Births
• Mollie Burke and Peter Gould of Brattleboro are pleased to announce the birth of a granddaughter, Waverly Anita Gould, on Sept. 23. She joins her older sister, Skyler Egret Burke Gould. Her parents, Lindy and Willie Gould, reside in Rye, New York. Willie is a 2002 graduate of Brattleboro Union High School. Waverly is the niece of Eli and Jessica Gould and cousin of Calvin, Eva, and Delia Gould of Brattleboro.
Transitions
• Youth Services has added clinician Lucy Webb to its staff to expand the Brattleboro-based nonprofit's ability to offer counseling to more youth, adults, and families throughout Windham County. Webb has a varied background as an educator, camp director, journalist, and marketing professional, but she most recently comes to Youth Services from the Center for Human Development, where she was senior clinician at CHD's outpatient behavioral health clinic in Orange, Massachusetts. She possesses a master of arts degree in marriage and family therapy from Antioch University New England and is working towards receiving her license as a marriage and family therapist in Vermont.
Obituaries
• Laurel Sue Bauer, 62, of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 18, 2022 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She was born April 14, 1960 in Greenwich, Connecticut to Robert Wise and Florence Bouton. She moved to Vermont with her husband to raise their sons. Later in life, while raising her boys, she graduated from Thompson House School of Nursing as well as attending Randolph College pursuing her passion for the medical field. She moved to Brattleboro to continue her career as an RN, caring for the community's elderly, always seeking to continue her education. Laurie was a compassionate individual with a thirst for knowledge and assisting others in their medical journeys. She is survived by her two sons, Corey Bauer and his wife, Heather, of Brattleboro and Kyle Bauer and his wife, Maria, of Marlborough, New Hampshire; her brother George Bouton and his wife Tammy of Waterbury, Connecticut; her partner Wayne Bauer of Brattleboro; and her grandchildren Asia, Avery, Taylin, Jordan, Trey, and Lane. Memorial information: Services will be held on Friday, October 14, at 3 p.m., at Hanson-Walbridge and Shea Funeral Home, 213 West Main St., Bennington.
• Ruth Ann Chalifour (Knickerbocker), 66, of West Chesterfield, New Hampshire. Died peacefully while surrounded by family on Oct. 1, 2022, following a brief illness. She was born on October 29, 1955, to Gerald and Ann (Mela) Knickerbocker in Brattleboro, and spent her entire life in the area. She attended Keene (N.H.) High School, graduating in 1973, prior to attending Bennington College. While she held a variety of positions for different organizations throughout her working life, Ruth Ann spent nearly a decade in the 1990s running a well-known hot dog cart in downtown Brattleboro while making appearances at various special events in the community to help keep attendees fed while donating back the profits to local organizations. Over the years, she loved gardening, cooking, water skiing, hanging out at Spofford Lake, horseback riding, reading, and spending time with her family, most recently highlighted by the time spent swimming, visiting theme parks, and playing Barbies and all sorts of other games in her newest and most relished role in life: grandmother. Survivors include her only child, son Zach Chalifour and his wife, Mandy, of Port Orange, Florida; two granddaughters, Morgan and Taylor Chalifour of Port Orange; brothers Scott Knickerbocker and Jon Knickerbocker, both of Brattleboro; and two nephews. She was preceded in death by her former husband, Andre Chalifour, her parents, and a brother, Jay Knickerbocker. Memorial information: A celebration of Ruth Ann's life will be held on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 3 to 7 p.m., at the Brattleboro Elks Club, 75 Putney Rd. Friends and family are invited to stop by anytime during those hours to enjoy light refreshments, socialize, and celebrate Ruth Ann's life.
• Michael Joseph DePaolis, 76, of Wilmington. Died Sept. 26, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1946 to Alfred and Cora Eleanor DePaolis. Michael attended Hartford Public High School and worked as a tool & die machinist. A man of many passions, he cared greatly about equality in the workplace, which led him to become a leader in the Machinists Union. He had an amazing gift for storytelling, and would have his friends and family laughing for hours. Everyone who knew Michael loved him for his authentic and candid conversations. His love for food led him to open his first restaurant in East Hartford in the early 1980s, but he ultimately moved to Vermont and returned to the tool & die field. After retirement, he went back to his passion for food and worked in many restaurants. In 1965, Michael married Yvonne Sullivan, and they went on to have two children, Denise and Joseph. In 1976, he married his beloved wife, Joyce, and they had two children, Jason and Gina. A man of many interests, he loved to fish, was a big fan of the New York Yankees, coached youth baseball in Hartford and in Readsboro, enjoyed thoroughbred horse racing (an avocation that began with his father), and played in several local pool leagues. Michael is survived by his wife, Joyce; daughters and sons-in-law Denise and William Atkinson of Connecticut, and Gian DePaolis and Ian Gleason of Vermont; sons and daughters-in-law Joseph DePaolis and Debra Burns of Nevada, and Jason and Evelyn DePaolis of New York; grandchildren Antonio, Daniel, Olivia, Jessica, Zoe, and Lilly; and great-grandchild Amelia. Memorial information: None provided.
• Cordelia Boswell “DeeDee” Garofalo, 79, of East Dover and Grand Bahama Island. Died at home with her family in East Dover on Oct. 2, 2022 after an almost three-year battle with cancer. DeeDee was preceded in death by her parents, William Ward Boswell and Lucy Newton Boswell, and her son, Joseph Garofalo III, who died of cancer in 2021. Born in Washington D.C. during World War II on January 17, 1943 while her father was serving in the Army, DeeDee was raised in Richmond, Virginia with her four sisters and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1960. DeeDee graduated from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia with a B.S. in medical technology in 1964 and did a year of postgraduate work in her field at the Medical College of Virginia. In her professional career, DeeDee worked and managed labs in a variety of locations including Washington, Richmond, New York City, and Brattleboro. While working in Richmond, DeeDee was active in a variety of social clubs, including the Richmond Ski Club. On a ski club trip to Mount Snow, DeeDee met and fell in love with her life's companion, Joe Garofalo who, like something out of a Doris Day movie, was her ski instructor. DeeDee and her Marine were married at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond on Veteran's Day 1967. They spent the next 55 years loving and laughing together. In the 1990s, DeeDee and Joe bought their vacation home on Grand Bahama Island and spent virtually every winter in the Caribbean until COVID-19 curtailed travel. DeeDee and Joe were part of a circle of friends from around the world who wintered together and alternately spent summers touring Europe and Canada or hosting their friends as they visited the USA. Wherever DeeDee and Joe were, there was usually a party going on or about to start. In addition to her husband, Joe, DeeDee is survived by her daughter and best friend, Cordelia Ellison Garofalo of East Dover; her granddaughter, Grace Ellison Arms of East Dover; and her four sisters, Lucy Boswell Negus, Kathleen Boswell Brower, Lucinda Boswell Callis, all of Richmond, and Willoughby Boswell Dobson of Larchmont, New York, as well as at least two dozen nephews and nieces whose visits to Vermont among their favorite memories, and friends all over the world for whom the day is a little less bright for DeeDee's passing. Memorial information: There will be a private burial service at a date to be determined later. Donations to the Marine Corps League, Brattleboro Detachment #798, 43 Chestnut Hill, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
• Ellen Anne Sarah Lowery, 68. Died peacefully at home on Sept. 30, 2022 from recurrent endometrial cancer. Born Sept. 16, 1954 in Bay Shore, New York, Ellen attended Saint Patrick Catholic School and The Academy of Saint Joseph. Her journey to Vermont began when she enrolled at Windham College in Putney, graduating with a B.A. in classical music. She continued her education by sampling a variety of career paths, including nursing, computer science, and psychology. Ever the pragmatist, Ellen chose to pursue a career in the financial industry. She started her financial career with Vermont National Bank in 1982 as a staff auditor then quickly moved on to the more complex and challenging world of trust and IT auditing. In 1999, Ellen joined the newly formed Trust Company of Vermont. She went on to receive an M.S. in internet strategy management from the Persons School at Marlboro College. Ellen was a Renaissance woman and intellectual jack-of-all-trades. She was equally comfortable discussing HTML code, last night's Final Jeopardy question, the best way to cook a turkey or what a mistake it was for the Red Sox to trade Mookie Betts to the Dodgers. Applying these talents in her early career, Ellen practiced piano by day and managed a franchise restaurant by night. Ellen was an accomplished piano player and classical music was her true love. During the pandemic, Ellen had taken numerous on-line music classes at Juilliard Music School and was looking forward to a retirement devoted to her passion for chamber music. Yearly excursions to many of her childhood haunts included Saratoga Springs and Lake George in New York, and her perennial favorite, Bar Harbor, Maine. Ellen cherished time spent in the summers at the Adamant Music School. Weekend day trips were favorites where freestyle canvassing of southern Vermont and the northern Berkshires were routine. A lifelong Catholic, Ellen was a communicant of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Brattleboro. Ellen was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Catherine (Corrigan) Lowery. Survivors include her sisters Patricia Lowery of Lynn, Mass., and Katherine Corrigan Lowery of Brattleboro. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Oct. 7 at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church, with burial in St. Michael's Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to Friends of Acadia, a place she dearly loved at P.O. Box 45, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, friendsofacadia.org. To share a memory or send condolences to Ellen's family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Mary Rose Fifield Sargent, 83, of Guilford. Died peacefully Sept. 24, 2022. Mary was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire on Sept. 25, 1938, the daughter of Everett and Evelyn (Estes) Fifield of Thetford. She was raised and educated in Thetford and graduated from Thetford Academy in 1956. After graduation, Mary worked for New England Telephone in White River Junction and, later, at the Dartmouth College admissions office. On Dec. 21, 1957, she was married to David Bryant Sargent of Fairlee, to whom she was married to for 49 years until his death in 2007. In 1966, Mary and her family moved to southern Vermont, where David was stationed as a Vermont State Trooper. Over many years, Mary provided care for numerous neighborhood children, was a part-time librarian at the Lydia Taft Pratt Library in West Dummerston, taught at the Pumpkin Patch Nursery School in Brattleboro, and worked in Vernon and Guilford elementary schools. In the early 1970s, David, Mary and their children moved to Guilford, where they remained the rest of their lives. Mary retired from Guilford Central School after providing many years of classroom support in the Kindergarten with her co-teacher and friend, Mary Ingram. Mary was a member of the Broad Brook Grange and a longtime trustee of the Guilford Historical Society where she held many board positions. Mary was an avid reader of historical nonfiction, a devoted crossword puzzler and a strategic Scrabble player. She was a skillful seamstress, knitter, crocheter, rug-hooker, and quilter. She also taught herself to play the piano and accordion and especially loved show tunes and songs from popular musicals. She was a wonderful cook and baker and was a devoted bird-watcher. Mary is survived by her daughter, April D. Sargent-Sprague and husband, David Sprague of Brattleboro; and her son, Jon D. Sargent and wife, Tammy of Guilford. She also leaves her grandchildren, Catherine (Sprague) Flannery and her husband, Christopher of Westminster West; George Sprague and his fiancee, Megan Butterfield, of Guilford; Derek Sargent and his wife, Sierra, of Columbus, Mississippi; and Troy Sargent of Guilford; and two great-grandchildren: Lachlan Neil Flannery and Henry Sargent Flannery of Westminster West. Mary also leaves behind a loving and supportive sister, Sandra Barry and husband, David of Ogunquit, Maine, and many in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews. Mary was predeceased by her parents, husband, and siblings Everett Fifield Jr., Derek (Ricky) Fifield, Karen Barry, and Jeffrey Fifield, and her good friend Frederick Humphrey. Memorial information: There will be a graveside service at 11am on November 5th, 2022 at the Christ Church Cemetery in Guilford, Vermont followed by a reception from noon to 3 p.m. at the VFW in Brattleboro. Donations to the Guilford Historical Society, 236 School Rd., Guilford, VT 05301; Guilford Volunteer Fire Department, 108 Guilford Center Rd., Guilford, VT, 05301; and Rescue Inc, P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302. To share a memory or send condolences to Mary's family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Helen Barbara (Freeman) Warwick, 83, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 4, 2022 at Pine Heights nursing home. The daughter of Frederick and Hazel Freeman, she was born on Sept. 22, 1939 in Brattleboro. A lifelong Brattleboro resident, Helen attended Brattleboro High School and was employed by Lewis R. Brown Photography after graduation. She continued to work locally at King's Department Store and Gouger's Market in the 1970s and 1980s. She was an active volunteer for the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) providing rides and assisting with activities, through the 1990s and 2000s. Helen also took a break from the labor force to dedicate her time to raising two wonderful children, whom she adored. As she grew older, Helen loved spending time at The Gathering Place in Brattleboro. She spent many hours participating in various programs and making many friends and, when she became sick and unable to continue visiting, she struck up relationships with the nurses at Pine Heights. Helen was naturally social, with what some may call a very interesting sense of humor whom everyone loved. While Helen did love people, she was also an animal lover, whose love for animals led her to be an avid collector of cat and rooster memorabilia. Helen will be greatly missed by all who knew her. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother Francis Freeman, as well as her beloved husband of 47 years, Ralph Warwick. Helen is survived by her beloved son Wayne Warwick and her cherished daughter Wanda Warwick. She will be greatly missed by her grandson, Ethan Warwick. Memorial information: A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Dummerston Center Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to attend, and a reception will follow. Donations to The Gathering Place, 30 Terrace St,. Brattleboro, VT 05301; American Diabetes Association, (diabetes.org). or Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org). To view Helen's online tribute, send condolences, or for more information, visit phaneuf.net.