Obituaries
Editor's note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news, free of charge.
• Winifred “Winnie” Gardner Bissell, 89, of Saxtons River. Died Dec. 9 at McGirr Nursing Home in Bellows Falls. Wife of the late Howard K. Bissell for 40 years. Mother of Douglas Bissell and his wife, Bette, of Bennington; Sylvia Liset and her husband, George, of Dover, N.H.; and Dean Bissell of Bellows Falls. Graduate of Springfield High School, Class of 1939, and active thereafter organizing reunions as class chairwoman for a number of years. Graduated from Concord Business College in 1941, and thereafter went to work for the Engineering Department of Fellows Gear Shaper. Was a member of Christ Church in Saxtons River and was active in Mother's Club and Women's Fellowship and sang in the choir. In later years, she enjoyed Nature Club and Friendship Bible coffees. Was a Cub Scout den mother, and enjoyed painting. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Dec. 14 at Christ Church, with burial in the Saxtons River Cemetery. Donations to McGirr Nursing Home Resident Activity Fund, Attn: Margaret Perry or Verna, 33 Atkinson St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101.
• Robert Joseph Crawford Jr., 68, of Stratton. Died Dec. 5 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. Husband of Elaine Marie Sullivan for 46 years. Father of Mary and Todd Hain, Geraldine and Donald Barrett, Robert and Melanie Crawford, Christopher Crawford, and daughter Elaine Crawford. Brother of Kay Kippenhan, Marilyn Pendelton, Terry Palardy, Elizabeth Crawford, Rosemary Crawford, Patricia Wentworth, and John Crawford. Predeceased by his parents, Robert and Katherine, and brother Richard. Born in Boston, the oldest son of their nine children and grew up in South Boston. Attended Boston Latin High School and graduated Boston College, Class of 1964. Worked for American Airlines, Dunkin' Donuts, Howard Johnson, Stratton Mountain Ski Resort, and Bank of New England. For the last 16 years, he was owner and operator of Hospitality Resolutions Inc. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Dec. 10 at St. Thecla's Church in North Pembroke, Mass., with burial in Northville Cemetery in East Bridgewater, Mass. Donations be made to the Grace Cottage Hospice, 185 Grafton Road, Townshend VT 05353-0216. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.SullivanFuneralHomes.com.
• Martin H. “Marty” Duke, 49, of Dummerston. Died Dec. 7 in Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Son of Janice (Clark) and the late George Duke, Jr. Husband of Chris (MacLeod) Smith. Former husband of Christine Parker. Father of Charles Duke of Newfane and Joshua Duke and his son Lucas of Spartanburg, S.C. Brother of Valerie Hart and husband Richard of Stafford, Va. Predeceased by an infant son, Jared. Raised and educated in Dummerston and attended Brattleboro Union High School. Served in the Coast Guard from 1979 to 1983. Worked as a sales associate at Perkins Home Center in West Chesterfield, N.H., and previously was employed at Brown & Roberts Hardware in Brattleboro for 13 years. He enjoyed woodworking and furniture making, and was an ardent outdoorsman. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Dec. 11 at the West Dummerston Baptist Church, with burial with full military honors in the Duke family lot in Taft Cemetery in Dummerston. Donations to West Dummerston Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 40, West Dummerston, VT 05357; the Oncology Department at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 17 Belmont Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301; or Grace Cottage Hospital, Route 35, Townshend, VT 05353. Condolence messages may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Joseph G. Gavin Jr., 90, of Amherst, Mass. Died Oct. 30 at home. Husband of Dorothy Grace Dunklee of Brattleboro for 67 years, whom he met at 4-H summer camp. Father of Joseph G. Gavin III of Arlington, Va., Donald L. Gavin of Kings Park, N.Y., and the late Tay Anne Gavin Erickson. Was an aeronautical engineer with a lifelong interest in aircraft and space travel. Graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Class of 1941. Served in the Navy during World War II and was involved in early research on aircraft jet propulsion. Worked for Grumman from 1946 to 1985, starting as flight engineer and ending his career as Grumman's president and CEO. Was project manager for the Lunar Landing Module project, which Grumman built for the Apollo moon missions. NASA awarded Mr. Gavin its Distinguished Public Service Medal in 1971 for his work in helping to coordinate the urgent assessment of the lunar module's capabilities when it was pressed into service as a lifeboat during the aborted Apollo 13 mission. Through Grumman's involvement in the Princeton Tokomak fusion energy project, he became interested in energy policy issues. His interest in energy policy, including solar and wind sources, continued in retirement; he spoke to many groups about it. Was a downhill skier until 86, a tennis player, and a history buff. Memorial information: Burial will be held at later date at the Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery in West Brattleboro.
• Nancy Jean Peters, 55, of Marlboro. Died Dec. 5 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Wife of Dennis Peters for 15 years. Mother of Ami Lepisto, and husband, Tim, of Brattleboro; and Jason and Matthew Peters, both of Brattleboro. Graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1973. Worked as a waitress at the former Jad's Restaurant and previously had been employed in the Housekeeping Department at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, and owned and operated her own day care center in Hinsdale, N.H. With her husband, she was a member of West Brattleboro Baptist Church. Enjoyed camping, playing pitch, and time shared with her family. Memorial information: A memorial service will be conducted at the West Brattleboro Baptist Church on Dec. 18. Interment will be in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery. Donations to Rescue Inc., P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302, or the American Diabetes Association of Vermont, 77 Hegeman Ave., Colchester, VT 05446. Condolence messages may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• John Bryson Smyth III, 83, of Brattleboro. Died Dec. 1. Husband of Margit Smyth. Father of Alice and Patricia Smyth. Born in Melbourne, Australia, and moved back to his family's homeland in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1932. Joined the British Merchant Navy at age 14 and went around the dangerous coastal waters of the North Sea during World War II. He later worked on the Cunard Line's “Queen of Bermuda” and, during that time, met and married his wife. Moved to the United States and settled in Brooklyn, N.Y. Was employed by Marriott Corp. as general manager of flight kitchens at Kennedy International Airport in New York and Logan International Airport in Boston. Retired after 24 years and moved to Florida, Mass. In 2008, the Smyths moved to Brattleboro so they could be near their daughter, Patti. Memorial information: A small memorial gathering was held Dec. 12 at Westgate Community Center in West Brattleboro. Mr. Smyth has made an anatomical gift to the University of Vermont School of Medicine.
• Terry E. Tyler, 78, of Dummerston. Died Dec. 3 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Husband of Mary Canny for 57 years. Father of Terrence and his wife, Lois, of Hubbardston, Mass.; Brian and his wife Joann of Dummerston; Jude, also of Dummerston; and Kathleen Evans and her husband, James, of Dummerston. Brother of Wayne and his wife, Rhonda, of Houston, Texas; Paul Lincoln and his wife, Dawn, of Ballston Spa, N.Y.; and Nancy Scranton and her husband, Duane, of Colrain, Mass. Predeceased by a son, Kevin. Born in White River Junction and raised and educated in Dummerston and attended Brattleboro High School. Served in the Army during the Korean Conflict. His love of ski jumping and skiing were a major force when he and North Haven Construction teamed up to design and build Maple Valley Ski Area in West Dummerston. He went on to build another ski area in Bennington, N.H., and over the years installed close to 25 ski lifts, miles of snowmaking pipe, and hundreds of acres of ski trails at many ski areas in and around New England. One of his proudest accomplishments was the building and completion of the access road to Stratton, a project completed in less than four months. He was instrumental in the upgraded designs and construction of Harris Hill Ski Jump, overseeing the most recent renovation and upgrade completed two years ago. Was a member of the B.P.O. Elks, Brattleboro Lodge #1499, American Legion Brattleboro Post 5, and West Dummerston Grange. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Dec. 9 at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Brattleboro, with burial in Dummerston Center Cemetery in the springtime. Donations to Our Lady of Mercy Church, P.O. Box 246, Putney, VT 05346 or Grace Cottage Hospital, Route 35, Townshend, VT 05353. Condolence messages may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Dr. Robert Woodcock, 82, of Putney. Died Dec. 3. Husband of Suzanne Lukens for 58 years. Born in Haverhill, Mass., and graduated from Haverhill High School in 1946. Served in the Navy for two years, then attended National College of Chiropractic in Chicago. Served the public as a chiropractic physician from 1952 until 2010, first in Newtown, Pa. where he practiced for 13 years, and later in Guilford. In 1965, he opened the Woodcock Chiropractic Clinic with his brother, Dr. Donald Woodcock. Soon after establishing his practice, he served as the president of the Vermont Chiropractic Association. In 1968, he studied with Dr. Tao of China and then opened the first acupuncture clinic in Vermont, located in Wilmington. He was the first of several family members who joined his profession, including sister Dr. Dorothy Woodcock, brother Dr. Donald Woodcock, daughter Dr. Elizabeth (Woodcock) Gillespie, who continues to practice at the Woodcock Clinic, and nephew Dr. Dan Woodcock of Barre. He participated in many activities and especially liked to teach skills to others, including riding a unicycle, lariat spinning, skiing, skating, sailing, tennis, golf, bowling, archery, horseshoes, and bocce. He was a lover of music and enjoyed singing as a member of the Keene Barber Shoppers and the Dummerston Congregational Church choir. He played the harmonica and accordion, and was a clever composer of poetry. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Dec. 11 at Dummerston Congregational Church. Donations can be made to the Dummerston Congregational Church. Condolence messages may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.