Obituaries
• Helen S. Anderson, 97, of North Walpole, New Hampshire. Died Feb. 18, 2023 at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, New Hampshire. Helen was born on January 26, 1926 in Bellows Falls to the late Rafal and Blanche (Paliga) Jurkoic. Helen would later get her GED and was a hairdresser for many years. Helen was a parishioner of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bellows Falls until it closed and then became a member of St. Peter's Church in North Walpole. Helen enjoyed knitting and crocheting, baking desserts for family, vacationing in Maine, family reunions, holiday gatherings, shopping, and doing crossword puzzles with her husband. Helen would marry Nicholas Anderson, who predeceased her. Helen is survived by her daughters Judy Checchi (Ugo) and Lori Brown; daughter-in-law Marie Anderson; grandchildren Paul White III, Mia Houman (Tom), Sarah Perlungher (Tom), Nicole Boyce, Joseph Anderson (Candice), and Mario Checchi; great-grandchildren Paul White IV, Austin White, Kyndall White, David Scott White, Griffin Houman, Mario Checchi, Grace Perlungher, Dylan Foster, Rocco Anderson, Sullivan Anderson, Holly Boyce, and Demir Gultekin; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to her parents and husband, Helen was predeceased by her son, Nicholas R. Anderson, and siblings Amelia Jurkoic, Stephania (Stephie) Zielinski , Wladyslawa (Lottie) Green, Wladyslaw (Walter) Jurkoic, Leona (Lillian) DeLouis, Dr. Joseph Jurkoic, Anthony (Auntie) Jurkoic, and Stanislawa (Stacia) Kissell. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Feb. 24 at St. Peter's Church in North Walpole, with burial at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Westminster. Donations to the North Walpole Firefighters Association, 70 Church St, North Walpole, NH 03609.
• Mildred Barbara (Shattuck) Crowninshield, 98, of Brattleboro. Died Feb. 18, 2023. She had been a resident of Thompson House since 2013. Mildred was born at home in South Londonderry on July 15, 1924 to Curtis Earl and Martha “Irene” (Prouty) Shattuck. She attended South Londonderry's Four Corners one-room schoolhouse through the eighth grade, then two years at the South Londonderry High School before graduating from Chester High School. She had started working summers in 1939 for the Logan sisters, nights in 1943 at the Commer Co., and summers for MacNaughtans in Manchester. She started working in Brattleboro at Houghton and Simmons, and on one commute, Mildred met the love of her life on the valley bus. Norman and Mildred were married July 15, 1946 and were married for 55 years until Norman's death. After staying home to raise her children, she worked at Margolin's Pocketbook Shop for 10 years until it closed. She then worked at Bridgeport Metal Co. for 10 years, retiring after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. In earlier years, she enjoyed long walks, attending Emma Bailey's auctions, gardening, knitting, Sunday rides, family visits, Bingo, picnics, and county and state fairs. Mildred was a humble, kind and grateful individual. She felt blessed each and every day and has said, “Thinking back over the years I couldn't have been happier.” Mildred is survived by her daughter, Diane Knapp of Venice, Florida; grandsons Robert, his wife, Carrie, and great-grandson, Gavin, of Kalama, Washington, and Brian and his wife, Kara, of East Dummerston; great-grandson, Zeb, and his partner, Rachel, of Rutland; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Curtis and Irene; her stepmother, Charlotte; her husband, Norman; her son, Gregory; her son-in-law, Robert; sisters Phyllis Clark (Lloyd) and Lucille Prouty (Jack); in-laws, Bernard Crowninshield (Liza), Vera Buchard and Della Brooks; nephews David and Lawrence Brooks, Vaughn Clark, and Tom Crowninshield; and a niece, Janice Litchfield. Memorial information: Burial was private, as per Mildred's final wishes. She was laid to rest in the Crowninshield family lot in Pleasant View Cemetery in Jamaica. Please consider volunteering your time, talent, visits and acts of kindness to the Thompson House Nursing Home's community residents. Donating in her memory to help make that possible would be appreciated. To share a memory or send condolences to Mildred's family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Kolleen Joy Dodge, 51, of Brattleboro. Died unexpectedly at her home on Feb. 15, 2023, following a period of declining health. Kolleen was born in Brattleboro on May 7, 1971, the daughter of Keith Edmund Wilder and Etta (Akely) Dodge; later in life to be adopted by Paul M. Pelkey. She was raised in Hinsdale, New Hampshire and attended Hinsdale public schools. She later went on to get her GED and attend Community College of Vermont. For several years, she worked as a paraprofessional at Oak Grove School and also performed private home healthcare. Kolleen enjoyed the outdoors, farming, and spending time at the beach. She especially loved horses, and her love for animals was next to none. In her later years, she enjoyed adopting and rescuing animals. Additionally, she liked crocheting, needlepoint, and spending time at her home which she took great pride in. Survivors include two sons, Lukas Paul Dodge Wallace and Tyler John Dodge Harrison, both of Brattleboro; two brothers, Kevin J. Dodge of Hinsdale and Bruce A. Dodge of Brattleboro; one grandson, Beckett D. Harrison; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her parents and a brother, Brian A. Dodge. Memorial information: A service in celebration of her life will be conducted at the VFW in Hinsdale at a later date to be determined and announced by family. She will be laid to rest in the family lot in West Brattleboro Cemetery on Mather Road later in the springtime when the cemetery reopens. To send condolences, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Joan Griswold Stookey Harring, 57, of Ellicott City, Maryland. Died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on Feb. 25, 2023 after living courageously with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which she was diagnosed with in May 2021. Joan leaves behind her beloved husband and best friend Jeff, son Adam (Sarah), and daughter Emma. In addition, she is survived by her parents Lee and Byron Stookey of Brattleboro, and sisters Sarah Stookey of Amherst, Massachusetts, Anna (Tom) Clancy of Barrington, Rhode Island, and Kate (Sandy) Haviland of Fairfield, Connecticut, as well as her loving brothers-in-laws, nieces, nephews, extended family, and countless friends. Joan was born on Oct. 4, 1965 in Santa Cruz, California, but grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She attended P.S. 8, Satellite West Middle School, and a short stint at Edward R. Murrow High School before graduating in 1984 from George School, a Quaker boarding school in Newtown, Pennsylvania. In 1988, she graduated from Macalester College with a bachelor's degree in history. Of Joan's many qualities she was, foremost, caring, loving and kind - a wonderful listener, very patient, level-headed, smart, and unexpectedly stubborn. Joan was unassuming and preferred that the spotlight in conversations and recognition be focused on others. She was a people person and relished talking on the phone with friends and family and delighted in one-on-one conversations. One of Joan's favorite pastimes was playing cards and board games. She was a lifelong pinochle player and was particularly fond of Catan, Qwirkle, and Boggle. Joan took on many interesting roles and positions throughout her adult life. She worked as a foster care case manager, was a member of the office staff in a podiatry clinic, and served as a restaurant hostess. The majority of her time, however, was spent as a paraeducator in elementary school classrooms - both in Minnesota and Maryland. In her last placement, Joan was assigned to work with special needs kids from pre-K, kindergarten, and first-grade classrooms. Joan grew up in a family that encouraged community activism and involvement. Not surprisingly then, Joan worked one summer as a volunteer at Big Bend National Park in Texas restoring and preserving hiking trails. And, for the last 15 years, she volunteered as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for the best interests of children who experienced abuse or neglect. Most of all, Joan loved being a mom. She put her own career ambitions on hold to stay at home until the kids were of school-age and was ever present in their lives. They have turned out to be wonderfully competent and loving adults, a testament to how Joan rubbed off on them. To Joan, it was family and friends that made her life whole. She cherished every relationship. Memorial information: A celebration of Joan's life will be scheduled for later this spring. Donations to the local ALS Association (MD/DC/VA) Patient Services Fund online at www.als.org or to the ALS Therapy Development Institute at www.als.net.
• Karen L. (Prindle) Holhut, 60, of Hatfield, Massachusetts. Died peacefully on Feb. 22, 2023 at her home, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on Aug. 2, 1962 to the late Joyce (Tetrault) and Thomas Prindle Sr. Karen was a graduate of Northampton (Mass.) High School, and soon found her true passion as an assistant gemologist. She worked at Bill Brough Jewelers in Northampton for more than 25 years. Karen's love and devotion to her job resulted in many long-lasting friendships. Karen and Kenneth “Wiener” Holhut dated in their younger years; fate brought them back together and they were happily married in Hatfield on Aug. 14, 2004. Together, Karen and Wiener were co-owners of the former Double B's bar and restaurant in Hatfield with her sister and brother-in-law, Lynn and Dean Elliott. Karen's greatest enjoyment was spending time with her husband, grandchildren, family, and friends. She loved trips to the casino, shopping, playing Bingo, being poolside, salon visits, dancing, local activities and having fun. She will be sadly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her. In addition to her devoted and loving husband of 18 years, Karen is survived by her daughter, Sharon Burelle, and her granddaughters, Janessa and Tawnya Burelle, all of Pensacola, Florida; her mother, Joyce Prindle and her longtime companion, Wesley Scott of Northampton; her brothers Thomas Prindle Jr. of Northampton and Darin Prindle of Atlanta, Georgia; her sisters Gail Bussler of North Hatfield, Lynn Elliot and her husband, Dean, of Northampton, and Janine LaPointe and her husband, Paul, of Huntington, Massachusetts; brothers-in-law Randolph Holhut and his wife, Joyce Marcel, of Dummerston, Edward Holhut of Hatfield, and Robert Holhut and his wife, Anna, of Hatfield; sister-in-law Sandra Kochman and her husband, David, of Swanzey, New Hampshire; and several nieces, nephews, and dear friends. Memorial information: Funeral services were held Feb. 27 at Drozdal Funeral Home in Northampton, with burial in St. Mary's Cemetery in Northampton. Donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 313 Washington St. Suite 310, Newton, MA 02458, www.stjude.org.
• Violet Agnes “Vi” Howard, 91, of Marlboro. Died peacefully on Feb. 3, 2023 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital following a period of declining health. Mrs. Howard was born in South Deerfield, Massachusetts on Oct. 24, 1931, the daughter of George and Mildred (Baxter) Powling. She was raised in Marlboro, attending Marlboro public schools. She worked as a logger for many years with her father and two brothers, Percy and Calvin Powling. She also operated her own house cleaning business serving families in the Marlboro area. In her earlier years, Violet had been employed at the former Arnold Ware Company on Cotton Mill Hill. She was active in barrel racing up until her 80s and sorted cattle at the Pond Hill Ranch in Castleton, where she earned the distinction of being a world qualifier. Violet was a member of the Quarter Horse Association and Draft Horse Pulling Association. On Feb. 14, 1948, she was married to Sturgis E. Howard who is deceased. Survivors include her companion of 58 years, David L. Johnson; four daughters, Maggie M. Smith and Peggy S. Howard (Keith), both of Hinsdale, and Jane V. Clark (Jay) and Barbara A. Young (Alan), both of Marlboro; two grandchildren and a nephew that she helped raise, Monica Smith (Mike), Davie Covey (Jocelyn), and Mark Powling; four other grandchildren, Donald Smith (Heather), Jeremy Clark (Hillary), Ted Greenwood, V (Rena), and Robert “B.J.” Clark; great-grandchildren Chrystal, Shawna, Joshie, Sarah, Ted Greenwood, and Jennifer, Amber, and Jeremiah Clark; great-great grandchildren James, Kyle, and Logunn Turner; Raymond, Zachary, Scarlett, and Jeremiah Smith; and Peyton Covey and Aaliyah Clark. Additionally, she leaves a sister, Hazel Brown, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. Violet was predeceased by one daughter, Mary A. Howard (partner Bob who is still living); four brothers, Calvin, Percy, Lester, and George Powling; three sisters, Hazel Bourn, Irene Bourn, and Leone Beam; and a granddaughter, Beverly Covey. Memorial information: A celebration of her life was held at VFW Carl M. Dessaint Post 1034 on Feb. 11. Donations to Windham County Humane Society, P.O. Box 397, Brattleboro, VT 05302; Gerda's Equine Rescue, P.O. Box 1352, West Townshend, VT 05359; or Pond Hill Ranch, 1683 Pond Hill Ranch Rd., Castleton, VT 05735.
• Seward Jackson “Ward” Ogden III, 62, of Putney. Died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest on Dec. 28, 2022 in Point Reyes, California while hiking with Maria, his wife of 41 years. He is survived by his wife, his daughters Zuzu Ogden and Matushka Meg Brady (Fr. Joel and children), and a small but loving extended family. Ward was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many. He was a naturally friendly and curious person, often engaging in meaningful conversations with people he had only just met. Ward developed many relationships with the customers and vendors along his weekly delivery routes for Food Connects. He was deeply involved in the community and with social and climate justice movements for many years. Ward was a fierce environmental activist and used his own handtruck for deliveries which was adorned with a sticker that read “System Change, not Climate Change.” Memorial information: For more information, see Ward's Caring Bridge page at www.caringbridge.org/public/wardogden. Donations to either the Putney Mountain Association (putneymountain.org) or Food Connects (www.foodconnects.org/donate).