College news
• Anna Mary Gaskill of Brattleboro recently graduated with a B.S, in nursing from Colby-Sawyer College in New London, N.H. Gaskill was a member of the women's swimming and diving team and the Student Nurses' Association.
• The following local students graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Durham: Samuel Empey of Bellows Falls, B.A. in theater, and Conor Madison of Londonderry, M.S. in natural resources.
• The following local students were named to the University of Vermont Dean's List for the spring 2018 semester: Elizabeth Adams of West Townshend, Jocelyn Aither of Brattleboro, Kira Boucher of Putney, Simon Bupp-Chickering of Saxtons River, Eben Collins of Putney, Alyssa Cote of Bellows Falls, Baxter Cragin of Putney, Roxanna Daims of Brattleboro, Caitlin Hunt of Wilmington, Kyla Lavoy of Wilmington, Sarah Mangiacotti of South Londonderry, Kira McCloskey of Wilmington, Colby McGinn of Brattleboro, Caroline Merkle of Vernon, Eve Pomazi of Brattleboro, Alana Redden of South Newfane, John Sawyer Shaw of Brattleboro, Nieva Schemm of Saxtons River, Duane Snide of Cambridgeport, Honour Solari of Guilford, Samuel Spanierman of Putney, Jon Spanierman of Putney, Zachary Streeter of Westminster, Fallon Vancor of Bellows Falls, Kassidy Walkowiak of Whitingham, and Sophie Zimmerman of Guilford,
• Preston Stachelek of Stratton was named to the spring 2018 Dean's List at the University of Rhode Island.
• Catherine Sikes of Londonderry was named to the spring 2018 Dean's List at Dean College in Franklin, Mass.
Obituaries
• Rita M. Belisle, 85, of Springfield, Vt. Died June 1, 2018 at her home. Born to Mary Jane (Labbe) and Lorenzo J. Brilliant Sr. on June 8, 1932 in Hanover, N.H., she was one of six children. She lived in Athol, Mass., in her youth and married her first husband, Richard E. Rayner, at the age of 17. Rita, her husband, and family moved from Athol to Bellows Falls, where Rita and Richard had three children. Their marriage ended in 1965. Rita worked many years for her father's business, Brillant's Bakery in Bellows Falls, which later became the famous Rita's Coffee Stop, which she owned and operated until her retirement in 2001. In 1975, Rita married Henry H. Belisle who predeceased her in 2016. Henry often referred to her as his “Rosebud.” Rita came to be known as a mother figure and mentor to many who knew her. She was a loving mother, wife, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She is survived by her son Rick Rayner and his wife, Lana, of Westminster; her daughters Marlene Curtis and her husband, Lee, and Diane Bartlett and her husband, Donald, both of Saxtons River; her brother, Lorenzo “Pete” Brillant, Jr. of Morgan, Vt.; her sisters Constance “Connie” Dawson of Bradford and Venice Cavallo of Bellows Falls; nine grandchildren and many great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held June 7 at St. Charles Church in Bellows Falls, with burial at St. Charles Cemetery.
• Dorothy Simone Bonneau, 93, of Spofford, N.H. Died May 27, 2018 . She was born April 29, 1925 in Hyde Park, Vt., and adopted by Judge Anatole and Alice Guadette of Farnham, Quebec. She spent her first 18 years in Canada with her beloved parents, sister Simone and, later, her brother in-law Jean Gauthier. She met and married Norman Bonneau, also of Farnham, in 1943, and soon thereafter they moved to Claremont, N.H., beginning a long and successful life together. They raised three children and developed several businesses together, most notably the Red Coach Motor Inn and Restaurant in Brattleboro. She was well-known as a wonderful host and kind, generous person with an adventurous spirit. She loved to travel both overseas or happily out and about exploring in her convertible. Summers on Spofford Lake and winters in Boca Raton, Florida shaped a life filled with boating adventures and loving family experiences. She was a force and will be greatly missed. She was predeceased by Norman, her devoted husband of 72 years, who died in 2015. She leaves three children: Patti Bonneau and her husband, Stephan Kuzdizal, Bob Bonneau and his wife, Janis Nadler-Bonneau, Marc Bonneau and his wife, Stephanie Nichols; and four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Memorial information: A memorial gathering is planned for Saturday, June 23, at noon, at 52 South Shore Road in Spofford, N.H.
• Rev. Charles (Chuck) W. Friedman, of Westminster West. passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family on Monday, June 4, 2018, at the age of 90. Born in 1928, to the late Margaret and Harry Friedman in Brooklyn, N.Y., he is survived by his wife, Ruth Friedman, of Westminster West, and their four children: Russell of Palm Bay, Fla., Stewart and his wife, Linda, of Weathersfield, Todd of Brattleboro, and Kim Friedman Clark and her husband, Charles, of Malden, Mass.; his sister, Cynthia Varrone of Middle Village, N.Y.; five grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. After marrying Ruth in 1957, the family moved from Massapequa, NY to Westminster West in 1972. Chuck served in the Air Force, and then owned a luncheonette in Long Island, N.Y., before moving to Vermont. He worked at Hemingway Trucking, WCFR, WKVT, and served as executive director at Bellows Falls Chamber of Commerce; and was a Freemason. He found his true passion as pastor of the First Baptist Church in Bellows Falls. He was devoted to living the teachings of the Lord, seeing the good in everyone he met, and sharing his love and laughter with all. He was an avid reader who had a penchant for storytelling. He embraced technology and was active on social media to stay connected with his family and friends. His greatest joy was his family. Memorial information: A celebration of his life took place June 9th at First Baptist Church of Bellows Falls. Donations to the Missions fund of First Baptist Church, 9 Church St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101.
• Michael Anthony “Mike” Giallella, Jr., 81, of Guilford. Died June 6, 2018 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, following a period of declining health. Born in Stowe on July 29, 1936, the son of Michael Anthony and Rita (Brown) Giallella, he spent his childhood years in Burlington and was raised at the former Saint Joseph's Orphanage in Burlington before moving to Brattleboro. He attended Brattleboro Union High School graduating with the Class of 1954. While in high school, he excelled in track and field. He went on to proudly serve his country in the Navy during the Korean War and was the recipient of the Purple Heart Medal. Following his honorable discharge from active service, he returned home to Brattleboro. A hard-working man, he was employed for many years as a custodian at Brattleboro Union High School and previously worked for the Mastaller Cleaning Service in Brattleboro. Many regarded him as the best window washer in Windham County. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and nature walks. The tagline under his high school yearbook photo fondly referred to him as an expert fisherman, especially on June school days. Survivors include his daughter Lisa Giallella and companion Robert Vivian of Abilene, Texas, and his son Robert Giallella of Guilford; a daughter-in-law who he considered a daughter, Cherish Clark and her husband Randy of Brookline; a sister, Marlene Shillings of Greenville, Miss., six grandchildren, nine great grandchildren, several nieces and nephews. and a dear coffee drinking friend, Judi Butynski of Brattleboro. He was predeceased by two brothers, Robert and Anthony Giallella and a granddaughter, Alexis “Lexi” Giallella. Memorial information: Graveside committal services with full military honors will be conducted on Friday, June 15, at 1 p.m., in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery. Donations to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-8517. To send messages of condolence to the family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Joan Atkins Hamilton, 86, of West Chesterfield, N.H. Died peacefully on May 5, 2018, at the home she built. She was born on July 24, 1931, in Old Hickory, Tenn., to the late Edward H. and Annarine Atkins Hamilton, who were educators. Her father was also a director of Smoky Mountain Music Camp in Gatlinburg, which she attended as a youth when her family spent summers in the Smoky Mountains. She and her mother were involved in the Girl Scouts, where Joan excelled in marksmanship. A 1949 graduate of Knoxville High School, Joan attended Southern Illinois University and received a B.A. in history and sociology from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. She later attended the University of Connecticut's School of Social Work. In 1954, she married Alexander Foldeak, with whom she had five children; they later divorced. The family lived in Branford, Conn., before moving to Keene, N.H., in the early 1960s. A champion of the rights of women and children, the environment, and education, Joan worked tirelessly for these causes throughout her adult life. Early in her career, she was the director of religious studies at the Unitarian Church in Keene, a counselor at Unitarian summer camps, and a founder of the Keene Learning Community, also known as the Free School, and the Keene Center for Human Concern, an anti-poverty and anti-war organization. As president of the Keene League of Women Voters in 1969, she helped establish New Hampshire's first foster home for adolescents and, in 1971, ran for mayor of the city of Keene on the Environmental ticket “because we need to look for new, creative solutions to the problems of growth, ecology, regional planning, and peace,” adding that, “women have too long ridden in the back seat of the political car. It is time we shared the wheel.” Although she did not win that race, she was undeterred in her efforts to help those in need, protect the environment, and further the causes of women's rights. she worked as a case worker for the state of Vermont, a family therapist and social worker at the Brattleboro Retreat and, for a decade, as a social worker for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. An ardent feminist, Joan was a founding member of the Women's Crisis Center (now the Women's Freedom Center) in Brattleboro in 1976 and served on its board for 10 years. She also ran consciousness-raising and Jungian art therapy groups, and advocated for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. She joined the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont in 1992 as a client advocate, and retired in 1996. She was a board member for the Brattleboro Women's Chorus, Welcome Hill Studios, and the Senior Center in Brattleboro, where she played bridge weekly up until the week before her death. A consummate gardener, Joan and her mother traveled to Europe in 1984 on a gardening tour; in true Joan fashion, and the highlight of the trip for both, they skipped out on the tour one day and hired a boat to take them sightseeing in Lucerne, Switzerland. She loved her canoe trips in the Adirondacks with her friend, Ann Stokes, and other women, swimming in Spofford Lake, cross-country skiing on her property, spending time with her children and grandchildren, reading, drinking hot coffee, smoking Pall Malls, and eating ice cream. She was predeceased by her infant son, Bobbie; her sisters, Sylvia and Shirley; and her brother, Edward. She is survived by her twin daughters, Sandra Chase and Susan Robbins (Chris); her sons, Max (Dianna Noyes) and Christopher Foldeak; her grandchildren, Will Chase, Gabriel Foldeak, Aaron Robbins and Amanda Pickering; and three great-grandchildren. She is also survived by nieces, nephews and innumerable dear friends. Memorial information: A celebration of Joan's life will be held on Saturday, July 21, at 4 p.m. at the Whalen-Proctor home, 238 Dorsch Hill Rd.,Westminster West. For more information and to RSVP, email [email protected]. Donations to the Brattleboro Senior Center, 207 Main St., Brattleboro, Vt., 05301.
• Joann Burke Liller, 92, a resident of Stratton. Died June 1, 2018 at home. She was born March 13, 1926 in Brooklyn, N.Y., daughter of John Francis Burke and Helen McNally Burke. The first 27 years of her life were spent in Rockville Centre, Long Island, N.Y., where she received her early education at St. Agnes Academic School. She earned a B.A. from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore in 1948, and began a journalism career on the staff of two Long Island newspapers, the Nassau Daily Review-Star and the Long Island Press. From 1957 until 1969 when she moved to Stratton, she resided in Sandy Hook, Conn. A former treasurer of the town of Stratton, she also served as town auditor for several decades and was on the staff of the Wardsboro Elementary School for 19 years before her retirement in 1999. She was predeceased in 2007 by her husband of 53 years, Francis Raymond Liller. Her survivors include four children, Christopher and John Liller of Stratton, Helen Mullany of Great Barrington, Mass., and Joan Redin of Marlborough, N.H.; sons-in-law Dr. G. Thomas Mullany of Great Barrington, Thomas Redin of Marlborough, N.H., and Daniel Hescock of Wardsboro; and six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Memorial information: At the request of the family, funeral and burial services will be private. There will be no visiting hours. Donations to Wardsboro Fire and Rescue, P.O. Box 151, Wardsboro, VT 05355 or Grace Cottage Hospital, 185 Grafton Rd., Townshend, VT 05353. Atamaniuk Funeral Home of Brattleboro is in charge of arrangements.
• Donald Edwin Munson, 90, of East Dummerston. Died April 24, 2018 at Vernon Green nursing home, after a period of declining health. Born Dec. 3, 1927 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the youngest of two children born to Arthur E. and Gertrude Schutt Munson, he graduated with a B.S. in business administration from Syracuse University in 1949 and with an M.B.A. from Rutgers University in 1958. He served in the Army with the Corps of Engineers from 1950 to 1952 during the Korean War and was discharged at the rank of corporal. He was married to Patricia Champney Munson in May of 1960. They were married just shy of 54 years at the time of her death in 2014. He was employed in several capacities by New Jersey Bell Telephone Company for 39 years, retiring in 1991 as a Manager of Contracts in their Legal Department, a position that he loved. He resided in Summit, N.J., for more than 35 years, and Chatham, N.Y., for another 10 years during which time he was a neighborhood activist which got him appointed and then elected to the city's Zoning Board, the Planning Board and the Environmental Commission. He was a member of Christ Church for over 40 years and was active in the choir for most of that time. He, along with his wife Patricia, moved to East Dummerston in 2005 to live with family. He is survived by one daughter, Karin-Aisha Pandelaki and her husband, John C. Pandelaki, also of East Dummerston; two grandchildren, Arianna Skye Wolfe of Brattleboro and Ilen Norae Pandelaki; two nieces, Mary Ann Daly Munson and Linneth Champney O'Hara and her family. He was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Patricia Champney Munson, his parents, his brother Malcolm and his nephew, Malcolm Peter Munson. Memorial information: A Celebration of Life will be held at Christ Church in Summit, N.J., on Saturday, June 16th at 3 p.m. Contributions can be made in his memory to the Christ Church Choir fund.
• Jane Valerie Morano Purdy, 53, of Bellows Falls.Died May 26, 2018 at home. Born April 15, 1965 in Framingham, Mass., to Alfred P. Morano and Anne F. Marr, she grew up in Bedford, Mass., where she graduated high school in 1983. She went on to attend the University of Maine in Orono where she received a B.S. in Engineering, followed by a master's from Antioch University. In 1997, Jane and her business partner, Michael Marquise, founded Marquise and Morano, Civil and Environmental Engineering, LLC. She moved to Vermont in 1993 and in 1995 married William H. Purdy. The birth of their three sons, Jackson, Maxwell and Lucas, soon followed. Her passion as a mother was to expose her children to unfamiliar cultures and expand their horizons. No road trip was too far or plane ride too long. Her desire to break from traditional roles led her to challenge herself both personally and professionally. From hiking the Rockies and the Alps, to kayaking rivers and oceans, and skiing locally and afar, no challenge was left undone. Her commitment to civic responsibility led her to serve as Rockingham's representative on the Windham Regional Commission, as well as other leadership roles on various boards. Her willingness to spearhead challenges will be remembered by many as she chaired the controversial Bellows Falls Middle School renovation project. Despite all her public hats, Jane will be remembered most for her love of family, of cooking, and of walks along the beach. In addition to her husband and her sons, she is survived by her father, Alfred P Morano, and stepmother, Karen; her mother Anne F. Genes and stepfather, Nick; her siblings: Peter, Karen, David, and Annie; stepsister Erika, and several nieces and nephews Memorial information: A day of remembrance will be held on Saturday June 16, with a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Charles Catholic Church, followed by an 11 a.m., Celebration of Life at The Stone Church Center, 20 Church St. A bank trust has been established for the family. Those wishing to contribute may send checks payable to “Jane V (Morano) Purdy Memorial” to TD Bank, 2 Church St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101 Attn: Thomas Chisamore.
Services
• A celebration of the life of Jean E. Willis of Keene, N.H., who died Feb. 12, 2018, will be held on Saturday, June 16, at 1 p.m., at Solar Hill, 229 Western Ave., Brattleboro.
• A celebration of the life of John P. “Pat” Robertson, of Newfane, who died Sept. 25, 2017, will be held on Saturday, June 16, at 1 p.m., at 135 Duke Rd., Williamsville.