Obituaries
• Alvin Edward Anderson, 60, of Grafton. Died June 19 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, after a long illness. Husband of Twila Akerman for nine years. Father of Heath and Clint Anderson. Stepfather of Amy Corcoran and Benjamin Tenney. Brother of Cynthia Thayer, and Wayne, Thomas and Lester Anderson. Born in Springfield, the son of Lillian (Parkhurst) and the late Walter Anderson, he graduated from Bellows Falls High School in 1971. He was a machinist and union leader at Fellows Corp. for 29 years until it closed in 2002. Memorial information: A graveside service was held June 23 at Houghtonville Cemetery. Donations to Grafton Cares, P.O. Box 134, Grafton, VT 05146.
• Rochelle Haase Berdeen, 53, of Wilmington. Died June 15 in her home after a short illness. Wife of Sandy Berdeen. Daughter of Edward J. Haase and the late Marge Gibson Haase. Sister of Carla Haase, Camilla Bye, and Harrison Haase. She will be remembered for her bright vibrant personality, her mischievous grin and larger than life laugh, her giving nature and being dressed “to the nines” for all occasions. Memorial information: A celebration of her life was held June 23 at the Alton Woods Community Center in Concord N.H. Donations to the S.P.C.A. or humane society of one's choice.
• Raleigh Edwin Clark, 77, of Troy, N.H. Died June 16 at home after a long battle with cancer. Husband of Patricia A. (Merrill) Clark. Father of Stanley Charles Clark and his wife, Jessica; Robert James Clark and his wife, Heidi; and Mark Timothy Clark. Brother of Charles K. Clark of Dana Point, Calif. Born in Cambridge, Mass., to the late Mildred (Beatty) and Stanley E. Clark, he devoted his life to teaching. He earned a B.A in Education from Keene State College, and was working on completing his master's at Keene State. Most recently, he was employed at Trinity Christian School in Keene, teaching all levels of middle school math. He also tutored students out of his own home and had done so for many years. His enthusiasm and joy of teaching endeared him to his many students and their parents. In previous years, he taught at schools in Peterborough, Jaffrey, and Hinsdale, N.H., as well as in Brattleboro. In addition to his love of education and teaching, he was extremely passionate about shooting sports, and participated in many competitions. In 1974, he opened Northeast Outfitters, a sporting goods and gun store, which he went on to operate for 11 years before moving to West Brattleboro and renaming the store Sunset Farms Sports Shop. He continued the business there until 1987 when he returned to full-time teaching. He also served in the Army for three years. Memorial information: Funeral services were private. Donations to Trinity Christian School, 100 Maple Ave., Keene, NH 03431.
• Mark Cromack, 63, of Sarasota, Fla. Died June 15 after a lengthy illness. Longtime companion of Virginia Patton. Father of Gail Cromack of Monroe, Mass., Kelly Cromack of Huntington, Ind., and Sara Miller of Seale, Ala. Brother of Pete Cromack of Whitingham, Carol Chandler of Avon Park, Fla., and the late Ann and Rose Cromack. Born in Colrain, Mass., the son of the late Ward and Pearl Cromack. Before moving to Florida, Mark worked many years for New England Power Company. In his younger years, he enjoyed fishing and motorcycle riding. He was an active member of the Masons, Shriners, and Fraternal Order of the Eagles. Memorial information: Memorial services will be held at a later date.
• Philip Brian “Spike” Gauthier, 64, of Brattleboro. Died June 20 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital following an extended illness. Husband of Nancy Gates Gauthier for 35 years. Father of Nathan Gauthier and his wife, Melissa, of Brattleboro, and Tracey Campbell and her husband. Christian, of Burlington. Brother of Brett and Louis Gauthier of West Chesterfield, N.H. Born in Brattleboro as Philip Brian Choiniere, the son of Avis (Slade) Choiniere. When he was six, his mother remarried Bruce Gauthier, who then adopted him and changed his name to Philip Brian Gauthier. He was raised and educated in West Chesterfield, and was a graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Class of 1966. Up until his illness prevented him from working full-time, he was employed as a cook at the former Our Place Restaurant on Canal Street, which he retired from in 2007. Previously, he worked at the former Bickford's Restaurant on Putney Road. For 15 years he had been employed at the Austine School for the Deaf. He was a longtime member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Brattleboro Aerie #2445, and served as a fireman with the West Chesterfield Volunteer Fire Department. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He also had an interest in Native American culture and lore. He loved history, notably the Civil War era. Memorial information: Graveside committal services will be conducted Saturday, June 30th at 10 a.m. in Chesterfield West Cemetery on Poor Road. There are no calling hours at the funeral home. Donations to the Oncology Department at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 17 Belmont Ave., Brattleboro, Vermont 05301. Online condolences may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• L. Marjorie Lecuyer, 86, of Newport Center, formerly of Guilford. Died June 16 at Grace Cottage Hospital following a brief illness. Mother of Karen Kaeppel of Newport Center, and Matthew Campbell of Derby, whom she considered a son. Sister of the late Richard Burnham and Elizabeth Burnham. Born in Keene, N.H., the daughter of the late Wayne and Clarabel (Broem) Burnham, she was raised and educated in Keene and was a graduate of Keene High School. For 23 years, she worked as a receptionist for Timkin Super Precision in Keene, retiring in 2005. Previously, she had been employed as a telephone operator for New England Telephone Co., working in the Keene office. She was also a loving mother to her daughter and a devoted homemaker. She enjoyed gardening, her beloved pet dogs and loved horses. Memorial information: Funeral services will be private. Donations to Gerda's Animal Aid, Inc. P.O. Box 1352, West Townshend, VT 05350 attn: Gerda Silva. Online condolences may be sent to Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.
• Laurel Stenson, 93, formerly of Wilmington. Died June 19 at the Center for Living and Rehabilitation at the Southwestern Regional Medical Center. Wife of the late Eric C. Stenson for 43 years. Mother of Eric Stenson of Lyndonville, Kurt Stenson of Jacksonville, and Kim Stenson, of Blythewood, S.C. Sister of the late Clinton, Lester, and Kenneth Beaton, and Josephine Ballou, Margaret Adamcyck, Grace Watt, and Norma Davis. Born in Readsboro, she was one of eight children born to the late Edwin and Alice (Carr) Beaton. She grew up in Readsboro and Whitingham. She attended schools in Whitingham and graduated from Whitingham High School. After World War II, she and her husband made their home in Wilmington, where she lived until 2006. In 2006, she moved to Bennington, where she lived at The Village of Filmore Pond until January of this year. She was a longtime employee of Deertield Valley Supply in Wilmington, where she worked until she was well into her 70s. She was a longtime member of the Wilmington Baptist Church, and was active in the Mayflower Order of the Eastern Star, where she held several offices included Worthy Matron. She enjoyed many hobbies including sewing, crafts, reading, and bowling. Memorial information: Graveside funeral services were held June 23 at the family lot in Riverview Cemetery. Donations to the Wilmington Historical Society, in care of the Covey Allen & Shea Funeral Home, P.O. Box 215, Wilmington, VT 05363.
• Kenneth Vernon Tifft, 90, of Londonderry. Died June 20 at his home. Longtime companion of Jane Stevens. Husband of the late Dorothy Sabol. Father of Lydia Hart and her husband, Anthony Sr., of Pownal; Susan Marcotte and her husband, Keith, of Wells; Elizabeth Cole and her husband, Greg, of Brookline; Carol Briggs and her husband, Ralph Tobin, of Bennington; and the late Kenneth Tifft Jr. Stepfather of Michael Edward Stevens of Mount Tabor, Alice Marie Stevens of Florida, and Joyce Elaine Stevens-Doherty of Blackwater, Miss., and the late John Henry Stevens. Brother of Gertrude Bergeon of Newport. Born in Dorset, the son of the late Levi Moses and Veda (Woodard) Tifft, he attended local schools. He worked as a carpenter for Morris McGinn for 13 years and did home building with Pete Doane. In his earlier years, he was a logger, using horses to pull the logs, and did masonry work for many years. He was a member of the Weston Rod & Gun Club and enjoyed fishing and playing Bingo. He boiled his own maple syrup and split and stacked his own firewood for many years. Memorial information: A funeral service was June 23 at Brewster Funeral Service in Manchester Center, with interment in the family lot in Maple Hill Cemetery in Dorset. Donations to the Londonderry Volunteer Rescue Squad, 6068 Route 100, Londonderry, VT 05148.
College news
• Eric Daley of Brattleboro graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in integrated science and technology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., last month.
• Dylan Larabee of Putney graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., this month.
• Elfreida Hirsch of Putney, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., last month.
• Andrea Durant of Dummerston and Natasha E. Cummings of Windham were named to the Spring 2012 Dean's List at the University of Rhode Island.
• Jacob Huston of Brookline, a history major in the class of 2015, was named to the Dean's List in Ithaca College's School of Humanities and Sciences for the Spring 2012 semester.
• The following local students graduated from the Practical Nursing program at Vermont Technical College: Aimee M. Streeter of Bellows Falls; Meghan L. John, Saryn T. Lauzon and Teressa M. Kavanaugh of Brattleboro; Holly J. Meyer of Brookline; David W. Hall of Guilford; Cheree Ann Dix, Nicole D. Martinez and Paige Elizabeth Stevens of Jacksonville; Hope A. Dorsey of Newfane; Christina Marie Favero of North Walpole, N.H.; Christina M. Aguiar and Kaileigh R. Fitch of Putney; Megan M. Merritt of Vernon; Jessica Jintlwa Thomson and Michelle C. Arbogast of West Dover; and James Paul Follett, Krishna M. Ellis, and Michael A. McLeroy, Jr. of Wilmington.
• The following local students were named to the Spring 2012 Dean's List at Vermont Technical College: Aimee M. Streeter and Kara E. Chaffee from Bellows Falls; Amy L. Furgat, Brandy J. Speno, Rebecca B. Curtis-Brown, Susan L. Ramirez, and Krishna D. Flanders of Brattleboro; Holly J. Meyer of Brookline; Samuel A. Morrison of East Dummerston; Eric Bliznak of Guilford; Julia A. Deuso of Hinsdale, N.H.; Barbara A. Carey, Margaret A. Ogden; Mindy A. Ellis, and Valerie J. Gero of Putney; Jessica J. Thomson of West Dover; Kristin Moses of Westmoreland, N.H.; and James P. Follett of Wilmington.