Births
• In Aspen Colo., (Aspen Valley Hospital), Nov. 5, 2013, a son, Harlan Axle May, to Kelly and Bryan May of Aspen, formerly of Brattleboro; grandson to Laurie and Mitch May of Stuart, Fla., formerly of Brattleboro; and great-grandson to the late Janet Olson.
Transitions
• The Next Stage Arts Project has added three new board members to its Board of Trustees. Stephen Phillips, Herve Pelletier, and Amelia Struthers join Billy Straus, John Burt, Eric Bass, Anita Dunlap, Virginia Scholl, Jacquie Walker, Barry Stockwell, and Julian McBrowne to lead Next Stage, a non-profit organization dedicated to revitalizing Putney's cultural and economic village center.
School news
• The Brattleboro Lodge of Elks honored Camille Gunzburg, Iziah Cliche, and Jason Willette as their Brattleboro Union High School Students of the Month for October. Gunzburg, a ninth-grader, is the daughter of Elliot and Elise Gunzburg of Guilford. She enjoys snowboarding, and playing tennis. Cliche, an 11th-grader, is the son of Zac and Khalila Cliche; he excels in science and enjoys skateboarding and most sports. He is a member of AWARE at BUHS. Jason Willette, a 10th grader, is the son of Holly Earle of Guilford. He is proud of his hard work and enjoys his membership in the Guilford Volunteer Fire Department. All three hope to attend college after graduation.
Obituaries
• Marcel A. Belanger, 79, of Keene, N.H. Died Nov. 23 at Keene Center-Genesis in Keene. Husband of Joan P. (Como) Belanger for 23 years. Father of Mary Ellen Thomas and her husband, Archie, of North Carolina; Cheryl Jacques and her husband, Gordon, of Florida; David Belanger of West Chesterfield, N.H.; Kathy Urick and her husband, Richard, of Texas; Dianne Burgess and her husband, Adam, of Pennsylvania. Stepfather of Judith Gagne and her husband, Mark, of Georgia, and Jeffrey Beaton and his wife, Nancy, of Massachusetts. Sister of Muriel Vashon of Gilford, N.H. He worked as a plant superintendant for Specialty Paperboard in Brattleboro, and other locations, for 35 years. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Nov. 30 at St. Margaret Mary's Church in Keene, with burial in Monadnock View Cemetery. Donations to Food For The Poor, P.O. Box 979004, Coconut Creek, FL 33097-9004 or the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718.
• Maudie (Ayers) Blackmer, 84, of Fair Haven. Died Nov. 21. Wife of John Blackmer. Mother of Larry Slade of Bondville, Willard Slade of Bondville, Steven Slade of Wardsboro, Carolynne Slade of Wardsboro, and Laura Slade of Wardsboro. Sister of Marie Siddell of Wardsboro, William Ayers Jr. of Wardsboro, and June Shine of Vernon. Born in Schenectady, N.Y., the daughter of the late William and Marie Selina Ayers, she enjoyed the outdoors and had an intense passion for flower gardening. She also enjoyed reading and listening to classic country music. Memorial information: Service arrangements are pending.
• James Michael Lannon, 60, of West Halifax, formerly of Ludlow. Died Nov. 22 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital in Lebanon, N.H., from injuries after he was thrown from his pickup truck in a single-vehicle crash in Brattleboro on Nov. 18. Son of Emma (Rahulka) and the late William H. Lannon. Brother of W. Jon Lannon of Ludlow and Lee Ann Lee of South Burlington. He was educated at Black River High School in Ludlow and Johnson State College. He traveled extensively after college for 10 years. It was in South America that he met his lifelong friend, Henk den Boer. He had recently returned from a visit to the Netherlands to visit Henk. He was employed by Pelican, formerly Hardig, for 30 years. Jim considered the Hardigs as family. He enjoyed sports, and was an avid Red Sox fan. He was also a member of the Ballard-Hobart American Legion post in Ludlow. He was a quiet, gentle, caring man who enjoyed people and talked to everyone. Memorial information: A funeral service will be held in Ludlow in the summer.
• Alta Jean “A.J.” Revilla, 92, of Brattleboro. Died Nov. 26 at her home, surrounded by her family following an extended illness. Wife of Richard Revilla for 64 years. Mother of Bruce Revilla and his wife, Sue, of Capistrano Beach, Calif.; Craig Revilla and his wife, Kathy, of Williston; John Revilla of Langdon, N.H.; and Jean Mee and husband, Jim, of Rutland. Sister of Olive “Greta” Jones of Chesterfield, N.H., and the late Ernest Ferguson. Born in Oneonta, N.Y., the daughter of the late James and Lucy (Tyler) Ferguson, she was raised and educated in Poultney, graduating from Poultney High School. She later graduated from Green Mountain College, where she received her associate's degree, later earning her R.N. degree from Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y. She went on to earn her bachelor's degree in Nursing from the University of Vermont. She worked at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, where she served as head nurse of the hospital's emergency department. She was a devoted homemaker whose life centered around her family. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a longtime member of Lake Spofford Family Recreation, Inc. She also volunteered for many years with the Windham County Chapter of the American Red Cross. With her husband, she had attended St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Brattleboro. She enjoyed playing tennis, skiing, playing bridge, and time shared with her family, especially her grandchildren. Memorial information: A private graveside service was held at the Revilla family lot in Morningside Cemetery. Donations to the Reformer Christmas Stocking, P.O. Box 703, Brattleboro, VT 05302.
• Fred Frank Scherer, 98, of Townshend. Died Nov. 23 at Valley Cares in Townshend. Husband of Cicely Aikman for 44 years and the late Marguerite Scherer. Father of Janice-Ellen Scherer-Dufner and her husband, Frank Dufner, of Lyman, Maine; William Scherer and his wife, Sitora, of Cold Spring, N.Y.; Deidre Scherer and her husband, Steve Levine, of Williamsville; and Gregory Scherer and his wife, Makhiruy, of Cold Spring, N.Y. Adoptive father of Kim Scherer and her husband, Paul Young, of Seattle. Stepfather of Paul Breslin and his wife, Catherine, of Paris, France. Born in Queens, N.Y., he was eighth of nine children of the late William and Mary Ellen (Gerken) Scherer, and the last remaining of his siblings. In 1930, while in an apprenticeship program of The School Art League of New York City, he was awarded their Saint Gaudens Medal for Fine Draughtsmanship and the Haney Medal for Fine Craftsmanship. He spent the majority of his working life, 1934 through 1972, in the Exhibition Department of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). He learned the techniques of painting dioramas from his mentor, artist James Perry Wilson. He created and collaborated on numerous dioramas that are still on display at the AMNH, including 15 that he personally painted in the Chapman Memorial Bird Hall, The African Hall and the North American Mammal Hall. Millions have seen his work and the dioramas are recognized worldwide. In 1967, Fred produced a Peruvian desert mural at the World's Fair in New York. After retiring from the AMNH, he and his wife, also an artist, lived for 32 years in Friendship, Maine. He worked for 20 years as art consultant for the Maine State Museum in Augusta, where he also painted dioramas. A tireless and energetic spirit, he turned his attention to other pursuits including designing and building the family home. An intrepid inventor, he made an endless stream of practical devices, some specializing in successfully deterring squirrels from bird feeders. An early supporter of the “modern organic gardening movement,” he cultivated blueberry bushes and loved harvesting vegetables from the large family garden. While in Maine, he enjoyed going out to fish the waters in and around Friendship Harbor with his lobstermen friends. Growing up in a house filled with music, he loved music of all types and was a wonderful self-taught pianist who played by ear. He continued to paint and draw up to his final days. He attended the Advent Christian Church of Friendship for many years, and more recently, the Calvary Chapel in West Townshend. Memorial information: A memorial service was held Dec. 4 at Valley Cares in Townshend. Another service will be held on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m. at Calvary Chapel in West Townshend. Donations to Valley Cares, 461 Grafton Road, Townshend, VT 05353; or to the Calvary Chapel, Route 30, West Townshend, VT 05359.
• Kristina Lee Thomas, 46, of Saxtons River and a former longtime resident of Rutland. Died recently at her home. Wife of Wayne Thomas. Mother of Kara Godinez and Kyle Thomas. Born in Rutland, the daughter of the late Martin and Cheryl (Brown) Denofer, she grew up and lived in Rutland prior to relocating to Saxtons River in 2011. Memorial information: A graveside service was held Nov. 30 at Evergreen Cemetery in Rutland. Donations to a charity of one's choice.
• Mary A. Wilson, 71, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 27 at Vernon Green Nursing Home. Wife of the late Douglas Wilson. Mother of Leila C. Bate and her husband, Dylan, of Grafton and Paul U. Wilson and his wife, Rebecca Chalmers, of Rockingham. Sister of Jimmy Ammann and his wife, Marcia, of Winchester, N.H., and Rita Hill of Salem, Mass. Born in Brattleboro, the daughter of Madeline D. and the late Paul A. Ammann, she dearly loved her children and grandchildren and was devoted to her late husband. She enjoyed playing music (piano, recorder, oboe, and clarinet) for many years. She loved making art, especially at the River Gallery School. She was a wonderful and devoted cook, a devoted gardener if erratic weeder, and was passionate about her dogs. Her Catholic faith was important to her and helped shape her life. She graduated from Mercy Hospital Nursing School in Springfield, Mass., and from the former Windham College in Putney. She met her husband while both worked at the Brattleboro Retreat during the 1960s. She worked as a nurse at the Brattleboro Retreat for many years. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held on Friday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m., at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Brattleboro. Burial at the Middletown Cemetery in Grafton will take place next spring. Donations to the River Gallery School, 32 Main St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• Elberta Wood, 90, of Putney. Died Nov. 23 at Pine Heights in Brattleboro. Wife of Errol W. Wood for 60 years. Mother of Philip Wood and his wife, Saskia Whallon. Sister of Stanley and Leonard Stockwell and the late Catherine Look. Born on the family farm in Westminster, the oldest of four children born to Berton and Florence Vain Stockwell, she was raised and educated in Westminster and attended Brattleboro High School. She worked on the family farm raising chickens, and then moved to Middletown, Conn., to work at Pratt & Whitney making airplane parts during World War II. She went on to work at American Optical, Putney Nursery, Green Mountain Orchards, and Windham College. In addition, she also cleaned homes, was a caregiver to the elderly, and ran the family business from the kitchen table. In earlier years, the Woods traveled to many barn dances and county fairs throughout the state. She loved gardening and always raised more than the family needed so that she could send visitors home with a bag of fresh picked vegetables. In the spring, she would always be walking the fields and woods, looking for fiddlehead ferns or dandelion greens for the table. She loved to cook and, even more so, feed people. There was always something cooking on the stove for later. She loved bird watching and all of the wildlife that she could get to visit her yard. As with all things outdoors, one of her favorite activities was going “over the mountain” with Errol in their 1946 Jeep. There, they would meet up with friends for a barbeque, any time of year, any weather. She also loved dogs. Most of all, she loved life, and loved her family and friends that would come to her home to visit and have a good time. Memorial information: A private cemetery service will take place next spring. Donations to the Putney Fire Department.