College news
• Phoebe Wolfman of Brattleboro graduated with a B.S. in management in May as part of the Class of 2019 at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I.
• The following area students recently graduated from the University of Rhode Island: Sanderson G. Kemp of East Dover received a B.S. in marine biology and Owen J. Schneider of Wilmington received a B.S. in electrical engineering.
• Evelyn Williams of Brattleboro was named to the Dean's List for the spring 2019 semester at Norwich University.
Obituaries
• Mary Louise “Mary Lou” Buchanan, 81, formerly of Brattleboro. Died July 29, 2019 at Vernon Green Nursing Home, where she had been a resident since February 2015. Mary Lou was born in Bellows Falls on Aug. 23, 1937, the daughter of Joseph and Amelia (Poluchov) Belczak. She was raised on Williams Street in Bellows Falls, attending local schools graduating from Bellows Falls High School with the Class of 1955. In 1961, she married Leonard Bruce “Lenny” Buchanan. She worked most of her career as a bookkeeper for her husband's businesses, Leonard Buchanan Painting and West River Paint and Supply Co. When she first moved to Brattleboro, Mary Lou had been employed in the Law Offices of Fitts & Olson and worked as head teller at First Vermont Bank. She was a longtime member of the Brattleboro Historical Society and is credited in her historical research of many of the homes in the Terrace, Tyler, and North Street neighborhood. She was also an active volunteer for many years at Brooks Memorial Library. For many years with her husband, she was on the Brattleboro downtown beautification committee and, every year, assisted with the downtown floral arrangements and displays. An authority on gardening, Mary Lou attained the distinguished status of Master Gardener and, through the years, kept beautiful flower gardens at her home on the corner of Tyler and Walnut streets. Many in the community sought her horticulture knowledge. She enjoyed crafts and art, mostly working with colored pencils. In her later years she enjoyed working with adult coloring books. Mary Lou was also an accomplished knitter. She enjoyed travel and always looked forward to her annual trips she took with her two sisters to destinations unknown. A lifelong Catholic, she was a communicant of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church and a former parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Bellows Falls. Survivors include one son, Ralph Buchanan of Brattleboro; two sisters, Frances “Fran” Church of Brattleboro, and JoAnne Merrill (Richard) of Flatrock, N.C., one brother, Steven Belczak (Virginia) of Westminster; a granddaughter, Samantha Salamone (Robert) of West Dover, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, in 2006, and a son, Timothy Buchanan, in 2005. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held on Aug. 2 at St. Michael's Catholic Church, followed by committal rites and burial in Morningside Cemetery, where she was laid to rest next to her husband and son. Donation 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.
• Dana Ann McIlvaine DeWalt, 93, of Townshend. Died peacefully in her bed at Valley Cares Assisted Living in Townshend. Born on October 26, 1925 in Atlanta, Ga., her first bassinet was a bureau drawer at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., where her father was a touring musician. Her father abandoned the family within five years. Ann and her mother moved to Pennsylvania where, with the help of the loving embrace of extended family, they made a life for themselves in the small towns of Meadville and Conneaut Lake. She had dreams of moving to New York City, but decided that she was not cut out for such an untethered adventure. She stayed in Pennsylvania and met her future husband, Fred DeWalt, just before World War II. After the war, they married and built a home for themselves in the countryside outside of the village of Shermansville, Pa. Ann's natural inclinations tended towards urbanity and style, but she found herself ensconced in a world of domesticity, feeding and caring for her three sons, born over the next nine years. The family gardens provided vegetables enough for the entire year, and it was Ann who spent the hours in the basement, cutting, canning and freezing each year's harvest. She also made all of the family baked goods, and her children rarely experienced a commercial loaf of bread or “store bought” cookies. She also instilled manners and gentility in her children, right down to proper telephone answering etiquette. Feeling a need for some independence, Ann became an “Avon lady” providing advice and products to her friends and neighbors for a couple of decades as her sons were growing up. With some of her disposable income, she convinced her husband to buy a sailboat, which she and the family enjoyed taking out on the local lakes. Ann had a life-long love for the theater. She acted in plays when her children were very young, then re-entered the thespian world later in life, becoming a popular fixture in community theater, perhaps culminating with her starring role in Driving Miss Daisy. She was much loved by her fellow actors and served as a mentor to many. She dabbled in painting, but found gratification and recognition with her skills at drying flowers, making fantastic dried and fresh arrangements of them for the household and for events in her community. Ann and Fred loved to travel. They took the family on road trips across most of the United States, and in later years, she and Fred travelled with friends in Europe and Great Britain, as well as taking a sailing adventure in the Caribbean. She also enjoyed an active social life in their small town, hosting parties, playing bridge, and participating in local historical pageants, church and cultural events. The political conditions during her lifetime led most of her family to engage in various forms of activism or protest. While being well stocked with a catalogue of acerbic remarks herself, her most notable advice to her agitated family members was “sugar works better than vinegar.” After the death of her husband in 2011, Ann was able to make a significant transition, leaving her long time home and spending her last years in Vermont, living with dignity and grace at Valley Cares, where she was beloved by staff and residents alike. Unanswered questions about dreams or might-have-beens didn't prevent her from enjoying whatever happiness life could offer her from one day to the next. She will be missed. She is survived by three sons: Jeff DeWalt, and his wife, Barb, of Littitz, Pa., Mark DeWalt and his wife, Karen, of Barkeyville, Pa., and Dan DeWalt and his wife Marcia Hylan, of Newfane. She is survived by eight grandchildren, her beloved cousin Gail Seiple and family, niece Edie Rico and sons, and five great-grandchildren. Memorial information: A memorial service was held on August 3 at Valley Cares in Townshend. Donations to the Ann DeWalt Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 17, South Newfane, VT 05351. The money will go to a 2020 Leland & Gray graduate who will study the theater arts.
• Matthew A, Goodnow, 41, of Halifax. Died unexpectedly on July 30, 2019. Born in Brattleboro on March 25, 1978, the son of Randy and Donna Brown Goodnow, he attended schools in Whitingham, graduating from Whitingham High School. Matthew worked as a machinist for G.S. Precision for nearly 25 years. He was a member of the Karbon Kings Performance Car Club. He enjoyed driving and buying fast, high-powered cars and listening to rock music. Matthew was an avid fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Yankees. He leaves his wife, Amanda Putnam Goodnow, whom he married in 2007. He also leaves his father and mother-in-law Jeff and Marylee Putnam of Halifax; father-in-law Gary Cook of Clarksburg, Mass.; sisters-in-law Leah Putnam of Halifax, Abigail Fisher of Florida, and brother-in-law Charles Putnam of Halifax; sons Joseph Reynolds of Brattleboro and Nicholas Goodnow of California, daughters Kira Goodnow and Elizabeth Thurber, both of Halifax, and Angel Betit of Jacksonville; his sister Rebecca Goodnow of Whitingham, stepbrother Paul Roy of Brattleboro; stepsister Rebecca Gottardi of Whitingham and his grandson, Emmett Rhodes. He also leaves step-siblings Brandon, London and Cameron McCoy, Whitney Chitwood, Keeton Hill, Shawnee Patterson, and Rachel Smith, and nephew Cooper Smith. Memorial information: Funeral services were held Aug. 6 at Covey-Allen & Shea Funeral Home in Wilmington, with interment in Jacksonville Cemetery. Donations to the Halifax Bible Church, in care of Covey-Allen & Shea Funeral Home, P.O. Box 215, Wilmington, VT 05363. To send the family personal condolences, visit www.sheafuneralhomes.com.
• John Francis “Franny” O'Connor, 91, formerly of Walpole, N.H. Died July 27, 2019 at Maplewood Nursing Home in Westmoreland, N.H. He was born on Oct. 4, 1927 in Bellows Falls, the first of four sons born to the late Thomas F. and Clara B. (Ostrowski) O'Connor. He attended St. Charles Parochial School and was a 1945 graduate of Bellows Falls High School. He served in the Army in Germany on occupation duty after the end of World War II. After his honorable discharge, he graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a degree in business administration. An accountant by trade, he was employed in the Hartford, Conn., area throughout his adult life with firms such as Travelers Insurance, Sikorsky Aviation and, finally, United Technologies. He retired in 1992 to more fully pursue his passions for hunting and fishing. He is survived by his three brothers, Lawrence J. of Westmoreland, N.H., William E. of Westminster, and Paul M. of Walpole; his sister-in-law Marlene O'Connor of Westminster; nephew Michael of Williston; nieces Shannon of Washington, N.H., and Erin of Boulder, Colo.; and five grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Aug. 2 at St. Charles Church in Bellows Falls, with interment in St. Charles Cemetery in Westminster.
• Richard F. Tuttle, 66, of West Dummerston. Died July 9, 2019 at his home. He was born on June 12, 1953 in Brattleboro, the son of Raymond and Mary Tuttle. He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Neil Poor of Guilford; a son, Richie Tuttle of West Dummerston; a daughter, Amanda Scudder of Brattleboro; grandsons Samuel and Daniel Poor of Guilford; former wife Sharon Dean of Chester; and girlfriend Wendy Stebbins of West Dummerston. Memorial information: None provided.