College news
• The following local students received academic honors at Castleton University for the fall 2016 semester: Casey Gould of Brattleboro, Olson Humphrey of Londonderry, and Nicole Wershoven of Whitingham all were named to Castleton's President's List, while Spencer Butter of Brattleboro, Alex Derosia of Brattleboro, Tyler Higley of Vernon, Molly O'Callaghan of Brookline, Alyssa Palumbo of Whitingham, Julian Plumadore of Townshend, Meghan Powell of Vernon, Grandon Smith of Londonderry, Kayla Wood of Dummerston, and Rachel Yrsha of Londonderry.
• The following local students received academic honors at Johnson State College for the fall 2016 semester: JeanMarie Giaquinto of Brattleboro and Chelby Nystrom of Brookline were both named to the President's List, while Samantha Barth, Quinn Lambert, and Ian Mckeen of Bellows Falls; Laura Pluff of Newfane, Adrienne Derry of Townshend, and Erelyn Griffin of Westminster all were named to Johnson's Dean's List.
• Jacob Castine of Vernon and Phoebe Wolfman of Brattleboro were both named to the fall 2016 Dean's List at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I.
• Bridget Duff of Brattleboro, Quinn Lawrence of Saxtons River, and Jessica Kane of Vernon were all named to the fall 2016 Dean's List at the University of New England in Portland, Maine.
• Timothy Jones of Bellows Falls, James Moore of Saxtons River, Clark Hamm of Brattleboro, and Sam Molner of Wilmington were all named to the fall 2016 Dean's List at the University of Hartford.
• Gabriel Lurz of Brattleboro and Alexandria Reinertson of Whitingham were named to the fall 2016 Dean's List at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
• Craig Worden of West Dummerston, a freshman majoring in hospitality, resort, and tourism management, was named to the fall 2016 Dean's List at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.
Transitions
• Chip Siler from Guilford and Phil Blackburn from Brattleboro were recently both elected to the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont (NAMI Vermont) Board of Directors. Siler is a member of the NAMI Southern Vermont affiliate and has been co-facilitating Family Support Group meetings with his wife Judy in Brattleboro since 2014. Additionally, he is a teacher for the Family-to-Family class and Mental Illness and Recovery workshop offered by NAMI Vermont as well as a governance committee member. Blackburn serves on the Executive Committee as the First Vice President of NAMI Vermont and chair of the advocacy committee. He recently moved to Vermont from Texas, where he was active in the NAMI Greater Houston affiliate and served on their board and executive committee.
• Christina Healy of Jamaica has joined Senior Solutions' Board of Directors. Recently retired, she is a licensed psychiatric nursing consultant with decades of experience in conducting patient psychotherapy and training nursing home staff.
• Kristin Mehalick will be filling the open internship coordinator position at Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC). She has worked for more than a year as the Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) Project Manager at BDCC. Prior to joining BDCC, Mehalick spent several years working in legal compliance and human resources for a private wealth management firm in Boston.
Obituaries
• Shane J. Brown, 19, of Jamaica. Died Jan. 21 at his home. Born in Brattleboro on Jan. 26, 1997, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and almost anything else outdoors but, most of all, he loved his family. He loved spending time with them, and his two cousins Jace and Elijah and his nephew Aiden lit up his world. He had dreams of being a Marine, and was a very brilliant young man with a contagious smile that will be missed greatly. He leaves his mother, Victoria Smith; his father, Timothy Brown; his brothers Nolan Brown (Kirsten Tuller) and their son, Aiden M. Brown, and Taylor Brown; grandparents: Allen and Helen Brown, Shirley Smith Dan/Jeanne (Gigi) Brown, and Bob Wordell; great-grandmother Florence Smith; and many cousins, uncles, aunts and friends. He was very close to his two uncles, Robert and Harold Smith. They were his rock when he needed guidance and cheering up. Shane's dog, Baker - named after his late friend/relative Shane Baker - was one of his best friends, and he is lost without Shane. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held at a later date to be announced by the family.
• Patricia Margaret Buzby of Brattleboro. Died Dec. 4, 2016, following a lengthy illness. Born in Brattleboro, the daughter of Ross and Evelyn (Jarvis) Finnell, she was raised in Brattleboro, attended St. Michael's Parochial School, and was a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School. She received an A.A. degree in accounting from Greenfield Community College. She worked in the Brattleboro area for several companies, including the Brattleboro Retreat, C & S Wholesale Grocers, and Brattleboro Printing. She enjoyed gardening, was an avid bird watcher, and loved spending time with her grandchildren and her Jack Russell terriers. She is survived by her husband of 22 years, Jeffrey Buzby; her children James Fitzgerald and Sarah MacMurtry Jones; stepchildren Jessica Buzby and Amanda Carver; siblings Michael Finnell, Stephen Finnell, Janice Nichols, and Cynthia Jacques; three grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by siblings Wayne Finnell and Constance Covey. Memorial information: A celebration of her life will be held in the springtime, at a location and time to be announced.
• Howard John Trombley, 94, of Brattleboro. Died Jan. 25 at his home, following a period of declining health. Born in Ellenburg Center, N.Y., on Sept. 26, 1922, the son of John and Florence (LeClaire) Trombley, he was raised and educated in Ellenburg Center where he attended local public schools. He proudly served his country during World War II in the U.S. Marine Corps, enlisting in December 1942. He was honorably discharged from active service on November 1945 at the rank of corporal. In 1948, he married Bernice LaValley, who survives. Up until his death, he was a longtime member of American Legion Post 5 in Brattleboro. He worked most of his career as a truck driver employed at the former Crosby Milling Company (Wirthmore Feeds), which later became Agway in Brattleboro. He retired from his position in 1984 following many years of faithful service with the company. Previously, he had worked at the former Woodard Lumber Co. on Vernon Road. With his wife, he was a longtime communicant of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and gardening and was very proud of the garden he kept in his backyard. He was especially known for bountiful tomato plants, always sharing his bounty with neighbors and friends. Besides his devoted and faithful wife of almost 69 years he leaves his children, Ronald Trombley of San Antonio, Texas, and Lynn Merling and her husband, David, of Brattleboro, five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by three brothers, Leon, Clarence and Ross Trombley; a sister, Irma Kerry and a daughter-in-law, Gloria Jean Trombley. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Jan. 28 at St. Michael's Catholic Church. Burial with full military honors will be in St. Michael's Parish Cemetery, in the springtime when the cemetery reopens. Donations to Rescue Inc., P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302. To send messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• John D. Wiley, 91, of South Londonderry. Died Jan. 15. Born in South Londonderry on April 11, 1925, the son of Carl H. and Edith (Davies) Wiley, he attended local schools and graduated from Burr & Burton Seminary in 1943. He then enlisted in the Navy and served on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Midway at the end of World War II until his honorable discharge in the summer of 1946. He returned home and joined his father in the family auto mechanic business at Wiley's Garage in South Londonderry. He married the former Patricia Ellen Wilder in 1955 and they took up residence in the Wiley family home on Main Street in South Londonderry. He worked at the garage six days a week until his retirement in 2005. He especially enjoyed working on older cars. His pride and joy was an immaculate, award-winning 1947 Plymouth Deluxe that he and his wife showed at area car shows and drove in many local parades. In addition to his work at the garage, he was active in South Londonderry's Champion Fire Company No. 5 and served as an engineer and fire fighter from 1976 to 2005. He appreciated simple routines that included daily phone calls from his sister-in-law Kay to discuss the weather in Vermont versus the weather in Connecticut, spending summer mornings mowing his lawn on his trusty John Deere, and afternoons on his front porch watching the “traffic” on Main Street and waving to friends and neighbors. Despite his physical limitations in the past few years, he was able to do the things that brought a smile to his face right through the fall of his 91st year. He is survived by his wife; his son John D. Wiley Jr. and his wife, Claudia, of Landgrove; three grandchildren; his sister Arlene Hill and her family of Springfield, Vt., and his sister-in-law Katherine Farina of Stamford, Conn. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held Saturday, Feb. 11, at 1 p.m., at the Londonderry Town Hall at 139 Middletown Rd. in South Londonderry. Donations to the Champion Fire Company No. 5, PO Box 2101, South Londonderry, VT 05155.
• Carl L. Woodard, 70, of Grafton. Died Jan. 21 at his home on January 21, 2017. Born Jan. 1, 1947 in Bellows Falls, the son of the late Arthur and Mary Woodard, he went to high school at Leland & Gray Seminary in Townshend, graduating in 1964. He then joined the Army, serving in Thailand during the Vietnam War. On his return home, he went to work at Wilson and Lawrence in Grafton. He loved his job, mostly because it was outside work and that was where he always wanted to be. He worked there as long as his health allowed him. He was an avid supporter of the NRA, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans. He had an infectious laugh and smile and he will be dearly missed by all who knew him. He was a man loved and respected by many. His love of fishing and hunting was immense. He loved to go to his camp in Bloornfield, which he shared with lifetime friend David Lawrence. He is survived by two brothers and two sisters: Sandra Clark and her husband, Ronnie, Julie Dawson, Steve Woodard, and James Woodard and his wife, Anna; four nephews and seven nieces. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Jan. 28 at at the Christian Community Church in Athens. Burial will be in the spring in the Houghtonville Cemetery beside his parents. Donations to Grace Cottage Hospital or Grafton Rescue Squad.
• Sharon Lee “Shari” Young, 52, of Brattleboro. Died Jan. 20 at her home. Born in Wayne County, Mich., on July 11, 1964, the daughter of Charlotte (Whipple) and the late William Call. She attended Brattleboro schools, including Brattleboro Union High School. She had been employed as a caregiver for Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS), working out of the Brattleboro office. She started her career with HCRS in October 2000. Previously, she had worked at several nursing homes located in the Berkshires. She was known for her spirit of friendship as well as her kindness and she enjoyed time shared with her family and friends but mostly with her beloved daughter Joy, whom she cared for. In addition to her daughter and mother, she is survived by siblings Laura Call and her husband, William Shafer, of Keene, N.H., and Gregory Call and his wife, Janet, of Burgettstown, Pa., two special nephews, David and Jonathan Call, and many other nieces and nephews. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Jan. 28 at the Green Mountain Chapel of the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Brattleboro. Donations to No Kid Hungry at www.nokidhungry.org or checks may be mailed to Share Our Strength, P.O. Box 75475, Baltimore, MD 21275-5475. To send messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• A memorial service in celebration of the life of Monika Woodard will be conducted Thursday, Feb. 9, at 3 p.m. at the Millstream Community Center, Main Street in Hinsdale, N.H. Graveside committal services in the Morse family lot in St. Michael's Parish Cemetery will be held in the springtime when the cemetery reopens. She died Jan. 7, 2017 at Thompson House Nursing Home in Brattleboro. To view the full obituary, visit www.atamaniuk.com.