Service news
• Airman Myia Boyd of Hinsdale N.H., recently graduated from Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT) at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Her parents, Eric and Joy, who attended the graduation ceremonies with her two siblings, say that Boyd and her BMT unit received the top scores for their training cycle in the physical training test.
Transitions
• The Great Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce welcomes Debra Collier as their new Executive Director. Collier grew up in Bellows Falls and graduated from Bellows Falls Union High School. She then attended Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., and graduated with a B.A. in English with a concentration in education and business. Her diverse employment history includes being a director of public relations for a manufacturing company, a senior executive in advertising sales for local newspapers, an administrator at Community College of Vermont and general manager/editor of the now-defunct Bellows Falls Town Crier.
Obituaries
• Dalton A. Blodgett, 83, of Londonderry, N.H. Died Oct. 8, 2018. He was born on July 5, 1935, in Rockingham, Vt., to Stanley C. and Ola (Allen) Blodgett. He worked in numerous capacities with the Hudson, N.H., School District for 37 years. After retiring, he volunteered at Hudson Memorial School for 21 years. In recognition of his service, Dalton was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award at the annual New Hampshire Partners in Education Blue Ribbon Awards Ceremony in 2008 and, in 2017, Hudson Memorial School created the annual “Dalton A. Blodgett Award for Civic Action and Responsibility” in his honor. He is survived by his twin sister, Darlene (Blodgett) LaPlante; his nieces Raelene LaPlante and Alison (David) Schoales; and his great-niece Molly Schoales. Memorial information: A graveside service was held in Oak Hill Cemetery in Bellows Falls on Oct. 12. Donations to The Dalton A. Blodgett Scholarship Fund in care of Raelene LaPlante, P.O. Box 704, Wilder, VT 05088.
• Alan E. Fitch, 73, of Marlboro. Died at home on Sept. 28, 2018 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was born in Neptune, N.J. on June 21, 1945, the son of Eleanor (Haines) Fitch and Lowell E. Fitch. He grew up in Barrington, R.I., where his love for sailing began. The family moved to Sherborn, Mass., in the summer 1962, in time for Alan to graduate from Framingham High School in 1963. He graduated from Nichols College of Business Administration in 1967 with a degree in marketing which served him well throughout his years. He joined the Army in the summer of 1967 during the Vietnam War. He graduated from Infantry Officer Candidate School in spring of 1968 and served out his tour of duty in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He came home in 1970 a first lieutenant. Upon his return from Germany, He worked briefly for Mobil as a marketing rep along the coast of Maine. His tour with Mobil ended in the fall of 1970 when two good friends asked him to join them in a ski lodge venture in Bondville, known then as the Windhaus. Being an entrepreneur at heart, he headed for the Green Mountain State to become an innkeeper. Within a few weeks of his arrival, he vowed to make Vermont his home for the rest of his life. He lived and worked in the greater Bondville area for the next five years. From inn-keeping to mowing lawns; from serving hot chocolate at Stratton Mountain to managing Tater Hill Golf Course, doing whatever it took to make a living that would keep him in Vermont. In November 1975, he met and married his wife Noel (Gale), also from Bondville. Together, they moved to Brattleboro in the fall of 1976 to begin a family and a new marketing career with DJ Wholesale Building Materials, Inc. In 1987, the entrepreneurial bug struck again in the form of the West Brattleboro Building Center. Although this business showed great promise, it closed in 1991, following a downturn in the economy. In the summer of 1991, Alan joined Sebert Wholesale Lumber, which provided the springboard for launching his own wholesale lumber company in 1999, Vermont Forest Products, Inc. In the spring of 1995, Alan moved his family to Marlboro, where his love of nature and forests became his passion. He was at home in his woods. He related well to the expression, “I farm the forest.” But then along came the kayaks. He and Noel spent many weekends paddling the lakes and shorelines of New England, To Alan, life was always an ongoing, adventure, to be savored and never taken for granted. Besides his love and devotion to family, his passions were working in his woods, cross-country skiing, kayaking, and sailing. Alan is survived by his wife of 44 years; a son, Graham H. Fitch and his wife, Jennifer Vosburgh, of Montpelier; a daughter, Morgan A. Fitch Portland, Maine; siblings Stephen R. Fitch and his wife, Mary-Beth Morton of Putney; sisters-in-law Brenda Burrows Fitch of Brattleboro, Susan Sprague Fitch of Warwick, R.I., and Janet Kurz of Tacoma, Wash.; and numerous nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his parents, brothers Lowell “Skip” Fitch and James H. Fitch, and niece Katherine Fitch. Memorial information: A graveside service will take place on Nov. 14, at 11 a.m., in Meetinghouse Cemetery in Brattleboro. Donations to David's House, 461 Mt. Support Rd., Lebanon, NH 03766
• Mary Beth Gordon, 62, of North Walpole, N.H. Died Oct. 7, 2018, the day before her 63rd birthday. Born in Milford, Conn., on Oct. 8, 1955, the daughter of the late John and Marian (Hart) Palmer, she worked for First Fleet, Inc. She loved spending time at Laurel Beach in Milford, Conn., with her niece and nephew, and dearly loved her grandson. In 1989, she married David Bruce Gordon, who survives. Also surviving are her daughters, Elizabeth Martha and Melissa Jean Gordon; brothers John, Michael, Kevin, and David Palmer; sisters Deborah Sparks and husband, Bruce, and Dawn Palmer; grandson Lucas Bruce Leggett; and niece and nephew Brittany and John Palmer. Memorial information: A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, from noon to 5 p.m., at the Bellows Falls Country Club, 12 Country Club Rd., Rockingham.
• Kathleen Starkey Harrison, 75, of Guilford. Died July 13, 2018. She was born on Oct 20, 1942 to her parents, Ernest Starkey and Anna Chudzik Starkey, at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. She spent her childhood growing up in Guilford in the village of Algiers. She attended St Michael's Catholic School and graduated with honors. She took a job at the School for International Training that gave her the opportunity to travel and explore the globe. While in her 20s, she traveled extensively through Europe and the Netherlands. She loved her job working with the prominent lawyers Fitz, Taylor & Olsen. After living in Boston, she met her future husband, David Harrison, who was in the Navy. As a Navy wife, she lived on the Kittery Naval Base in Maine to have her first child. Kathy returned to the Guilford family home while pregnant with Emily and David was out on sea duty for several months. Once David returned from sea, Kathleen and her small family went to live on the Naval Base in Gulfport, Miss. After about a year in Gulfport, the whole family traveled north to Winter Harbor, Maine. By 1977, she was ready to come back to Vermont to raise her daughters and be close to her family again. She found work immediately as paralegal for Kenneth Fisher for many years. In addition, she worked with her sister, Ernestine Beals, at Vermont Agency of Transportation for a short while. In 1990, she began working at the Windham Solid Waste Management District. She retired 15 years later, and it must be mentioned her retirement send-off Hawaiian Luau was beyond amazing. She was so surprised that her great friends had come together like that for her. The look on her face was priceless, with her widest smile while sipping on a coconut rum drink. After retirement, she enjoyed reading and she would read two or three novels a day. Her face was always buried in a book. She loved her life at the Vernon Senior Housing and loved having company. During these times, she enjoyed her trips with Cookie and Gail and the Vernon Seniors. She loved spending time with her grandchildren and being outdoors in the spring. Kathleen was predeceased by her parents, her older sister, Ernestine Starkey Beals; brother-in-law Williams Beals; and her close cousin, Eleanor “Cookie” Allen. She is survived by her daughter, Aimee Harrison, and her grandson, Jack Surette, of Pensacola, Fla., and Emily Harrison and her grandson, Halen Leo Ranslow, of Brattleboro; nephew Timothy Beals, and many caring and close friends. Memorial information: A graveside services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 20, in the Christ Church family burial plot on Melendy Hill Road in Guilford. Afterward, there will be a Celebration of Life in the conference room at WSWMD, 327 Old Ferry Rd., Brattleboro. Feel free to bring a dish, as well as all your wonderful memories.
• Margaret J. Hunter, 93, of Guilford. Died at her home on Oct. 6, 2018. She was born on the family farm in Guilford on May 4, 1925, the daughter of Arthur Wilson Jennison and Helen Betsy Howe Jennison. She attended Higley School, a one-room schoolhouse, graduating in 1940. In 1944 she graduated from Brattleboro High School. During World War II, she worked at American Optical in Brattleboro until she was old enough to join the Army Air Force. She was sworn in with six others from Vermont and traveled to Fort Des Moines, Iowa, where she took basic training. She went on to El Paso, Texas for training as a medical technician, eventually being stationed at Santa Ana, Calif., where she helped care for service members returning from overseas. When Santa Ana closed, she was stationed at March Field in Riverside, Calif., where she met the man who became her husband in 1946, Philip E. Hunter, a veteran discharged from the Air Force. They made their home in Guilford, working at J.E. Mann and American Optical. Six years later, Mr. Hunter took a job with the State Department and the Department of Defense, with assignments in Afghanistan, Germany, Okinawa, England, Ecuador, and the United States. She taught Red Cross swimming and was a Cub Scout den mother and Girl Scout leader. She also worked in International Women's clubs, being Vice President of one. She also enjoyed working with children in Sunday School overseas. The family returned to Guilford in 1974. They then rejoined the Broad Brook Grange and kept busy with the Guilford Historical Society and Guilford Community Church, where she was Treasurer and a deacon for several years. She was also President of the Ladies Aid for over 20 years. As a child she enjoyed 4-H. She enjoyed all kinds of music, dancing, baking, reading, jam making, crafts, quilting, and, most of all, her family and friends. She is survived by her son, Roderick P. Hunter and his wife, Linda, of Wyoming; daughter Carol H. Taft and her husband, David; a grandson, Heath Woods and his wife, Victoria; granddaughter Tracie Kurrus and her husband Justin of Arizona; great-grandchildren Ziva and Zane; along with many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by her husband; a daughter, Kim H. Woods; sisters Hazel Bowen Fossi and Elsie Cudworth; nieces Sharon Bowen Thayer and Janet Cudworth Fumigalli; and nephew Ernest Cudworth. Memorial information: A funeral service will be held at the Guilford Community Church, followed by a committal service with military honors at Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery.
• Eleanor Mary Mason, 83, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 8, 2018 at Thompson House Nursing Home in Brattleboro after a long illness. She was born on Sept. 7, 1935 in Greenfield, Mass., to Leslie Cousino and Cecile Grandmaison. She moved to Brattleboro in the 1970s and began living in the Barber Building and working as a seamstress for Sam's Army-Navy Store. She continued in that job for decades. She was a talented artist and loved painting and drawing. She loved listening to classical music and cooking. She is survived by her partner of many years, James Morgan. Memorial information: There will be no services.
• Josephine “Josie” Shencavitz, 94, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 6, 2018 at Vernon Green Nursing Home, where she had been a resident since March 2016. She was born in Greenport, Long Island, New York on Dec. 20, 1923, the daughter of Halario and Emma (Picard) Diaz. She was raised and educated in Greenport, graduating with the Class of 1941 at Greenport High School. In 1944, she married Joseph C. Shencavitz. Her faithful and devoted husband of 73 years predeceased her in 2017. A former resident of Mt. Sinai, N.Y., with her husband she owned and operated The Flower Stop, a nursery and garden center. Following their retirement in 1989, the couple relocated to Brattleboro. A devout Catholic, she was a communicant of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church where, for many years, she taught CCD classes and served as a lector during weekend Masses. She was also an active member of the Daughters of Isabella, Ave Maria Council #128. With her husband, she established the Garden of Innocence at Saint Michael's in 1993 and maintained the garden each year with the planting of flowers and shrubs. She loved both vegetable and flower gardening and with her husband maintained a large garden on their property on Upper Dummerston Road. She loved her home, was an excellent cook, and was well-known for her delicious pies. Survivors include three sons, Joseph Shencavitz, Jr. of Marysville, Wash., Gerald Shencavitz of Mount Desert, Maine, and Peter Shencavitz of Brattleboro; one sister, Dolores Topping of Alabama, two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; a close friend, Gordon Diers of Brattleboro; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. She was predeceased by three brothers, Joseph, Richard, and Francis Diaz; and four sisters, Rose Adams, Clara Foster, Theresa Greenwood, and Stacia Wilkenson. Memorial information: A funeral Mass was held Oct. 12 at St. Michael's Catholic Church, with committal rites and burial in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery. Donations to St. Michael's School, 47 Walnut St., Brattleboro, VT 05301. To sign an online register book or send messages of condolence to the family, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Gail Ann Stevenson, 69, of Brattleboro. Died Oct. 8, 2018 at Pine Heights Nursing Home in Brattleboro after a long illness. She was born on Sept. 18, 1949 in Proctor, and was raised in Charlestown, N.H. She graduated from Charlestown High School. She was predeceased by her brother, John Thomas Stevenson, who died in 2008, as well as her father, Robert Stevenson, and her stepfather, John Currie. She is survived by her mother, Mary Currie, of Unity, N.H. Gail remained very close to her mother throughout her life; they shared an avid interest in books and politics. Gail was a devoted Catholic and attended church services at Pine Heights. She also enjoyed listening to music from the 1960s. Memorial information: Gail will be buried at Pine Crest Cemetery in Charlestown, next to her brother and father. There will be no services.
• Eleanor van Waveren, 87, of Guilford. Died in early September. Born in Manila, the Philippine Islands, she emigrated to Green River village in her teens with her family during the onset of World War II. She attended Concord Academy and, shortly after graduation, went into business with her mother designing and crafting fine evening gowns that they consigned at boutiques in New England, New York City, and beyond. In addition to participating in the whirlwind fashion industry, Eleanor was gifted in flower arranging, vegetable gardening, and caring for a succession of dogs and cats over the years. She also enjoyed cooking gourmet holiday cookies and breads with her mother that were distributed to eagerly awaiting friends and family. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jacob (Jaap) Benjamin and Eleanor Scott van Waveren; and her brother, Benjamin Reese van Waveren. She is survived by nephews Carl Pieter and Geoffrey Benjamin van Waveren. Memorial information: A private inurnment ceremony will take place at the family plot.
• Stanley Eugene Ward Jr., 59, of Brattleboro. Died unexpectedly on Oct. 6, 2018 at his home from injuries he sustained from an accidental fall. He was born in Brattleboro on Nov. 9, 1958, the son of Stanley and Shirley (Lamoureux) Ward. He was raised and educated in Brattleboro, attending Brattleboro Union High School. At the time of his death, he worked at the Vermont Food Bank warehouse on Putney Road. Previously, he owned his own custodial business which he operated for many years, and had worked at the former Book Press for 13 years. Stanley enjoyed sports and, in his youth, played Little League and Babe Ruth baseball. He was also an excellent candlepin bowler and was regarded as one of the best in town to bowl at the former King's Bowling Center. He was an avid Red Sox and Patriots fan. Stanley was a quiet, unassuming, and hardworking man who was known for his friendly and gentle spirit. He was also a loving and devoted son, and had a love for small animals. Survivors include his mother, Shirley Leclair of Brattleboro, one brother, Stephen Ward of Tucumbia, Ala., an aunt, Caroline Brooks of Cleveland, Ga., and two cousins, Kelly Wicker of Windham and Todd Brooks of Vernon. He also leaves his pet Guinea pig, Snowball. He was predeceased by his father and siblings John Ward and Mary Flores. Memorial information: Burial took place in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Putney. Donations to the Vermont Food Bank, 22 Browne Court, Brattleboro, VT 05301. To sign an online register book or send messages of condolence, visit www.atamaniuk.com.
• Timothy George White, 51, of Guilford. Died tragically in a house fire on October 9, 2018 after making sure his partner, Doreen Brown, got out safely and going back to alert his tenants. He was born on Dec. 29, 1966 in Burlington, to Roger and Sheila (Miller) White. Tim loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing with his Dad and summers at his uncle's dairy farm. He was the unofficial mascot “Rugrat” of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity at UVM while growing up across the street. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1988 and attended the University of Vermont where he joined Alpha Gamma Rho. He worked as a student rep for US Tobacco on campus, which led him to work sales for the company in Massachusetts and Connecticut. It was during this time that he became a father, the job he cherished above all. Tim wanted his children to be Vermonters, so he made sure they were both born in Vermont and returned his family to Vermont where he bought a home with lots of land, his dream. He worked for the last 13 years as a sales rep for the Vermont Lottery, a job he loved. Tim was an avid outdoorsman and loved to be out in nature either kayaking, hunting, sharing the outdoors with his children, 4-wheeling, or cutting wood. He is survived by his partner and soulmate, Doreen Brown; his son, Colton White, 18, a freshman at Franklin Pierce University; his daughter, Kasey, 16; a brother, Derick and wife Deb; and a sister, Melanie Cameron and her fiancee, Pierre Dufresne. Memorial information: A celebration of Tim's life will be held at his cousin's farm, 511 Route 5, North Hartland, Vt., on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m.