountains. He enjoyed visiting family in New Mexico, hiking trips in Europe, family vacations on the Maine coast, reading, rebuilding the old stone walls around his house and daily walks around his home. He loved to watch the changing of the seasons, spot animals in the fields and comment on the antics of his grandchildren from the comfort of his favorite swinging porch chair. He will be remembered for his intensely blue eyes, curiosity, enthusiasm and a dry sense of humor that revealed a keen intellect and a lifetime of experience and learning. He passed on to his children a love for mountains and a heartfelt appreciation of the unique qualities of Vermont life. He will be sadly missed. He was predeceased by his three brothers, Lee, Roger and Douglas. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Priscilla Wilson; his children: Molly Wilson of Westminster, Sarah Aycock of Gallup, N.M., Alice Wilson of Stowe, and John Wilson of Waitsfield, as well as 10 grandchildren. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial gathering is planned for a later date yet to be determined.
Note of thanks
The family of Harold “Mitch” Mitchell wish to acknowledge every thoughtful word, deed, and offering given to us at this difficult time. Please know all us are forever grateful for your kindness and caring. From Andrea, Michele, Steve and Haley, Michael, Sarah and Kyle, Lenny and Darlene. Mr. Mitchell, of West Brattleboro, died July 28, 2016 at the age of 71.