College news
• The following area students at the Community College of Vermont (CCV) received academic honors for the fall 2017 semester:
Natasha Diamondstone-Kohout of Dummerston and Henna Patel of Ludlow made the President's List.
On the Student Honors List were Penny Burkholder, Tana Cutting, Megan Manley, and Joshua Russ of Brattleboro; NancyJean Flood of Brookline; Ciara Walior of Dummerston, Paige Gargett of Jamaica; Nolan Edgar and Jessica Heinemann of Newfane; Mary Lachenal and Rebekah Willey of Putney; Mackenzie Hall and Rebecca Michaud of Westminster; Stephanie Pike of Whitingham; and Karen Sprague of Wilmington.
Named to the Dean's List were Courtney James of Bellows Falls; Rowan Hawthorne, Amy Maguire, Swan Perea, and Trina Reynolds of Brattleboro; Abigail Maken of Brookline; Elizabeth Annis of Dummerston; Katie Lahey of East Dummerston; Dimitar Radev of Guilford; Sage Hall of Newfane; Robert Wheeler of Saxtons River; Kelsea McAuliffe of Townshend; and Maggie McKay and Hailey Slade of Vernon.
• Clark Hamm of Brattleboro, Skyler Nupp of Newfane, and James Moore of Saxtons River were all named to the University of Hartford Dean's List for the fall 2017 semester.
• Madison Cota, a senior fashion and retail merchandising major from Bellows Falls, was named as a member of the Dean's List for her academic performance in the fall 2017 semester at Lasell College in Newton, Mass.
• Emily Perry and Samuel Empey of Bellows Falls were both named to the Dean's List with high honors at the University of New Hampshire.
Obituaries
• Carl E. “Buck” Bailey, 70, of Cocoa, Fla., formerly of Londonderry. Died Jan. 15, 2018 at home. He was predeceased by his parents and is survived by his wife, Paulette; daughters Suzie Bailey Scorse of Rutland, Michele Bailey Blanchette of West Rutland; niece Debbie Bigelow Trombly of Chester; brothers Michael Bailey of Londonderry, Dennis Bailey of Springfield; sisters Roxanna Carvage of Chester, Virginia Bailey of Earlton, N.Y.; and five grandchildren. Born on Oct. 28, 1947, to Carlin and Norma Bailey of Londonderry, he enjoyed his youth on Lowell Lake fishing and being in the great outdoors with his father and brothers. As well as being an avid downhill skier at Magic Mountain, later in his life, he was a downhill ski racer for the Vermont State Police team. He was a 1965 graduate of Chester High School. In 1970, he joined the Vermont State Police and served in Bennington and Windham counties as the VSP “outpost” trooper in East Dorset. He was the firearms instructor at the VSP Academy. Carl excelled with his leadership skills with the VSP Search and Rescue team. He retired from the VSP's Troop D barracks Rockingham in 1992 at the rank of sergeant. During his busy career with the VSP, he had a passion and great skills as a carpenter. He had built two homes for his family, one in East Dorset in 1974 and one in Londonderry in 1980. After retirement, if he wasn't working the fields or getting wood, he was at the golf courses enjoying the retired life. He and his wife, Paulette, later decided to take a full-time residency in Cocoa. Memorial information: A celebration of his life and career will be held on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 2 p.m., at the Chester Town Hall.
• Bernice Barnett, 80, of West Halifax. Died Jan. 18, 2018 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. She was born Aug. 4, 1937 to Archie and Mary (Learnard) Burnett in Halifax. She attended schools in Halifax and graduated from Whitingham High School in 1955. She married Carleton Barnett Sr. in 1956, and they lived in Wilmington for a short while before moving back to Halifax, where they lived the rest of their married life. She had a lifelong love of writing non-fiction and was a local historian. She had an insatiable curiosity and always had one more question she needed an answer to. For many years, she was a Halifax town correspondent for the Brattleboro Reformer and the Deerfield Valley News. She wrote countless articles for The Cracker Barrel as well as other publications. She also served on the committee that wrote the two-part history of Halifax that was completed in 2013. She also co-authored two books, Roads in the Wilderness and Green Mountain Reflections. She also had tremendous joy in writing many history articles and Green Mountain Reflections along with her sister, Bertell. Bernice also worked for the Dairy Herd Improvement Association in the 1970s and early 1980s. This involved visiting many area farms and afforded her the opportunity to travel many back roads which she enjoyed very much. One of her great loves was traveling back roads and inviting others to local landmarks. She loved to travel. In 2002, along with her husband and daughter's family, she went to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Park. She also made trips to visit family in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. In 1989, Carleton and Bernice bought a second home in Cocoa, Fla., and spent many winters there until they sold it in 2014 due to her failing health. After many years of Bible study, she was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1974. She got much joy out of sharing the Bible's message of hope with others. She also found the Bible's promise of a resurrection to be of great comfort when she and Carleton lost their son in a logging accident in 1991. Besides her husband of 61 years, she is survived by a daughter, Tammy Lacey, and her husband, Daniel, of Brattleboro; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren (with two more who will be born in the spring). In addition, she leaves her late son's wife Barbara Brown and her husband, Francis; her brother Clayton and his wife, Madeline, of Keene N.H., and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was also predeceased by brothers Malcolm, Cortis, Nelson, and Milton, and her sister, Bertell Woods. Memorial information: Services will be held on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m., at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Brattleboro. There will be an additional service held for burial in the West Halifax Cemetery in the spring. To sign an online guestbook with messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Elizabeth Ann Cutts, 32, of Brookline. Died Dec. 17, 2017, after a fire at her home. Her parents, Bruce and Sally Cutts, were immensely proud of this beautiful young woman. She was a graduate of Leland & Gray Union High School and worked in the laundry at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend for many years. She loved life and the Lord! She enjoyed singing, horseback riding, going and doing things with friends, running the wood splitter, driving tractors, riding roller coasters, visiting her friends at Families First, John Wayne movies, corny jokes, and fellowship at Valley Bible Church. She is survived by her brothers, Michael Cutts of Townshend, Brad Cutts,of Brookline, and Gary Cutts of Chesterfield, N.H.; and 14 nieces and nephews. Memorial information: There will be a memorial service on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m., at Leland & Gray Union High School in Townshend. Burial will take place in the spring at a date to be announced.
• Bruce Robert Cutts, 70, of Brookline. Died Dec. 29, 2017 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston from injuries sustained in a Dec. 17 fire at his home. Born Nov. 9, 1947 in Rockingham, the son of Reuel and Esther (Coulter) Cutts, he was a 1965 graduate of Leland & Gray and worked at Mary Meyer for a time, but he really wanted to be a trucker. He was a lifelong truck driver with about 40 years of traveling over the road. After retirement, he was a school bus driver for West River Transportation. He loved coaching baseball and teaching youngsters to have a good work ethic, fishing with his grandchildren, fixing the four-wheelers, puttering around “Close Enough Farm,” serving the Lord by helping people in whatever their needs, cooking and having company over for dinner, helping at the annual Grace Cottage Hospital Fair. He also helped build a replica of Noah's Ark in Kentucky. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sally Harris Cutts; their sons, Michael, Brad, and Gary Cutts; and 14 grandchildren. He is predeceased by his parents, his daughter Elizabeth Ann Cutts, and his brother Stanley Cutts. Memorial information: There will be a memorial service on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 2 p.m., at Leland & Gray Union High School in Townshend. Burial will take place in the spring at a date to be announced.
• Dr. Roger W. Dietrich, 67, of Vernon. Died Jan. 10, 2018. He was the beloved husband of Elaine and devoted father of Kristen and Eric Dietrich. He is also survived by his sister, Carol (Dietrich) McGrath. He was born in New York in 1950 and raised on Long Island. He participated in many sports growing up, including football, lacrosse, and swimming. As an adult, his passions were biking, skiing, and music. He played the piano and was a member of Rock Voices in Brattleboro. He earned his B.S. in engineering and applied science from Yale University in 1972, his M.D. from Tufts University Medical School in 1976, and completed a surgical residency at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He practiced general surgery in New England for 40 years. He volunteered with Operation Yellow Ribbon/Support Our Soldiers and was a member of the Vernon Trails Committee. He was an avid reader and made weekly trips to the local library. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations to the Vernon Free Library, 567 Governor Hunt Road, Vernon, VT 05354.
• Sandra Lee “Sandi” Lake, 65, of Brattleboro. Died at her home on Jan, 21, 2018, following a period of declining health. Born in Albany, N.Y., on March 9, 1952, the daughter of James and the late Nancy (Short) Spiak, she was raised and educated in Hinsdale, N.H., graduating from Hinsdale High School, Class of 1970. She worked as a waitress for several Brattleboro restaurants that included the former Jad's Restaurant, The Fairfielder, and Howard Johnson's. She also worked for Rite-Aid and at the Hinsdale Walmart. In her younger years, she modeled clothing for Montgomery Ward in Brattleboro, enjoyed the ocean and trips to Hampton Beach, N.H. She was an avid reader and enjoyed walking her beloved pet dogs. She had an incredible love for animals and was often contacted by the Windham County Humane Society to nurse sick and elderly dogs. Survivors include a son, Ryan Mecheski and his wife, Jessica, of Danvers, Mass.; her father, James Spiak and his wife, Diane, of Brattleboro, a sister, Roslyn “Roz” Kennett of Brattleboro; and a granddaughter and two nephews. Memorial information: In keeping with her final wishes, there are no funeral or memorial services planned. Donations to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302. To sign an online register book or send messages of condolence to the family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Martin R. Saylor, 63, of Readsboro. Died Jan. 22, 2018 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Born in Northampton, Mass., on July 18, 1954, the son of the late Thomas and Joyce (Kellog) Saylor, he attended local schools. He worked as an auto technician for many years and enjoyed riding motorcycles, going to the lake with friends, and working on cars. He also cherished times with his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Susan (Pollard) Saylor, whom he married in 1985; sons Jeffrey Johnston and his wife, Becky, of Heath, Mass., and Joshua Johnston of Readsboro; brothers Thomas Saylor and his wife, Linda, of North Carolina, and William Saylor and his wife, Laurie. of Hadley, Mass.; sisters Bonnie Dutcher of Greenfield, Mass., and Deborah Brochu and her husband, Kevin, of Whitingham; and three grandchildren. Memorial information: At the request of the family, funeral services will be private. Donations to the American Cancer Society, in care of Covey-Allen & Shea Funeral Home P.O. Box 215, Wilmington, VT 05363.
• Phyllis I. (Clayton) Shepard, 77, of Rockingham. Died Jan. 19 at her home. Born Nov. 22, 1940 in Bellows Falls, the daughter of the late Charles (Red) and Anna M. (Barratt) Franklin, she was a graduate of Bellows Falls High School. Following high school, she, along with her first husband, Kenneth, she owned and operated the Rockingham Interstate Sunoco, KC's Corner, Sunshine Sales, and Shepard's Christian Bookstore, She also was a visiting nurse. Phyllis enjoyed yard sales, bingo, her Christian faith, and her family and friends. In 1960, she married Kenneth G. Clayton, who predeceased her. In 1992, she married Arthur W. Shepard, who also predeceased her. She is survived by her daughters Kimberly Pollard of Claremont, N.H., Holly Clayton of Swanton, and Heidi Hitchcock and her husband Robert of Bellows Falls; Kristin Stewart and her husband, James, her granddaughter and caregiver, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her dog Nova and close friends Alice and Mary. She was predeceased by her daughter Michelle Clayton and siblings Anna J (Ginger) Bergeron and Ralph Franklin. Memorial information: A memorial service was held January 27 at the Springfield Assembly of God Church. Donations to the Springfield Assembly of God Church, 269 River St., Springfield, VT 05156.
• Mary Anne “Mame” Wilkins, 87, formerly of Bellows Falls. Died Jan. 19, 2018 at her home in South Attleboro, Mass. Born in Bellows Falls on May 12, 1930, she was predeceased by her loving husband, Edward Wilkins; her parents Ralph and Julia (Slattery) Barber; sisters Katherine Barber Hughes, Virginia Barber Rickard, and her brother John “Jack” Barber. She is survived by her sister, Jayne Barber Putnam of Springfield, brother-in-law Brian Rickard of Plainville, Mass., and many nieces and nephews to whom she was so very special. She attended St. Charles School and was a 1948 graduate of Bellows Falls High School. She worked as an electronic assembler for Raytheon Corporation. She was enthusiastic about life and was loved by many. She lived for many years at the Castles in Attleboro, where she was an active party and celebration planner. She was artistic and creative, knitting and making all kinds of things for family and friends. She enjoyed line dancing and bocce, and was an avid Patriots fan. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Jan. 27 at St. Charles Church in Bellows Falls, with burial in St. Charles Cemetery in Westminster.