Obituaries
• Pamela Jane Bickford, 65, of Brattleboro. Died Feb. 20, 2020 at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, N.H. Pam was born on Feb. 7, 1955 in Albany, N.Y., the daughter of Constance (Bonneau) and Roy Bickford Sr. She was a 1973 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School. Pam lived in the Brattleboro/Wilmington area, then moved to Mesa, Ariz., before returning back to Vermont. Pam worked at Walgreens for the past 25 years. Survivors include her brother Roy Bickford of Maine; sister Laurie Bickford and half-sister Linda Houston, both of New Hampshire; her nieces Jessie Bishop and Samantha Curtis; nephew Daniel Bickford; plus many others. Memorial information: A celebration of her life will be held at a later date to be announced.
• Mary Helen Hepburn Burdo, 89, of Brattleboro. Died in her home on May 3, 2020 of coronary artery disease. She was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to William McGuffey and Helen (Bridget) Hepburn. After graduating from St. John's High School, she attended Sacred Heart Junior College in Cullman, Ala., and received her degree from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kans. She was a postulant and high school teacher before working in a bookstore in Atlanta, Ga., where she met her future husband, Victor P. Burdo, who preceded her in death in 2016 after 63 years of marriage. They moved to New York and then settled in Vermont where they raised their six children on a country road on the side of Black Mountain in Dummerston. She loved to walk and explore the woods behind the house leading up to the mountain while her children were in school. She delighted in finding wildflowers in the woods, especially where she had found them in prior years, and she loved to collect them for her shade garden. She baked fresh biscuits and let her children eat as many as they wanted right out of the oven. She adeptly drove the dirt roads, conquering mud season, sometimes making several trips to town in a day. She welcomed her children's friends and the barn tenants with open arms and hospitality. She wrote poetry, was active in St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, led in a multi-church prayer group, worked for Youth Services, and volunteered in “Just Us,” whistling and singing throughout her days. She was known to her friends as a listener. She and Victor provided a haven of unconditional love for their grandsons, providing care for them and attending their events. Mary was the sister of the late William (Fran) Hepburn and Judy (Lewis) Wirtz, and Catherine Hepburn, Lucy Johnson, and Andy (Alice) Hepburn; mother of Ann (Carl) Suhrie, Tom (deceased), Therese (Rob Miragliuolo), Paul (Laura), Peter, and Lucy (Charlie) Hutchison; grandmother of Anthony (Tatum), Jonathon (Grace), Daniel, Elijah, Ben, Will, Tim, and Oliver; and aunt to many nieces and nephews. Memorial information: A service will be held once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted. In lieu of flowers, take your loved ones out to eat when restaurants reopen, and think of her. To share a memory of Mary, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Charles W. “Chuck” Crowther, 83, of Brattleboro. Died peacefully on May 14, 2020 at his home. He was born in East Derry, N.H., the second son of Stephen T. Crowther and Margaret Elizabeth (Gleason) Crowther. He was the husband of Mary “Maisie” B. (Goodale) Crowther, whom he married in 1966. Chuck attended Laconia (N.H.) High School and furthered his education at the University of New Hampshire where he received his B.A. in Economics in 1959, and his M.A. in English education. He was social chair of Acacia Fraternity while an undergraduate, participated in Freshman Camp orientation, Band, Concert Choir, and enlisted in Army ROTC. After college, he completed his Army infantry training. He was honorably discharged at the rank of first lieutenant in 1968. Employment for Chuck started at an early age when he worked for Armstrong Co., dispensing ice cream to visitors to the Lakes Region and worked as a Life Guard on Lake Winnipesaukee. His first teaching job was as English Instructor in Stratford, Conn. After moving to Cambridge, Mass., he taught at Emerson Junior High in Concord, Mass. In 1965, he moved to Brattleboro, where he began a long association with the School for International Training. He had participated in the People to People summer program in 1961 and led a group to Sweden for The Experiment in International Living in 1963. In Brattleboro, he taught in the English Department of Brattleboro Union High School from 1969 to 1971. Answering the call for English teachers from the Fulbright Scholarship Program, he and his family set off for Anatolia College, Thessaloniki, Greece, in the fall of 1971, and renewed the contract for a second year. Returning to Vermont, he taught English at Wilmington High School from 1974 to 1983. He spent summers taking courses at Yale Summer Language Institute and Boston University or teaching at Phillips Andover Academy and Phillips Brooks Academy. In 1981, he earned a scholarship to participate in Earthwatch archeological 'dig' of a monastery in Farfa, Sabena, Italy. His appetite whetted for travel and teaching abroad, he trained in skills for teaching English as a second language. His interest in American Literature teamed up with the grammar and vocabulary of global business, which led him to appointments in Casa Thomas Jefferson, Brasilia, Brazil, (1983); Saudi Arabia (1985); Ukraine (summers, 1994-98), and a full academic year in Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine, (2003-04). He served on the board of Northern New England Teachers of Students of Other Languages (TESOL). In Brattleboro, he was active with the Brattleboro Adult Education program, helping refugees from Vietnam and Nepal become acquainted with American cultural and language. Through Global Business Associates, Chuck taught English to foreign agricultural executives who were drawn to Brattleboro by the Holstein Association. He tutored students from other countries who attended Marlboro College. In retirement from teaching, Chuck was a real estate agent with Don Long Realtors. Chuck also enjoyed lunch with his companions at the Brattleboro Senior Center where he found his stories and jokes had an appreciative audience, and where he served on the Senior Corporation. Music and playing tennis were his hobbies. He played clarinet with the Brattleboro American Legion Band, and sang for a time in the Community Choir. He enjoyed his membership at the Brattleboro Tennis Club, often playing with a regular early Sunday morning group, “God is a Perfect Lob.” He loved long walks on Crane Beach in Ipswich, attending retreats at The Weston Priory, and socializing with friends at All Souls Church. Chuck is survived by his wife, Maisie; daughter Carol Studer of Davis, Calif., and son Mark and his wife Susan (Fagelson) Crowther of Elizabethton, Tenn.; his grandchildren, Douglas Studer, Sam Ingersoll, and Luc Thibodeau, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his older brother, Thomas S. Crowther. Memorial information: No formal services are planned at this time. Donations to Brattleboro Senior Meals, in care of Senior Meals, 207 Main St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• Amber Rae DiBona, 35, of Brattleboro. Died unexpectedly on May 13, 2020, surrounded by her family, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., after being stricken ill at home. She was born in Jacksonville, N.C., on April 12, 1985, the daughter of Mark and Valli (Winchester) DiBona. Amber was raised and educated in Brattleboro, attending the former Christian Heritage School and Brattleboro Union High School. A devoted homemaker, she enjoyed arts and crafts and being around her family. Survivors include her mother, Valli Hecht, and her companion Roy Haskins of Brattleboro; stepfather Mark Hecht of Brattleboro; her four children, Kamron Joseph, Bryson Phillip, Haylee Rae Ann, and Kailyn Rae; stepbrothers Christopher Hecht of New Jersey and Gregory Hecht (Samantha) of Bellows Falls, and Tyler Hecht (Kayla) of Brattleboro; a special cousin, Amanda Aulis (Daniel), of Putney, and beloved aunt Loretta Martin (Terry) of Brattleboro. Additionally, she leaves her maternal grandfather, Rod Winchester of Brattleboro, paternal grandmother Madeline Mantini of New Jersey and many cousins, aunts, and uncles. She was predeceased by her maternal grandmother Doreen Winchester and paternal grandfather Carman Mantini. Memorial information: Services and a memorial celebration will be scheduled for a future date. To share memories or extend condolences to the family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Ernest W. Gibson III, 92, formerly of Brattleboro. Died May 17, 2020. He was born Sept. 27, 1927 in Brattleboro, the first child of Gov. Ernest W. Gibson, Jr. and Dorothy Pearl Switzer Gibson. Young Gibson attended elementary school in Brattleboro and graduated from Western High School in Washington, D.C., completing his education at Yale University (1951) and Harvard Law School (1956). Soon afterwards he opened a law office in Brattleboro, and in a general election in 1956 was voted Windham County State's Attorney, a position he held for four years. In 1960 he flew to Pasadena, Calif., for his wedding to Charlotte Elaine Hungerford (Vassar, 1951), whom he had met while the two were college undergraduates. After returning home with her to Brattleboro, he won a seat in the Vermont Legislature, and for the next three years (1961-1963) represented Brattleboro in the House of Representatives, serving his last year there as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. During his time in the State House, Ernest bonded with 10 other new legislators - eight Republicans and three Democrats - who became known as “The Young Turks” and generally supported progressive legislation. When Gov. Philip Hoff in 1963 appointed him Chair of the Vermont Public Service Board, a quasi-judicial office based in Montpelier, Ernest moved with his growing family to the capitol city, where they have lived ever since. In 1972, Ernest was elected by the Legislature to a Vermont Superior Court judgeship, which at the time required service in all 14 counties of Vermont. He traveled the circuit until 1983, at which time Gov. Richard Snelling appointed him an Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, a position he held until his retirement from the bench in 1997. Like his father and two grandfathers before him, Ernest was drawn to military service. After high school, he was drafted and served a year of active duty in the Army. He took two years of ROTC in college and, following graduation in 1951, fulfilled an obligation of two more years of active duty, this time in the Field Artillery, spending the second year in Korea where for several months he served as a forward observer. He completed his assignment in 1953 with the rank of first lieutenant and a Bronze Star. Home in Brattleboro in 1956, after finishing law school, he joined the Vermont National Guard. Two years later, he was appointed by Gen. Reginald Cram to serve as Judge Advocate General for the Vermont Brigade, a post he held until he retired from the Guard in 1971 with the rank of major after twenty years of military service. A life-long Episcopalian, Ernest was active at St. Michael's Church in Brattleboro and later at Christ Church in Montpelier, where he served two terms as Senior Warden. In 1977, he was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Vermont, a position he held until 1998. From 1976 to 1994, he served on the national level as a deputy to the Episcopal General Convention. Always interested in games and sports, Ernest took up bridge and tennis at an early age and played first base on the Supreme Court softball team until his retirement at age 70. He enjoyed spending time with family, friends, and books, and watching the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox, for whom he had new hope every spring. Gibson is survived by his wife of 60 years; his daughter Margaret Gibson McCoy, son-in-law Patrick McCoy and grandsons Jackson and Jacob McCoy of East Montpelier; his son John Gibson of Watertown, Mass., and his sister Grace Newcomer of Westport Point, Mass. Gibson was predeceased by his daughter Mary Cerutti of Montpelier, whose husband is Charlie Cerutti and children are Adam and Helen Cerutti and Evan Frank; and brothers Robert H. Gibson, who served as Vermont Senate secretary from 1967 to 1999, and David A. Gibson, who served as Senate secretary from 2000 to 2010. Memorial information: Arrangements are pending at Guare & Sons, Barber & Lanier Funeral Home of Montpelier.
• Dorothea S. Kehaya, 94, of Westminster West. Died peacefully at her home on Feb. 24, 2020, surrounded by love and Christmas tree lights. Born in New York City on May 25, 1925, she was a master photographer, with portfolios and pictures of her black & white and color photography in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The Museum of the City of New York, and the Library of Congress, as well as in many private collections worldwide. She taught photography at The School of Visual Arts in New York City in the early 1970s, and privately from then on. With the incredible help from the Visiting Nurse & Hospice team and Westminster First Responders, in combination with Senior Solutions and Westminster Cares, Dorothea could live out her life at home. For that, she was eternally grateful. She was predeceased by the loves of her life - eight Scottish terriers, one Cairn terrier, and 14 cats. Memorial information: Memorials will be held at a later date. Arrangements are in the care of Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home of Bellows Falls.
• Arthur H. Westing, 91, formerly of Putney. Died April 30, 2020, peacefully and without warning, resting on a bench with his wife, Carol, after a hike in the woods near their home at the Wake Robin Continuing Care Community in Shelburne. He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 18, 1928 to Siegfried W. Westing, MD, and Paula (Riesenfeld) Westing. Hee grew up in Brooklyn and was a devotee of Scouting, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. He felt that Scouting prepared him for the physical and intellectual challenges he went on to face in his life, and fed his love of nature and the environment. He received a B.A. in botany from Columbia in 1950, and then served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, rising to the rank of captain. He went on to receive a master's in forestry from Yale in 1954, and completed doctoral studies at Yale in 1959 in plant physiology and ecology. Arthur married Carol Arline Eck of East Lansing, Mich., on June 5, 1956. He is survived by his wife, his two children, Jeanne Katherine Svensson and and her husband Dr. Johan Svensson, Ph.D., and Dr. Stephen Howard Westing, Ph.D. and his wife, Elizabeth Westing; five grandchildren: Joel Svensson, Erik Svensson, Kristina Svensson, Clayton Westing and Eliza Westing; and his sister, Irene Westing. Arthur spent nearly 24 years in academia, teaching at Purdue University, Middlebury College, Hampshire College (where he served as Dean of the School of Natural Sciences), and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He came to Windham College in Putney in 1966 as chair of the biology department. His international experience was extensive. In his lifetime, he lived in three countries (United States, Sweden, and Norway) and traveled for pleasure to more than 40 others. He worked for eight years at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) and a further two years at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). He directed activities at these two institutes while being funded by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). From 1989 to 2001, he was a visiting professor at universities in Ireland, Austria, Germany, and England. He traveled twice to Indochina during the Vietnam War (a war that he opposed) to research the effects of chemical warfare agents, such as Agent Orange, on the environment. He subsequently wrote many articles, reports, and books on this subject. He was also director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Herbicide Assessment Commission from 1970 to 1971. Arthur and his lifelong friend and colleague, Dr. Art Galston, performed field investigations, researched, wrote extensively and gave Congressional testimony, ultimately convincing the Ambassador to South Vietnam (Ellsworth Bunker; a Dummerston resident and acquaintance of Arthur's) to order the stop of U.S. herbicidal warfare in Vietnam. This was a major accomplishment that helped end a horrendous practice of destruction. Arthur could provide an expert opinion on nearly anything, that is evidenced by his 55-page bibliography of articles. He wrote passionately about peace and the environment. Springer, the world's largest science and technology publishing house, issued a series of books in 2013 called “Springer Briefs on Pioneers in Science and Practice.” The first volume to be published was Arthur H. Westing: Pioneer on the Environmental Impact of War. The series editor, Hans Gunter Brauch, had known Arthur for more than 30 years and was highly familiar with his work. Brauch stated explicitly in his preface that Arthur Westing is “the most important pioneer on the environmental impact of war,” and should be regarded “as the father of the modern, continuous interest in the environmental effects of war.” Even after officially retiring, Arthur continued to exert influence in his fields of interest. He combined his concern over the detrimental effects of warfare with his passion for preserving the natural world in a successful effort to create a nature reserve within the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. He was also, together with his wife, founding members of the Windham Hill Pinnacle Association, an organization that has protected in perpetuity over 2,000 acres of land in Southern Vermont. Arthur's interests were not only academic. He and Carol were always out in the natural world, exploring, leading outdoor educational seminars, or clearing trails. Arthur will be missed, both personally and through the loss of his vigilance concerning world affairs. In his memoir, Incidents/Gripes/Reflections, privately published in 2019, Arthur lamented the diminishing quality of our ecology and environment: “But thinking beyond our personal needs for the years left to Carol and me, now presumably provided for adequately, it saddens me ever so deeply to see the natural world become increasingly encroached upon by the unconscionable ever-increasing human numbers - especially so owing to their capacities coupled with so many extinctions of plant and animal species… what a pity it is for us to be leaving to our children and theirs an increasingly less habitable world.” Memorial information: Donations to the Windham Hill Pinnacle Association, www.windmillhillpinnacle.org, Appalachian Mountain Club (www.outdoors.org), Friends of Acadia (friendsofacadia.org), or to an organization working for peace or the environment of one's choosing.