Obituaries
• June (Hoffmann) Butler, 89, of Halifax. Died April 24 at her home. Wife of the late Rev. George Butler for 54 years. Sister of the late William “Bill” Hoffmann, Jr. Born in New Haven, Conn., the daughter of William Hoffmann and Katherine (Ziegler) Hoffmann and was born on June 29, 1921 in New Haven, Conn, she received an associate's degree from the University of Hartford's Hillyer College and worked as a social work volunteer. She also attended the University of Connecticut and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she received both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in sociology and psychology. She taught English in both the Brattleboro and Whitingham schools and mentored many local children through her role as a guidance counselor. The Butlers bought a farm in Vermont in 1945. They ran a maple sugaring operation and small farm producing flowers and vegetables that was run on hydroelectric power which they produced themselves. The Butlers were very close friends with CBS reporter Charles Kuralt, and were featured on an episode of his Sunday Morning program that featured their maple sugaring operation. They seemed to know everyone, and were well respected members of their community, and went about doing good in their daily lives. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, and birds and loved watching the many species of birds that would visit her feeders. They shared a love of animals, and were supporters of many national and local animal organizations. One hundred-fifty acres of the Butler's land will be permanently preserved for the benefit of local wildlife. They had no biological children, but shared a very special relationship with Rick Gay, who worked tirelessly to ensure their safety and happiness. M emorial information : A graveside funeral service was held April 29, where she was buried next to her husband in the family cemetery on their farm on Route 112 in Halifax. There are no visiting hours. Donations to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
• Bruce Lee Gale, 74, of Brattleboro. Died April 21 in Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Husband of Ruth Ann Chase for nearly 47 years. Father of Rose Gale Zoellick and her husband, Jim, of Bayside, Calif.; and Danny Gale of West Dover. Brother of the late Elizabeth Knight. Born in West Townshend, the son of the late Robert and Ruby Harris Gale, he was raised and educated in Wardsboro and was a graduate of Leland & Grey Seminary, Class of 1954. Served in the Navy from 1956 to 1962 and was stationed stateside during his service years. He returned home to Wardsboro and worked as a highly skilled carpenter, employed by several building contractors in southern Vermont, retiring in 1999. With his wife, he had attended the Green Mountain Chapel of the Christian & Missionary Alliance in Brattleboro. He was an avid Boston Red Sox fan, an accomplished woodworker, and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a faithful and devoted husband and loving father who enjoyed time shared with his family. M emorial information : No funeral services are scheduled. He will be buried in the family lot in East Jamaica at a later date. Donations to Rescue Inc. P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Mary Rose Taylor Lamoureux, 93, of Brattleboro. Died April 22 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Wife of the late Joseph Lamoureaux for 68 years. Mother of Carolyn Brooks of Cleveland, Ga.; Shirley Leclair of Brattleboro; and Joseph Lamoureux of Guilford. Born in Brattleboro, the daughter of Joseph and Dorothy LaRowe Taylor, she was raised and educated in Brattleboro. During her earlier years, she was a race car driver and won several area competitions. Her husband built the cars, she performed the driving, and together they were unbeatable. In the 1940s, her husband was severely burned in a fire, and while he recuperated, she went to work for several years at the former American Optical Co. until he was able to resume his full-time employment. She was very active into her 90s and was always ready and willing to lend a helping hand. She was a lively, caring and loving wife, mother and friend to many, and was loved and adored by many because of her bright spirit and ready-to-go attitude. She was a longtime communicant of St. Michael's Catholic Church and took great delight in meeting her many friends at church every week. Memorial information : A memorial service was held April 28 in the Community Room at the Samuel Elliot Apartments in Brattleboro. She will be buried next to her beloved husband in Saint Michael's Parish Cemetery. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Mary Smith Pollard, 85, of Saxtons River. Died April 19 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Wife of the late James Pollard. Predeceased by siblings Richard, Frederick, and Arthur Smith Sr., and Shirley Stearns. Born in Saxtons River, to William and Nicholassa “Cola” Torrez Smith, She graduated from Bellows Falls High School in 1945 and went on to become a registered nurse. She was the school nurse for the Rockingham school district for 33 years, ending her career at Bellows Falls Union High School. Memorial information : A graveside service will be held May 7, at 2 p.m., at the Saxtons River Cemetery. Donations to the charity of one's choice.
• Irene (Wolfson) Schneiderman, 92, of West Hartford, Conn. Died April 23. Wife of Marvin Arthur Schneiderman for 56 years. Mother of Jo Schneiderman and her partner, Chaia Mide, of Guilford; Sarah Schneiderman and her wife, Deborah Tuthill, of Glastonbury, Conn.; and Susan Sykes and her significant other, Charlie Handy, of Mocksville, N.C. Sister of Joan (Wolfson) Osgood of Manchester, N.H. Born in Philadelphia, the daughter of Kate and Morris Wolfson, she received a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Hunter College in 1939, which enabled her to work on the 1940 census in Washington, D.C., where she met her husband, She received a Master's of Social Work from Washington University, and worked as a psychiatric social worker in alcohol rehabilitation until she retired in the early 1980s. She was influential in the movement that recognized alcoholism as a family disease, and she was widely published in professional social work publications. She was also a writer, poet and playwright, and she had many plays produced in the Washington, D.C. area. M emorial information : Donations to The Emma Goldman Papers at UC-Berkeley, 2241 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704; The Friends of the Modern School, 200 Sumac Ridge Lane, Altamont, NY 12009; or The Ellington Fund, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, 3500 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007.
• Raymond Edward “Ray” Snow, 74, of Putney. Died April 25 at his home. Husband of Susan C. Ray for 52 years. Father of Allen Snow and Mark Snow, both of Vernon; Kimberly Fletcher and husband, Skip, of Dummerston; and Pamela King and husband, Brad, of Putney. Brother of Harold Snow of Cordell, Okla.; and Henrietta Letterie of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Predeceased by his parents and two sisters, Arlene Gass and Helen McIndoe. Born in Brattleboro, the son of Leon and Nettie (Barcomb) Snow, he graduated from Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1956. Served in the Vermont Army National Guard. Was a supervisor with the Agency of Transportation for State Highway District #2. He retired in 1999, following more than 39 years of dedicated service. Was also a part-time deputy with the Windham County Sheriff's Department under Sheriff William Graham. Served as constable in Putney for many years, and was also a member of the Putney Volunteer Fire Department,where he had served as assistant chief. An ardent outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, four-wheeling and snowmobiling. He liked to bowl, and was active in the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League. He was an avid Boston Red Sox and NASCAR enthusiast. A devoted family man, he enjoyed time shared with his family as well as quality time at his camp in Dover. M emorial information : Funeral services were conducted April 29 at Windham Community Chapel in Dummerston with burial in Riverview Cemetery in Wilmington. Donations to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Oncology Department, 17 Belmont Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301; The Norris Cotton Cancer Center, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH 03756, or to the Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of VT and NH, 1 Hospital CT, #8, Bellows Falls, VT 05101. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
Births
• In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), April 14, 2011, a son, Ryan Michael Bonneau-Pierce, to Jennifer Bonneau and Levy Pierce of Hinsdale, N.H.; grandson to Richard Bonneau of Keene, N.H., Nancy Bonneau, Randy and Chrissy Doyle of Hinsdale, and Joyce Blanchard of Connecticut and Massachusetts; great-grandson to Beverly Blanchard of Claremont, N.H.
• In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), April 4, 2011, a son, Warren Matthew Stickney, to Cara (Snarski) and Robert Stickney of Putney; grandson to Art and Lynda Snarski of East Dummerston, Matthew Stickney of Grafton, and Lisa Stickney of Springfield; great-grandson to Richard and Barb Stickney of Saxtons River, Charlie and Gloria Mansfield of Rockingham, Eva Brown of Barre, and Sophie Snarski of Cavendish.
School news
• Jamie Lumley, an eighth-grader at The Grammar School in Putney, received the Elaine Dixon award for community service and citizenship. Faculty and staff at the school enthusiastically nominated Jamie, a student at TGS since preschool, for the award. They observed that, “Jamie is a humanist; he cares about humanity and inhumanity. He has always had a strong sense of right and wrong... Jamie is a model student and sets an example to his peers and to the school... He has quietly helped neighbors, friends, relatives and organizations in need... Jamie holds his peers and himself to a high standard of social conduct and achievement.”
• The Bellows Falls Woman's Club recently hosted its 35th annual Student Art Show. The following students received placed first in their respective categories: Emily DuFault, watercolors; Meghan Hilow, oils, Rachel Greenberg, acrylics; Michael Webster-Dobson, abstract marker drawing; Rachel Hollar, 2D mixed media collage; Lydia Pedigo, floor cloths; Megan Lawrence, calligraphy; Kassie Childs, digital photography-animals; Carissa Neathawk, digital photography-miscellaneous; Kyle O'Rourke, papier-mache; Danielle Chiu, metal/wire sculpture; Ryan Hayward, ceramics/clay sculpture; Danielle Chiu, 3D-mixed media; Kayla Gilchrist, digital photography-outdoors; Kristi Rumrill, digital photography-graphic design; and Darion James, quilts.
Best-in-show awards in fine arts went to Colin Johnson for his oil painting Beautiful Sky, and best-in-show for quilts went to Darion James for his quilt, Patchwork.