Obituaries
• Beverly Amelia (Eckert) Bloom, 101, of Townshend, formerly of Brookline. Died Dec. 1, 2022 at Valley Cares Assisted Living in Townshend. She was born on Sept. 9, 1921, to the late Wilmer and Pearl (Love) Eckert. She was the wife of the late Louis R. Bloom, whom she married on March 24, 1940 in Norwalk, Connecticut. Beverly spent her youth in Connecticut where she attended school in Norwalk. In 1950, she and Louis moved to Brookline, where she resided until moving to Valley Cares in 2013. Beverly is survived and will be missed by her daughter Jane Honackie of Jackson, Missouri; her granddaughter Wendy Beattie and her husband Carl of Salida, Colorado; her grandsons Thomas Bloom and his wife Kathryn of Brookline, and Shawn Royal and his wife Jennifer of Gordonville, Missouri; her granddaughters Carrie Brand and her husband Keith of Carbondale, Colorado, and Christina Tanner and her husband Michael of Jackson, Missouri; her great-grandchildren Kayla Snow, Thane Beattie, Hayden Beattie, Chloe Brand, Natasha Brand, Kaitlyn Givens, Louis Royal, and Emma Self; and great-great- grandchildren Emerson Snow, Saylor Snow, Kinnley Beattie, Trenton Sides, and Evelyn Sides. In addition to her parents, Beverly was predeceased by her two sons, Radcliffe A. Bloom of Brookline and Daniel E. Bloom of North Troy. Memorial information: No formal services will be held at this time. Ker Phaneuf Funeral Home of Brattleboro has been entrusted with arrangements.
• Suzanne Grussing Borichevsky, 63, of Guilford. Died peacefully at her home on Dec. 4, 2022. She was born on June 10, 1959 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend to the late Robert Grussing III and Nancy (Swenson) Grussing. Suzanne graduated from Leland & Gray Union High School in 1977 and proceeded to attend the University of Vermont. She married her husband of 44 years, John Frappier Borichevsky, on June 9, 1978, in Newfane. Many will fondly remember Suzanne from Vermont National Bank, where she held various positions at the Operations Center throughout 20 years of service. She then went on to work at Vermont Superior Court, Windham Unit, for 21 years, most recently as a Court Operation Manager. When not working, Suzanne enjoyed spending her time going on vacations, taking cruises, quilting, knitting, gardening, and reading. She loved to give back to the community and was a member of the Guilford Planning Commission. Her enjoyment of crafts and camping shined as a Girl Scout troop leader. Above all else, she loved spending her summers at the family camp on Lake St. Catherine where she enjoyed the sun, water, and company of friends and family. Suzanne is survived and will be dearly missed by her husband John Borichevsky; her daughter Megan Gauthier and her husband Jacob of Putney; her grandson Alex Gauthier; her siblings Robert Grussing IV and his wife Theresa of Nashville, Tennessee, Theodore Grussing and his wife JoAnn of Surry, New Hampshire, and James Grussing and his wife Donna of Manchester, New Hampshire. She also leaves behind her aunt Lynn Williams and her husband Timothy of Arlington; her nieces Katherine, Rachel, Emily, and Margaret Grussing and her nephew Timothy Grussing. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Dec. 10 at Ker Phaneuf Funeral Home in Brattleboro. Interment will be later in the spring. Donations to the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Development Department, 17 Belmont Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301. Be sure to write “In Memory of Suzanne Borichevsky for Oncology” in the memo line of your check.
• Russell Allen “Buzz” Buzby, 56, of Newfane. Died unexpectedly on Nov. 18, 2022 in a house fire. Russell resided in Newfane the majority of his life. He attended Leland & Gray Union High School. Buzz was an avid hunter and motorcyclist; he loved Harley-Davidson's especially. He was an excellent small engine mechanic and could fix practically anything. He was a true jack of all trades and worked several odd jobs throughout the years and helped many people. His loss will be felt by an extensive extended family. Russell was predeceased by his father William “Billy” Buzby in 2002. He is survived by his mother, Diane Buzby of Charlestown, New Hampshire, and his sister, Kimberly James and her husband Sean of West Brattleboro. Memorial information: There are no services scheduled at this time.
• Lucas Emmett “Luke” Donahue, 41, of Colrain, Massachusetts. Died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, from injuries sustained while working on restoring electric service following an outage caused by trees resting on power lines on Reed Hill Road. Luke was born on April 28, 1981, and had lived in Colrain since the age of 3, first on land on Wilson Hill Road, which was part of his great-grandfather's farm. In 2008, he moved to Ed Clark Road in Colrain to the home he built with the help of family for him and his wife, Lindsay (Herzig) Donahue, where together they raised their two children, Hunter and Teagan. Following graduation from Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Buckland, Massachusetts in 1999, Luke began his work life as a carpenter. In 2004, he joined Bemis Line Construction of Jacksonville and performed line construction throughout New England and beyond - most times far from his family until week's end. In 2014, he became a lineman at Green Mountain Power in Wilmington, so he could be home with his family each night and be close as Hunter and Teagan entered school so he could attend their ball games and activities and share more fully in the delights of growing children. He lived full and hard and was “all in” in everything he did. He provided a wonderful home and comfortable life and taught the responsibility and rewards of hard work and dedication. He lived a life of fun and gathering to himself those he loved. He loved hunting, boating and sports, and loved sharing those passions with his family and friends. He enjoyed watching Hunter find pleasure and fulfillment in school and travel sports. And cherished the closeness a father and daughter enjoy. Luke was a passionate outdoorsman where he spent endless hours enjoying a hike in the woods, hunting, and outdistancing many with his sixth sense for honing in on shed deer antlers. His latest project was the purchase of acreage in Colrain where he began restoring the hay fields and stonewalls. Luke had a full heart and a ready smile and lifted up everyone around him. All along the way, he had a knack for making people smile. His smile and laugh were infectious, and he made everyone feel he was focused totally on them. All who know him miss him so much, especially Lindsay, his wife of 18 years, and their children Hunter and Teagan. Luke also left behind his father and mother, Peter and Vicki Donahue of Colrain, his brother Jake Donahue of Colrain, and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was also survived by his father- and mother-in-law Mike and Debbie Herzig of Whitingham; his sisters-in-law and spouses Caitlin and Dave Corliss of Ashfield, Massachusetts, Shannon Herzig and her fiance Jason Kingsbury of Erving, Massachusetts, and Jillian and Trapper Wimmelman of Wilmington; and his nieces McKinley, Leighton, Kendall, and Karsyn who all felt the strength of his love each time he saw them. Memorial information: A GoFundMe page to support Luke's family can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/luke-donahue?utm_campaign.
• Ralph A. Eliseo Jr., 73, of Townshend, formerly of Locust Valley, New York. Died Nov. 29, 2022 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. Ralph was born on Dec. 7, 1948, loving son of Patricia and Ralph Eliseo Sr., and dear brother of Carol Minicozzi (Phil), Catherine, James (Cathy), Donna Harvey (John), William (Sandra), Patricia Martin, Eileen Abelson (Joel), and Barbara Weisensell (Jack). Ralph was loved by many nieces and nephews, and by his extended Townshend family of John, Allie, Luke, and Ross Evans. He was predeceased by his brother Thomas. After serving as a sergeant in the Army during the Vietnam War, Ralph embarked on an educational journey across the country to obtain his law degree. Not long after, Ralph made his way back east to ultimately settle on the Evans' property in Townshend, where he remained until his death. Ralph worked for more than 40 years as a postal clerk at the Brattleboro post office, where he will be sorely missed. He loved sports, was an avid reader, and enjoyed a trip to Foxwoods Casino now and then. Memorial information: A memorial celebration of Ralph's life will occur in the spring of 2023. Donations in Ralph's name to a charity of your choice, 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.
• Herbert Azor “Herbie” Meckle, 57, of East Dummerston. Died Nov. 30, 2022 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire following an extended period of declining health. He was born in Callicoon, New York on July 31, 1965, the son of Herbert and Lois (Tyler) Meckle. Raised and educated in Narrowsburg, New York, he attended local public schools and graduated from Narrowsburg High School with the Class of 1983. A master electrician, he was working for Long Falls Paperboard in Brattleboro at the time of his death. Previously he worked for Adam LaPointe Electrical and for an Anheuser Busch distributor in Georgia. Extremely proud of his military service and dedication to his nation, he served in the Army during Operation Enduring Freedom and was stationed in Afghanistan. Following his honorable discharge from active service, he returned home and continued his military commitment serving with the Vermont Army National Guard. Several trips were made with his wife, Regina, to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in honor of Regina's son, Kyle Charles Gilbert, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division who was killed in action in Iraq on Aug. 6, 2003. Herb was a life member of both American Legion Post 5 and VFW Carl M. Dessaint Post 1034 in Brattleboro. Herb also was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Brattleboro Aerie #2445. He loved animals and was an active volunteer with the Windham County Humane Society. His love of cats gave him the nickname “Crazy Cat Man.” Herb loved to cook and barbecue and enjoyed spending time with his family and many friends. Sundays were spent visiting and reminiscing with his Uncle Billy and Aunt Diane, whom he affectionally called “Mom and Dad.” On Nov. 29, 2008, in Damascus, Pennsylvania, he was married to Regina Earp, who survives. Besides his devoted wife of 14 years, he leaves his mother, Lois Warren and stepfather Wally Warren of Narrowsburg; one brother, Trevor Meckle and wife Lisa of Honesdale, Pennsylvania; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Herbert Royce Meckle Jr., and a stepson, Kyle Gilbert. Memorial information: Graveside committal services with military honors were conducted on Dec. 10 in Locust Ridge Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 379, Brattleboro, VT 05302. To share a memory or send condolences to the family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.