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.
• Anthony “Tony” Doleszny, 52, of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 4 in Brattleboro,. Husband of Brenda Doleszny. Father of Tony and Gavin Doleszny. Son of Mamie Doleszny. Brother of John and Mike Doleszey and Maria Peters. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Sept. 13 at Ker Westerlund and White Funeral Home in Brattleboro. Donations for funeral expenses may be sent to River Valley Credit Union, P.O. Box 8366, 820 Putney Rd., Brattleboro VT 05304, in care of Tammy LaChance.
• Yonnie B. Houpis, 79, of Keene, N.H. Died on Sept. 3 at her daughter's Spofford Lake home. Wife of the late Constantine N. (Dino) Houpis, proprietor of the Crystal Restaurant in downtown Keene, for 48 years. Mother of Elana (Lela) Houpis Barnes and her husband, James, of Spofford, N.H., and Piedmont, Calif.; her son, Christy C. Houpis and his wife, Dawn, of Amherst, N.H.; and the late Nicholas Houpis. Sister of Aglaia Ploubides of Tewksbury, Mass., and Arthur Ballas of Blacksburg, Va. Born in Brattleboro on Dec. 29, 1931, to Christy and Effie (Michailides) Ballas, she attended Green Street School, graduating from Brattleboro High School in 1949. Garnering many public speaking awards, she was admired by many for her dramatic roles and vocal prowess during her high school years. She enjoyed singing in the choir at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Brattleboro.She received an associate's degree from Boston University, and later completed her Bachelor of Education at Keene State College. She went on to teach third grade for 22 years at Troy (N.H.) Elementary School. Memorial information: A funeral service was held Sept. 7 at St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Brattleboro. Donations to Home Health Care Hospice of Keene, P.O. Box 564, Keene, NH 03431.
• Bridget O'Brien Reynolds, 83, of Bellows Falls. Died Sept. 6, 2011 at Springfield Hospital. Wife of the late Arthur John Reynolds. Mother of Sheelagh, Oona, John, Kevin and Patrick. She was born in Youghal, Ireland, one of 10 children to the late Nancy and Edmund O'Brien. As a young woman, she emigrated to London, England, where she met her husband. In 1958 the family moved to New York. She worked for a time as a waitress on Long Island before becoming a restaurateur. For years, she ran the Osbourne Inn and the Oakwood Inn, two popular pubs and restaurants of her own. In 1998, she moved to Bellows Falls to help her daughter open Oona's Restaurant, which became a popular gathering place for the community. In the years since Oona's closed, she was active with Westminster Cares and enjoyed spending time with friends, visiting the farmers' market and traveling. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Sept. 9 at the United Church in Bellows Falls, Donations to Westminster Cares, P.O. Box 312, Westminster, VT 05158.
• Philip A Rosen, 87, of Lauderhill, Fla.. Died Aug. 24, 2011. Husband of the late Natalie Rosen for 50 years. Father of Dr. Joseph Rosen of Brattleboro, Daniel Rosen of Wayne, N.J., and Mark Rosen of Franklin Lakes, N.J. He grew up in the Bronx and raised a family in West Hampstead, N.Y. and Franklin Lakes, N.J. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the 8th Air Force. The GI Bill helped him start a long successful career in the photo industry. As a partner of Keystone Camera Corpo. he opened new markets around the world. He always put people before profits. He loved sports, was a loyal Red Sox fan, an avid tennis player and a high school football star. His wit, optimism, and family loyalty will be greatly missed and always cherished. Memorial information: Services were held in New Jersey on Aug. 26.
• Madeline Sherman, 87, of Bellows Falls. Died Aug. 27 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., after a brief illness. A long-time resident of Brattleboro, she made her home for the last three years at McGirr Nursing Home in Bellows Falls. Born in Boston, the daughter of the late Homer and Lillian (Johnston) Sherman, she grew up in Charlemont, Mass. She graduated from Northfield (Mass.) School for Girls and graduated from Smith College (Phi Beta Kappa) in the class of 1946. In 1950, she obtained a Master's in English from Smith College. While at Smith, she won the prestigious Elizabeth Babcock Poetry Prize for her poems, many of which were published in literary magazines, and received other awards and scholarships for her writing. She undertook additional graduate study at Columbia University, Adelphi Center of Creative Arts, Middlebury's Bread Loaf School of English and Colgate University. She taught English for many years at independent secondary schools, including St. Margaret's School for Girls in Waterbury, Conn., the Dwight School in Englewood, N.J., Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Conn., and Cathedral School of St. Mary in Garden City, N.Y. She loved teaching and the opportunity to expose young women to the subject she loved. A trip around the world as a young woman sparked what would be a life-long interest in world events and world leaders. She maintained her passion for English literature throughout her life, and continued to write about topics of interest to her, keeping up an active correspondence. She loved animals and always had pets in her home. She actively followed and contributed to a number of animal rescue charities. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Sept. 10 at St. Charles Roman Catholic Church in Bellows Falls, with burial in Morningside Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to the Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302-0397.
• Richard L. “Dick” Smith, 65, of Vernon. Died Sept. 5 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Brother of Norman H. Smith Jr. of Wardsboro, Paul R. Smith of Brattleboro, Herbert K. Smith Sr. of Westport, N.H., Mary and Nancy Perusse of West Brattleboro, and Norma H. Struthers of Vernon. Stepson of the late Arthur J. Aresnault. Born in Brattleboro, the son of Mayolyn Winter Smith Arsenault and the late Norman H. Smith Sr., he was employed by Smead Lumber Co, and the Brattleboro Retreat. Memorial information: Services were held at the Tyler Cemetery in Vernon on Sept. 10. Donations to Rescue Inc. P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302, or to the charity of one's choice.
• Thomas C. “Tom” Todd, 72, of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 6 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Husband of Ilene Chapnick for 41 years. Former husband of Gretel Ackerman of Heilbronn, Germany. Father of Stefanie Gebauer and her husband, Torsten, of Talheim, Germany; and Elisabeth Bierhalter of Flein, Germany. Born in Ayer, Mass., the son of Frank and Margaret (Clapp) Todd, he was raised and educated in Arlington, Va. A graduate of the U.S. Army's Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., he became a fluent speaker of German and went on to serve his country in the Army, stationed for four years in Germany during the early 1960s. He later attended Georgetown University, where he earned his Master's degree. He moved to the Brattleboro area and went to work at The Experiment in International Living, where he served as director of The School for International Training's International Students of English Program. Being an accomplished wood worker, he established his own business, T. Todd General Carpentry and in later years worked for Lyon Travel in Brattleboro, and Stone House Antiques in Chesterfield, N.H. In addition to his love of building and wood working, he enjoyed cooking, writing and was an avid reader. After a chance visit to Prince Edward Island, he developed a great love for the area, its history and its people. He went on to build a cottage on Rollo Bay, near Souris, where he and his family spent many wonderful summers. Memorial information: Services will be private. Donations to Rescue Inc., P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302, or Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 17 Belmont Ave., Brattleboro, VT 05301. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Brenda J. Wilkins, 65, of West Townshend. Died Sept. 2 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. Wife of Warren Wilkins Sr. for nearly 46 years. Mother of Warren Wilkins, Jr., and his wife, Michelle, of Jamaica; Regina Donna and her husband, Greg, of Jamaica; and Melissa Buffum and husband, Jeff, of Jamaica. Sister of Dianne Smith and husband, James, of Cambridgeport; Linda Furgat and husband, Mike, and Marcia Furgat and husband, Ed, as well as brothers, Francis Fletcher and wife, Linda, and Mike Fletcher and wife, Lisa, all of Saxtons River; Steven “Pete” Fletcher and wife, Toni, of Norton; and the late Lyle Fletcher, Jr., and Judy Bemis. Born in Grafton, the daughter of Victoria (Duby) and the late Lyle Fletcher. She enjoyed playing Bingo at the Masonic Lodge in Jamaica and at the NewBrook Fire Department in Newfane. She was especially passionate about her grandchildren and took great pride in watching them come of age. Memorial information: A memorial gathering was held on Sept. 10 at the home of her son Warren in Jamaica. Donations to Grace Cottage Hospital, Route 35, Townshend, VT 05353, attn: Dr. Robert W. Backus. Messages of condolence may be sent to Atamanuik Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
Births
• In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), Aug. 31, 2011, a daughter, Margot Hart DesJardins, to Jaskarm (Khalsa) and Jeffrey DesJardins of Brattleboro; granddaughter to Dante and Suzanne Corsano and Bess DesJardins.
• In Keene, N.H., (Cheshire Medical Center), Aug. 27, 2011, a son, Jacoby Royal, to Brittney Mahaffey and Kyle Bonnette of Hinsdale, N.H.
• In Lebanon, N.H., (Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center), Aug. 21, 2011, a daughter, Lucia Donna Koutrakos Omand, to Kristina Koutrakos and Luke Omand of Landgrove.
• In Keene, N.H., (Cheshire Medical Center), Aug. 12, 2011, a son, Aiden Joseph Haskins, to Julia (Slocum) and Andrew Haskins of Brattleboro.
College news
• The following local residents began their first year at Saint Michael's College in Colchester this semester: Dylan Gauthier, son of Mike and Saindi Gauthier of Brattleboro, graduate of Brattleboro Union High School; Samantha Harris, daughter of Jacqueline and Michael Harris of Brattleboro, graduate of Brattleboro Union High School; Megan Majonen, daughter of Ellen and John Majonen of Guilford, graduate of Brattleboro Union High School; Dee-Jai Cowles, son of Thomas Cowles and Rawiwan Kasetrevatin of Putney, graduate of Vermont Academy; and Devan Piniewski, daughter of Louise McDevitt and Michael Piniewski of West Dover, graduate of Leland & Gray Union High School.
Awards
• Steve Farrington of Brattleboro was recognized with the Scottish Rite Freemason's Meritorious Service Award. This award is the second highest recognition for Masonic and community service. A member of Brattleboro Lodge No. 102, Farrington is a 32nd degree Mason.