College news
• Freesia Capy-Goldfarb of Guilford was named to the Dean's List for the fall 2017 semester at Ithaca (N.Y.) College.
• Tyler Clement, an electrical engineering major from Vernon, was named to the President's List at Western New England University in Springfield, Mass., for the fall 2017 semester.
Transitions
• Amelia W.L. Darrow became a partner at the law firm of Corum Mabie Cook Prodan Angell Secrest & Darrow, PLC. Darrow is a graduate of Vermont Law School, the School for International Training, Marlboro College, and The Putney School. She is admitted to practice law in Vermont and Massachusetts. Her practice areas focus on probate administration, estates and trust law, elder law and guardianships, real estate, business law, and intellectual property. Her background in both for-profit, not-for-profit, and NGO work brings a depth of real-world experience to her law practice. Darrow has lived, studied and worked in southern Vermont for many years. She has also lived in The Netherlands and South Asia. She currently serves on several area boards including the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, The Gathering Place, and the Windham County Bar Association. She is the current president of the Next Stage Arts Project in Putney.
• West River Valley Thrives, a substance abuse prevention organization based in Townshend, recently announced the hiring of their new director, Steve Tavella, and project coordinator Nick Plante. As director, Tavella is primarily responsible for oversight of the coalition, grant writing and grants management, and program development. Tavella has a bachelor's degree in sociology/anthropology from Gettysburg College, and a master's in international administration from the School for International Training. He has been a resident of the West River Valley for more than 32 years, and has worked, lived, and traveled in over 50 countries and six continents, working with displaced persons, communities in distress, and youth. Plante will oversee the majority of the organization's youth programming, including the Leland & Gray Above the Influence (ATI) group, which supports West River's mission to engage youth in developing healthy lifestyles, and educating them to the risks of substance abuse. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Clarion University, and previously was a mental health worker at Clarion Psychiatric Center and Brattleboro Retreat.
Obituaries
• Douglas D. Bailey Sr., 97, of Wardsboro. Died Feb. 14, 2018 at Vernon Green Nursing Home. Born Nov. 26, 1920 in Suffield, Conn., to Florence (Birge) and George D. Bailey, he graduated from Agawam (Mass.) High School. He married Anita Amor in 1942, and they had four children together: Lorna, Douglas Jr., Calle (Paula), and Carol. He had an overhead garage door business in Hazardville, Conn., where he and his family resided. After the death of his wife Anita in 1959, he was remarried in 1961 to Ruth-Ann Tracy. They had one daughter together, Dawn. He was the Fire Chief of Hazardville for many years, and was a Deacon and active member of the Agawam Baptist Church. He started a snowmobile dealership in Hazardville in addition to his door business, and did small engine repair and sold mini-bikes. The Baileys moved to Wardsboro in 1973, where he continued his door and snowmobile businesses. In addition, he also drove the town school bus. He served as a selectman and was a member of the Pathfinders Snowmobile Club of Wardsboro and VAST. He had been a lifetime member of the South Newfane Baptist Church, where his family originated from. He enjoyed hunting with his brothers in South Newfane and was also a woodworker. He made many beautiful pieces of furniture, doll houses and other creations for family and friends. One of his favorite things to do was dance. He enjoyed attending local square dances, rarely missing one. He was Parade Marshall for the Wardsboro Fourth of July parade for over two decades. He loved the Newfane flea market and always found something to bring home. He had a great sense of humor and always had a joke ready to tell. He loved his family very much and enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. Besides his parents and his first wife, he was predeceased by his brothers Harold and Carlton; his sisters Lois, Barbara, and Gwendolyn; and his granddaughter Angeline. He is survived by his second wife Ruth-Ann, brother Kendall, sister Jeanne, children Lorna and her husband Jay Zirolli, Doug Jr., Calle, Carol and her husband Rick Jones, Dawn and her husband David Morales. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Memorial information: A memorial service and burial will take place in the spring at a date and time to be determined. Donations be made to Vernon Green Nursing Home, 61 Greenway Dr., Vernon, VT 05354.
• Carol Ellen Bessette, 79, of Dummerston. Died Feb. 10, 2018 at her home after a hard-fought battle with ALS. Born in Dummerston on Jan. 3, 1939, the daughter of Merton and Hazel (Carr) Hazelton, she attended Dummerston schools and was a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1957. She worked for the town of Brattleboro for more than 20 years as the Section 8/Grants Administrator for the Brattleboro Housing Authority. Previously, she worked at the former Bolster Movers and Vermont National Bank, both in Brattleboro. She also worked for the town of Dummerston in several capacities throughout the years. Active in her community, she served on the Dummerston Cemetery Commission, was an active member of the Dummerston Historical Society, and is credited with conducting history walks through Dummerston as well as marking historical sites with a GPS system that included old structural foundations and cellar holes. For many years Carol baked apple pies at the Vermont building at the Eastern States Exposition, as well as for the annual apple pie festival in Dummerston Center. She loved the Christmas holidays and continued a family tradition of reciting “The Night Before Christmas” every holiday season. She also displayed Christmas scenes each year on her porch for the community to enjoy. She enjoyed cross-stitching old-style Santas, and flower gardening, with purple phlox being her favorite flower. She also enjoyed family gatherings, trips to her son's home in California, and following her grandchildren's sports and academic endeavors. She enjoyed playing cards, Scrabble, and Bingo every week at the NewBrook fire station, and was an avid Boston Red Sox fan. On July 4, 1958, she married Raymond W. Bessette, who predeceased her in 2015. Survivors include her six children, sons Dale of Guilford, Randy of Pasa Robles, Calif., and Raymond of Vernon, daughters Debra Towle of Brattleboro, Dawn Hubbard and Carol Lee Wood, both of Dummerston; one brother, Donald Hazelton of Dummerston, 15 grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Additionally, she leaves her best friend of many years, Sherry Amidon of Dummerston. She was predeceased by a sister, Mary Bolster. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Feb. 17 at Dummerston Congregational Church. Burial in Dummerston Center Cemetery will take place at a later date. Donations to the Dummerston Historical Society, in care of Jean Normandeau, 250 Tucker Read Rd., Dummerston, VT 05301 or drop them off at the Town Clerk's office. To sign an online register book with messages of condolence to the family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Helen Slowinski Borst, 93. Died Jan. 30, 2018 at the home of her son, Mike (Felix) Borst, in Kyle, Texas. Born to John and Katherine Slowinski on March 12, 1925 in Poland, she came to the United States via Ellis Island at the age of 10. At the age of 14, she fell in love with Harry W. Borst, and would spend the rest of her life with him. They married in 1946 in New Jersey. She was a homemaker, raising six sons in various parts of New Jersey along with her husband, Harry. Helen's death leaves him beyond heartbroken. She will also be dearly missed by her sons, Ray and his wife, Donna, of Putney; Greg and his wife Diane of Lockwood, NY; Harry and his wife, Karlie, of Brattleboro; Mark of New Orleans, La.; Damian and his wife, Kathy, of New Orleans; and Mike of Kyle, TX. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Memorial information: None provided.
• Linda E. Crowell, 75, of Ashuelot, N.H. Died Feb. 6, 2018 at her home. Born in Brattleboro on May 18, 1942, the daughter of Gordon and Pauline (Makarevic) Hatfield Sr., she attended schools in Ashuelot and Winchester, and was a graduate of Thayer High School, Class of 1960. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service in the Ashuelot Post Office, which she retired from in 2004 after 20 years of service. Previously, she was a store clerk for several Brattleboro merchants that included Bakers Inc. Clapp's Sporting Goods, and Galanes's Sport Shop. She served as a trustee for the Thayer Library in Ashuelot for more than 30 years, a position she thoroughly enjoyed. In 1962, she married Hubert L. Crowell, who survives. Besides her faithful and devoted husband of 55 years, she leaves a brother, Gordon Hatfield Jr. and his wife, Phyllis, of Winchester; a sister, Carole Vogeley and her husband, William, of Chesterfield, N.H.; a sister-in-law, Lorraine Burdo of Hinsdale, N.H.; and several nieces and nephews. Memorial information: No services planned at this time. Donations to the Oncology Department, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 17 Belmont Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301, or to the Winchester Ambulance Association, 6 Parker St. Winchester, NH. 03470. To sign an online register book, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Janet Mary Carr Holden, 84, of Middlebury, formerly of Williamsville. Died at The Residence at Otter Creek on Feb. 12, 2018, in the presence of her family, after a brief illness. Born in Williamsville, VT, on Nov. 14, 1933, the daughter of Paul and Lydia (Harrington) Carr, she spent her childhood years in Williamsville and, in 1946, moved to Putney. She graduated from Brattleboro High School in 1951. Following high school, she attended Castleton State College, where she met the love of her life, James Holden. They married in 1954. During her life, she dedicated her time to raising her children, as well as being employed at various businesses, including Vermont Gas Co. in Bennington, Crockett Cards in Pittsford, Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont, N.H., and Agway of Middlebury, from which she retired. In 1996, she started volunteering at Porter Medical Center in Middlebury where she gave 3,000 hours of volunteer time over a span of 20 years. Family meant the most to her, and she especially took delight in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also enjoyed snowmobiling, camping and long rides with her husband. She was also very active with her church. Janet is survived by her husband; her children, James Holden Jr. and his wife, Martha, of Canandaigua, N.Y., Judith Stewart and her husband, Ronald, of Charlestown, N.H., and Joanne Holden and her husband, Carl Boss, of Bristol, Vt.; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Memorial information: A service to celebrate her life will be held at a later date at the Middlebury United Methodist Church in Middlebury. Burial will be at a later date in Evergreen Cemetery in Pittsford. Donations to Middlebury United Methodist Church, 47 Pleasant St., Middlebury, VT 05753; or Addison County Home Health and Hospice, Route 7 North, Middlebury, VT 05753.
• Elizabeth W. “Betsy” MacArthur, 84, of Marlboro. Died on Feb. 9, 2018 at her home after a brief illness. She was an artist, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a friend to many. Born Elizabeth Bayles Whittemore in Hingham, Mass., in 1933, her father, Arthur E. Whittemore, was a lawyer and later a judge on the Massachusetts Supreme Court, and her mother, Suvia P. Whittemore, was active in the League of Women Voters on national water policy issues. Betsy had an older sister, Suvia Judd, of Marlboro, and an older brother, Arthur P. (Pat) Whittemore, also of Marlboro, who both predeceased her. She graduated from Westtown School in Pennsylvania in 1950, and from Smith College in 1954, magna cum laude, with a major in botany. She was offered a job at the New York Botanical Garden, and although she did not pursue a career in botany, she continued to love plants and remember the Latin names for many of them. Her parents had ties to Marlboro and she had spent her summers in a cabin on the hill between South Road and South Pond. When she was 15, she met her future husband, Robert H. MacArthur, at a square dance at the Marlboro Meeting House. Three years later, in 1952, she and Robert married. They had four children, Duncan, Alan, Lizzie (Elizabeth), and Don (Donald). Over the years, they lived in places from Fort Huachuca, Ariz., and Oxford, England, to Glen Mills, Pa., and Princeton, N.J., following Robert's career as a biology professor, generally accompanied by a multitude of dogs and cats. They spent every summer at their cabin without electricity or plumbing on the shore of South Pond. Betsy was famous at Ames Hill Beach for arriving once a week with the shopping from Brattleboro, honking three times, and waiting for other family members to paddle across the lake in the canoe to pick up the groceries. Robert died of cancer in 1972, and in some ways Betsy never fully got over his death. He continued to be an important presence in her heart and mind for the rest of her life. She was a devoted mother and, while they were in school, she was home every afternoon to serve tea and cookies and talk about the day. The family ate dinner together virtually every night until the children left for college. Once the children were scattered across the U.S., their visits were among Betsy's greatest pleasures. She also loved calls and letters and proudly told visitors of her family's latest accomplishments. Betsy's last big trip was for the first wedding of a grandchild, Colin's marriage to Heather Yang, in Santa Fe, N.M., accompanied by her friend and caregiver Rose Watson. After Robert's death, Betsy and her children settled in Marlboro year-round, in a house on South Road that had belonged to Betsy's grandfather, Lewis Paton. During Betsy's years in Princeton, she had begun developing an interest in art, and after the move to Marlboro art played an increasingly central role in Betsy's life. Betsy also faced some challenges from her bipolar disorder at this phase of her life. Before his death, Robert had built a studio with north-facing windows in the field next to Betsy's grandfather's house. Once settled in Marlboro, Betsy painted regularly up at her studio and enrolled in art classes at Windham College. Betsy's work was shown at a variety of exhibit spaces in Marlboro, Brattleboro, and Newfane, as well as in Berkeley, Calif., during the year she spent caring for her first grandson. Her paintings were vibrant, bold, and filled with energy. Her favorite subjects were people, flowers, and her own fields, woods, and house. Many of the portraits were of herself, and they are both stunning and unsettling. She loved to share her art with other people and, in later years, she often gave away paintings, or sold them for $25 each to get them out into people's houses where they could be enjoyed. As much as for her gorgeous paintings, Betsy will be remembered for the warm welcome she offered to every person who came to her house, whether for an hour or for several years. She often shared her house and outbuildings with friends or with tenants who became friends. She was also remarkably generous with anyone who stopped by for a chat, whether the people who worked on her house, or local friends of many years, or friends from earlier epochs of her life who made the trip to visit her, or her children and grandchildren. She would offer a delighted smile of greeting to anyone arriving, followed by tea and conversation. She so loved bright colors that many visitors deliberately chose their brightest outfits when stopping by, and Betsy would invariably comment enthusiastically on their palette. Betsy is survived by her four children - Duncan MacArthur and his wife, Nancy, of White Rock, N.M.; Alan MacArthur and his wife, Stephanie, of Gaithersburg, Md., Elizabeth MacArthur and husband William Warner, of Goleta, Calif., and Donald MacArthur and his wife, Jennifer Waltz, of Missoula, Mont., eight grandchildren, and six nieces and nephews. Memorial information: A memorial service and show of Betsy's art will take place in July 2018 in Marlboro. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Marlboro Alliance, P.O. Box 165, Marlboro, VT 05344.
• Helen G. (Hart) Merrow, 89, of South Londonderry. Died Feb. 9, 2018, at the home of her son and daughter-in-law in Londonderry. Born in Weston on Oct. 21, 1929, daughter of Henry and Rosetta (Chadburn) Hart, she attended Chester High School. In 1951, she married Joseph “Eugene” Merrow. They were wed for 41 years before his death in 1992. She led a very active life. She loved attending Bluegrass festivals and enjoyed country music, camping and square dancing, NASCAR racing, and family reunions. She also loved watching the rodeos in Castleton, parades and fireworks, and playing bingo. She also enjoyed going to senior church luncheons, going on bus tours, game suppers and participating at the picnic table socials at Smith Haven, where she resided. Among her hobbies were scrapbooking, an extensive collection of current events, and a large doll collection. Survivors include her three sons Michael Merrow and his wife, Annette, of Londonderry, Randy Merrow and his wife, Donna, of Weston, and Chuck Merrow and his wife, Deborah, of Teaneck, N.J.; a sister, Elsie Fuller, of North Springfield, Vt.; nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son, David Merrow, in 1974. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Andover Community Church. Burial will be private in Maple Grove Cemetery in the spring. Donations to Londonderry Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 911, Londonderry, VT 05148.
• Robert Arthur “Bob” Miller, 93, of West Brattleboro. Died peacefully at home as he wished on Feb. 13, 2018, as the dawn came. He was born on Long Island, N.Y., in 1924. He liked to reminisce about the fact that bread and dairy companies delivered door to door by horse-drawn wagons when he was a boy. He enlisted in the Army in 1942 immediately after his 18th birthday and served for three years, including two-and-a-half years overseas in North Africa and Italy. While serving in Italy, he was wounded in the epic battle of Monte Cassino and was awarded the Purple Heart. Upon demobilization in 1945, he matriculated at Ohio State University. While there, he began a lifelong career of organizing, first with the American Veterans Committee, a liberal but short-lived veterans organization. In 1947 he helped organize Ohio Students for Wallace, becoming Ohio State Chair of that organization. The Progressive Party, which had nominated Henry Wallace for President in 1948, soon evaporated, but the political organizing experience had made its impact on Bob. While pursuing a major in American civilization with emphasis on the history of the American labor movement, he decided to pursue a career in the labor movement. During the course of his education at OSU, he was exposed to the writings of Marx and Lenin as well as American Communists like William Foster, Elizabeth Flynn, and many others. Other students, already members of the Communist Party, prevailed on him, and he joined the C.P., a membership that lasted until the late 1950s. Upon graduation, he worked in the labor movement, first with the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE) in Ohio, then with the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Chicago. After a decade there, during which he served as education director of his local as well as a delegate to the Chicago CIO Council, he was offered a similar position with a very large Teamster local in St. Louis, Mo. It was there that he developed a unique labor education program that was eventually recognized by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as one of the most outstanding in the country. While working and living in St. Louis, he was also active in the Civil Rights Movement; this was an experience that stayed with him throughout his life. During the 1960s, he found time to obtain a master's in adult education at Washington University in St. Louis. The 1970s and early 1980s were devoted to adult education programs at a number of Jewish Community Centers around the country. This proved too tame and by the mid-1980s he was working for Greenpeace in their New England offices in Cambridge, Mass. Fundraising was his principal responsibility, although there were a few notable and typical Greenpeace “actions” to enliven the late 1980s. While at Greenpeace he met his third wife, Kate Judd, of Marlboro, Vt. They moved to West Brattleboro and were married there in 1991, where they lived together until his death. During the 1990s, Miller again worked briefly for the Teamsters Union. He also served on the board of VPIRG, and of Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC). During the election in 1994, he worked as Windham County coordinator for Bernie Sanders. In November 1999, he participated in organizing the Vermont Progressive Party, and the following year he was elected State Chair. He was very active in the 2000 and 2002 campaigns on behalf of Anthony Pollina and local candidates as well. In addition, Miller was elected to the BUHS Board in 1998. He was involved there in the negotiation of the labor contract for the non-academic staff and also worked on behalf of diversity issues for staff and students. Since 2000, Miller had worked as development director of the Vermont Democracy Fund and its Dairy Farmers of Vermont project. He worked with Pollina and others to organize the Vermont Milk Company, a Vermont-dairy-farmer-owned corporation. As a devoted patient of the White River Junction VA Medical Center, he became passionate about veterans' issues and, in 2007, he produced with Jay Craven a film about veterans and post-traumatic stress called After the Fog, directed by Craven. He also, with Diana Bingham, founded Home at Last, a local organization designed to provide permanent housing to homeless veterans. In addition to his beloved wife, Cantor Kate Judd of West Brattleboro, he is survived by his three children, David Miller of Montreal, Canada, married to Clara Gutsche-Miller; Deborah Miller of New York City, and Yonaton Rappeport of Mitzpeh Ramon, Israel, married to Shoshana Rappeport; six grandchildren and his four great-grandchildren. He lived to hear the announcement of a fifth great-granddaughter on the way. He also leaves the man who likes to be known as “Bob's illegitimate son,” Steve Matthews of California, and a crew of loving and beloved caregivers with whom he adored to joke around, including Susan King, Amy Enochs, Wilfred McDaniel, Ayars Hemphill, and Nadejda Banari. Memorial information: After a long and productive life, Bob will now organize the angels in an effort to make heaven a more accepting place. A memorial service will be held later this summer, at a date to be announced. Donations to Home at Last, P.O. Box 6104, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
• Bradford L. “Brad” Sargent, 81, of Brattleboro. Died Feb. 4, 2018 at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass. Born in Brattleboro on Dec. 4, 1936, the son of Bradford and Beatrice (Stickney) Sargent, he was raised and educated in Brattleboro graduating from Brattleboro High School, Class of 1954. He went on to serve his country in the National Guard and later took several college courses. He worked as a bookbinder at the former Book Press in Brattleboro for 28 years. He later worked as a 3-axis machinist employed for 13 years at G.S. Precision in Brattleboro. He was a member of American Legion Post 5 and the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Aerie #2445. He was a classic car enthusiast and owned several muscle cars through the years. He enjoyed NASCAR and dirt modified racing and was an avid Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots fan. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and time shared with his family. He was first married to Theresa Glover and, later, married Lillian Holmes, who predeceased him. Survivors include one son, Troy Sargent and his wife Nicole, three granddaughters, one cousin, and his beloved Dachshund, Lilly. He was predeceased by one son, Daryl Scott Sargent. Memorial information: A celebration of his life will be held at the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Chickering Drive in Brattleboro on Saturday, April 7, from noon to 2 p.m. To sign an online register book with messages of condolence to his family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Charles Patrick “Charlie” Titus, 63, of East Dummerston, Died Feb. 12, 2018 from an aneurysm and resulting heart failure. A kind gentle spirit, he was born on May 2, 1954 in Waukegan, Ill., to Mary and Mike Titus, who predeceased him. From a young age, he worked on the family's dairy farm in Grayslake, Ill., known as Titus Farm. Siblings include two older brothers, Frank Titus (Lynn) of Gibson City, Ill., and Anthony Titus (Debra) of Mundelein, Ill.; and two younger siblings, Anne (James) Farrell of Lake Bluff, Ill. and David Titus (Elaine) of Long Grove, Ill. Additionally, he leaves many nieces and nephews. When Charlie's parents retired from the dairy business, he continued to farm corn and soybeans and raised some beef cattle until a serious drought made that untenable. He became an electrician at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Ill., where he worked for more than 13 years. Known as a man who took his time, he married Deborah K. Aberman in 1997 after nine years of courtship. He took an active role in raising his stepson, Joshua Aberman (Sierra Jaouen) of Westminster. With farming in his blood, after the sale of Titus Farm, Charlie purchased Sweet Tree Farm in East Dummerston, where he and Deborah raised grass-fed beef cattle, sheep and alpacas. After downsizing the original herd of beef cattle, he planted an orchard and berries. He enjoyed long walks, kayaking, gardening, and attending car shows. He hated nothing more than to pay for someone to do a job he could do himself. He was an excellent mechanic and kept the machinery at Sweet Tree Farm humming. Because of his gentle nature, he was loved by many including the farm animals who are sure to miss his presence. He was especially adored by Tucker and Tula, the dogs who spent their nights sleeping on him. Memorial information: A funeral Mass will be held Friday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. at Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Walnut Street in Brattleboro. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery in Putney. Friends are invited to call at the Atamaniuk Funeral Home, 40 Terrace St., Brattleboro on Thursday, Feb. 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. Flowers will be gladly accepted but, for those who desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
• Linda L. Torres, 72, of Northfield, Mass. Died Feb. 14, 2018 at her home. Born in Teaneck, N.J. on February 12, 1946, the daughter of Albert and Isabelle (Tilman) Rawson, she was married to William Torres for 47 years. She moved to Brattleboro in 1978 where she owned and operated BLT Market. She later managed an afterschool program at Our Place for Kids. She was locally known by many as “Happy the Clown.” She also founded an organization called Valley Fund Raisers. The family moved to Northfield 15 years ago. She is survived by her husband and sons: Bill Torres of Northfield, Ma. and Roy Sara of Hinsdale, N.H. and a brother, Albert Rawson and his wife Gail of Somersworth, N.H. She is also survived by three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Memorial information: Funeral services will be private and at the convenience of the family. Donations to Hospice of Franklin County, 329 Conway St. Suite 2, Greenfield, MA 01301.
• Dr. William S. “Bill” Webster, 97, of Hamburg, N.Y. Died December 28, 2017 at home. He lived in Hamburg for most of his life, after graduating from Cornell University and then from the University of Buffalo with a medical degree. He started a private practice as a pediatrician, with his first office in the front room of the then family home on Pierce Ave in Hamburg Village. He later moved to an office above Millars Brothers drug store on Main St. He would often be seen riding his bike to work with his doctor bag on the handle bar. He is remembered by many mothers for being thoughtful, considerate and compassionate. His job was to care for the well being of his young patients and that often included comforting and counseling the mothers of those children. Bill (or Doc, as many knew him) did not always let it be known that he was a doctor, feeling that he might be treated deferentially. He liked to be known as just Bill. People were often surprised to learn that he was a doctor, as his mode of dress when not at work might appear to be that of a farmer or a lumberjack. A work boot had a notch in the sole made by a close encounter with a chain saw. In his red and black checked wool shirt, he was also at home in the Adirondacks, where he carried a canoe and pack basket to remote lakes, as a young man and later on family vacations. He grew up in a rural area near Geneva N.Y. On the farm of his youth, he helped with the many chores and could harness the work horses when needed. From the men who worked those farms he learned many skills. In those days, baling twine and fence wire could be called into use for mending, patching and making do. Doc's adaptation was often duct tape, its use still in evidence around his home of 40 years on Old Lake View Rd in Hamburg. His old red tractor, now sitting idle in the shed, was used for cutting grass, plowing snow and turning up the garden for sweet corn and tomatoes. Although best known as Dr. Bill Webster, he had other interests in his long life. One was flying. When at Cornell, he learned to fly in a civilian pilot training program. He then joined the Navy and taught flying and flew new fighter planes of the day to the West Coast. He continued flying for many years as a civilian with his wife, Betty, who learned to fly and soloed at 70 years of age. Always eager to tell of his experiences, many flying stories have been related to all who listened. A second and almost lifelong passion was piano. He learned to play piano at age 12 when confined to home with whooping cough. That home would often be filled with the sound of hymns being played by his grandmother and mother. For the last many years, he visited elder homes around the area and played for appreciative residents who happily sang along. He played his last two gigs the day before he died. Last year, he played more than 275 gigs, a wonderful testament to his passion. Tennis was a summer activity, played on a court in the side yard made from whatever native dirt was under the sod. Nothing fancy. Old and weathered balls that escaped the bounds of the fence may still be found. The court is now a grassy side yard, its last use being the celebration of Betty's 100th birthday, a happy gathering of friends and family. As he said not long before his death, “Everything I ever wanted to do worked out, thanks to the people who helped along the way.” He is survived by his children - Jim Webster (Kathleen White) of Brattleboro, Kent Webster (Patty), of Marlboro, Sally Webster-Slovisky (Dave) of Lander, Wyo., and Bill “Web” Webster of Lander, Wyo.; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Memorial information: A celebration of Bill and Betty's long life together is planned for late spring or summer, at their home, 3339 Old Lake View Rd, Hamburg.
• Leslie Joy (Kelton) Wells, 72, of Westminster. Died at her home on Feb. 9, 2018, from pneumonia. Born in Bellows Falls to Carl E. “Charlie” Kelton and Shirley (Randall) Kelton on Feb. 7, 1946, while her dad was in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. She graduated from Hartford High School in 1964, attended Dean Junior College, College of St. Joseph The Provider, and graduated from Norwich University. She is survived by her soulmate of 37 years, the love of her life and best friend, her husband, Tim Wells; her mother, Shirley R. Kelton, of Springfield, Vt.; her loving daughter, Sarah Joy Ballou, and a very special granddaughter, Georgia Grace Ballou, of Putney; stepdaughter Joddy Mitchell and her husband, Doug, of Hollis, N.H.; a special aunt, Joan Lake, of Grafton; her brother, Alfred Kelton and Carol, of Wilder; her brother, Carl “Bodie” Kelton and his wife, Kim, of West Hartford, Vt.; and her brother, Vernon C. Kelton and his wife, Doreen, of Westminster; and many loving nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her father, Carl E. “Charlie” Kelton, with whom she had a very special bond. She and her husband worked together for 37 years. she was a registered law clerk, certified marital mediator, and children's advocate. She loved her family more than anything and enjoyed and loved just being in her home. She was a most generous and caring person, and a strong and independent woman whose smile was genuine. She always had an optimistic outlook on life and brought out the best in the people she loved and cared for. Memorial information: A celebration of her life and burial service will take place in the spring, place and date to be announced. Donations to Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, P.O. Box 127, Westminster, VT 05158.