Obituaries
• Margaret M. "Greta" Burke, 66, of Taos, New Mexico. Died March 30, 2024, after a brave fight with cancer. Greta was the beloved sister of State Rep. Mollie S. Burke and the stepsister of Anne Cloutier Montgomery of Guilford. The seventh child in a large brood of 11, Greta was born in Buffalo, New York on Feb. 18, 1958. She grew up surrounded by her many siblings and numerous extended family and friends in Buffalo, and at the family summer house on the Niagara River in Canada. It was an atmosphere of hospitality, laughter, and conviviality that Greta embodied throughout her life. She graduated from the Nichols School in Buffalo and pursued artistic talents at Concordia University in Montreal and SUNY-Potsdam. But friends and a sense of adventure took her first to Vail, Colorado, and later to Taos. In Vail, she applied her artistic expertise to the clothing shop she managed, while earning a reputation as one of the top skiers in the valley. In Taos, she met her husband Mike Levison, who survives her. Greta and Mike excelled in extreme sports. They skied all over the West, hiked in to the backcountry, and were helicoptered on to glaciers. In warmer weather, they took their mountain bikes over the Taos terrain and drove a camper out to remote sites to bike up and down mountains. Greta was part of a women's biking group in Taos. She especially enjoyed teaching mountain biking to youth as a volunteer for the Field Institute of Taos, a nonprofit that promotes outdoor experiences and healthy lifestyles. Greta was a warm and compassionate person, and a fun-loving afficionado of creative word play. She exuded style, whether in ski gear, biking gear, or dressed up for a party. She was predeceased by her parents, F. Brendan Burke and Molly Scully Burke Cloutier, her stepfather Dr. Louis Carl Cloutier, and stepsister Sally Stallard (Artie) of Ferndale, Florida. In addition to her husband, she is survived by five sisters: Mollie Burke (Peter Gould) of Brattleboro, Sara Burke Potter (Grove) of Buffalo, Madeline Burke-Vigeland (Nils), of Yonkers, New York, Deirdre Goodrich (Michael) of Norwich, and Mary Alyssa Burke Fagherazzi (Sergio) of Boston; five brothers, F. Brendan Burke Jr. (Mary Ellen) of Buffalo, Christopher Burke (Amy Rowland) of Buffalo, John Burke (Catherine) of San Francisco, Edward Burke (Julie) of Brooklyn, New York, and T. Patrick Burke (Carrie) of Rye, New York. She is also survived by four stepsiblings: Anne Cloutier Montgomery (Warren) of Guilford, Mary Jo O'Connell of Doolin, County Clare, Ireland, Michael Cloutier of Arizona, and Clare Cloutier of Seattle, Washington, along with numerous nieces, nephew, cousins, and extended family members. Memorial information: In Greta's memory, donations can be made to The Field Institute of Taos (fitaos.org).
• Joanna Campbell "Jo" Crocker, 95, of Westminster West. Died March 21, 2024 at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. She was fondly known all her life as "Jo". She was 95 years old and died after a courageous struggle with congestive heart failure. Jo was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts in 1929. Her parents, Anne and Richard Campbell, raised Jo and her older brothers Richard Jr. and John in their happy home in Fitchburg. During World War II, Jo's father re-enlisted in the Army, so Jo attended boarding school and graduated from Abbot Academy, now Phillips Academy. After high school, Jo attended one year of college at Bouve College, now part of Northeastern University in Boston, majoring in physical education. On New Years Eve in 1947, Jo was reacquainted with Weyman "Stumpy" Crocker at her parents' farm, Sidelands Sugarbush, in Westminster West. As children, they had played together in Fitchburg, and often Stumpy and her brothers shooed her away, as they thought she was too young to play with the big boys. Jo and Stumpy were engaged six months after the New Year's Eve party and married in Fitchburg in July 1948. Between 1950 and 1959, five children were born. The family moved several times to support Stumpy's career, first as a math teacher and then as an engineer. They eventually moved to Springfield, Vermont, in 1967, where they lived for the next 15 years. Jo lived off and on at the farm in Westminster West since she was 12 years old. During the summers, she brought all five children where they camped, first in a tent and then in a cabin, on the hill. Camping out at the farm was something enjoyed by the whole family. Jo's life focused on her family, but over the years she worked as a bookkeeper and a farmer. In 1979, Jo and Stumpy moved from Springfield to the farm in Westminster West to care for her parents. Jo lived there for the rest of her life. Her co-leadership of the farm helped to move it from a tiny bucket operation to a full-fledged producer of the most maple syrup per tap in southern Vermont. Jo loved animals and over the years gave loving care to a line of dogs, cats, horses, goats, ducks, and chickens. Her first dog was an English Setter named Benny, and she is survived by her much-adored cat, Quinny. Jo was passionate about crafts and homemaking. She was an excellent bookkeeper. She could sew, knit, cane chairs, paint, garden, and cook. She loved hiking, swimming, canoeing, and skiing and passed on the love of those sports to all five of her children. She was active until the very last days of her life, walking as far as she could to keep strong and healthy. All her life, Jo was active in her local churches. Since 1979, she was a member of the Congregational Church in Westminster West where she sometimes attended services since she was 12 years old. Survivors include her children: Joanna "Jan" Crocker, Sheila Patinkin, Richard Crocker, Daniel Crocker, and Nathalie "Lee" (David Mulholland) Crocker. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Jo was the last survivor of her generation - the "Greatest Generation." She was predeceased by her parents, brothers, husband, and son-in law Hugh Patinkin. Jo was amazing, loving, fierce, feisty, rugged, beautiful, and wise. She will be missed, and her family is grateful for a life well-lived. Memorial information: A memorial service will be held at the Congregational Church of Westminster West, on June 21, at 3 p.m. Her ashes will be interred at the Westminster West Cemetery immediately before the memorial service. Donations to the Congregational Church of Westminster West or the Westminster Volunteer Fire Department.
• Elaine M. Hoose, 87, of Bellows Falls. Died on March 31, 2024, at her home. She was born on March 18, 1937, in Wilmington to Merritt and Flora (Sage) Sumner. She earned an associate's degree and worked at Putney Paper and Ames Department Store in the Electronic Department as a cashier. Elaine's love and joy was her family, especially her grandchildren. Elaine is survived by her daughters Joan Hoose (Dwight Hanson), Debora Butler (Don Butler), and Stella Hoose. She is also survived by her grandchildren Carolynne, Heather, Holly, Ricky, Bridget, Amanda, Lars, Tiffany, and Thomas; as well as 19 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren, and her sisters Patricia Gouin and Margret Carrier. Elaine was predeceased by her parents, her husband, Richard, grandchild Lucas Dion, and her sister Betty LeClair. Memorial information: A memorial service was held on April 6 at Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls. Burial will take place in Westminster at a later date.
• Kathryn Leslie "Kathy" Knapp, 79, died peacefully on March 31, 2024, after battling a long illness. Born April 29, 1944, in Brattleboro, Kathryn was the daughter of the late Floyd and Maxine (Magoon) Smith of Vernon. On April 28, 1963, Kathryn married her husband Richard, and they enjoyed 54 years of marriage prior to his death in 2017. Throughout her career, Kathryn consistently demonstrated a willingness to lend a hand with a warm smile across various roles at Mammoth Mart, King's, Ames, and Walgreens. During her free time, Kathryn found joy in traveling and cherishing moments with her loved ones. She was most happy when she was hosting holidays (complete with burnt pies), dancing at the VFW, enjoying casino visits, savoring Coca-Cola, watching cheesy Hallmark movies, pursuing her hobbies of collecting monkeys and thimbles, or eating Chinese food. Above all, she held a deep affection for family adventures and the role of being a grandmother. She is survived by her children: David Knapp of Vernon, Floyd and Penny Knapp of Alburgh, Kevin Knapp of Brattleboro, and Heidi and Sam Clement of Vernon; two grandsons, Christopher Higgins-Johnson and his wife Casey of Charleston, South Carolina, and Tyler Clement of Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as several nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to her parents, and beloved husband, Kathryn was predeceased by her brothers Albert and Kermit Smith, her sister Mary Sawin, and her daughter-in-law Rhonda Knapp. Memorial information: A celebration of Kathryn's life will be held on Saturday, April 13, from noon to 3 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church, 18 Town Crier Dr., in Brattleboro. All are welcome to attend. Graveside services will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Winchester, New Hampshire, at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations in Kathryn's name may be made to the American Cancer Society.
• Michael Lewis Singer, 78, of Wilmington. Died on March 13, 2024 in Delray Beach, Florida. A trailblazer within the regenerative design community, Michael was born on Nov. 12, 1945, in New York City, and grew up in the Long Island suburbs. His father, Bernard, owned and operated a number of cemeteries in the New York area. His mother, Mildred (Gimbel) Singer, was a homemaker. He is survived by his sister, Louise Stolitzky. Michael received a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Cornell University in 1967. He lived in Wilmington most of his life and much of his work was created there. In 1996, Vermont Gov. Howard Dean honored Michael with the Vermont Award for Excellence in the Arts. Michael created site-specific sculptures for over 45 years and had several one-person shows, most notably at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and most recently at the Utzon Center in Aalborg and the Danish Architectural Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Michael's work opened new possibilities for outdoor and indoor sculpture and contributed to the definition of site specific art and the reimagining of public places. From the 1990s to the present, his work has been instrumental in transforming public art, architecture, landscape, and planning projects into successful models for urban and ecological regeneration. He has also been engaged in the rethinking of infrastructure facilities and systems in the United States and Europe and co-authored Infrastructure and Community, published by Environmental Defense Fund. In 2019, he was honored for his work by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He participated in a number of the most important exhibitions in the late-20th century and his works are part of public collections in the United States and abroad. Michael founded his collaborative studio in Wilmington more than 30 years ago to advance increasingly complex designs that sculpt spaces and regenerate landscapes. His academic work included teaching graduate level architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Graduate Program of the School of Visual Arts, New York City; The Koopman Visiting Chair of Art at Hartford College of Art; and The Innovation Studio at the Rhode Island School of Design. He was a co-founder of the Center for Creative Solutions at the Marlboro College Graduate Center. He spent his winters in Florida, where he also kept a studio. Memorial information: None provided. For more information, contact Jason Bregman at [email protected].
Services
• A memorial service in celebration of the life of Elliott R. Freeman will be held at the Guilford Community Church in Guilford on Friday, April 19 at 2 p.m. Mr. Elliott, 80, of Dummerston, died at his home on March 12, 2024. To view his full obituary and offer condolences to his family, visit atamaniuk.com.
This Milestones item was submitted to The Commons.