Robert {Bob} F. Williams

1958 – 2013

Amherst-Robert {Bob} F. Williams, 55, of Sturbridge, MA. died Sunday Sept. 29, 2013 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Born March 25, 1958 in Springfield, he was the son of the late Alfred and Irene {Daly} Williams. 

Robert grew up in Longmeadow and graduated from Longmeadow High School, where he was a member of the Varsity Swim Team and received numerous Chess Club awards. Robert was a 1984 graduate of Wesleyan University and Western New England University School of Law in 1993. He loved keeping in touch with all his Facebook Friends! And was a long time Real Estate developer in FL, CT and MA.  

Robert is survived by his four sisters, Sheila E. Williams and husband David Bruce of NYC, Judith V. Williams-Newcomb and husband Bob of Amherst, Lynn Williams Kincaid and husband Robert of MO, Victoria {Tory} M.W. Dixon and husband Juan of Amherst, nieces and nephews Madeline, Olivia, Irene, Juliet, Keith, Devin and Zachary. He is also survived by his aunts and uncles, Joyce and Frank Warren of NY, Kevin and Joan Daly of Ireland, Mary Fahey of West Springfield and many cousins and friends from MA, NY, WI, England and Ireland.  

Robert was pre-deceased by his parents Alfred and Irene Williams and physician and friend, Dr. Anthony Lovell. 

His family would like to offer special thanks to the loving and caring staff at Calvin Coolidge, and to Cindy Baecher and the team of nurses and doctors at The Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton EMT’s and Lifeflight crew and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. 

A graveside service will be Saturday October 5, 2013 at 10:00 AM at LongmeadowCemetery. Calling hours will be Friday from 4 – 6 PM at The Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, with a reception to follow in Amherst from 6 – 9 PM. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Resident Activity Fund, Calvin Coolidge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 548 Elm St. Northampton, MA 01060. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

AMHERST, Dr. Gerry Andler of Amherst, 50, passed away suddenly on September 19^th, 2013 after a swift and courageous battle with cancer.

Gerry was born on July 8, 1963, in Beverly, Massachusetts. He graduated from St. John’s Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts, in 1981, and attended Quinnipiac University in Connecticut and Suffolk University in Boston before completing his chiropractic residency at Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles in 1988.

Gerry began his chiropractic career in Springfield, Massachusetts, at Advanced Back & Neck Center from 1992-1998. In 1999, Gerry left Springfield to pursue his dream of opening his own practice, Back in Motion Chiropractic in Belchertown. Committed to wellness and holistic health, Gerry’s skilled hands treated hundreds of patients at Back in Motion over his 14 years of practice. His devotion to his many patients was reciprocated by their loyalty and affection for him.

Gerry was a talented and avid athlete and sports enthusiast, excelling at everything he participated in from skiing to Ultimate Frisbee. He was an active hockey player and competed in three adult leagues for over 20 years – creating a brotherhood of teammates and lifelong friends. Gerry’s other enduring passion was mountain biking; he could be seen biking the trails around the valley on any given day regardless of the conditions.

Gerry had a kind spirit, a calming energy and vibrant smile. He lived an energetic lifestyle and loved reading, meditating, journaling, and educating himself.  Gerry was a nurturing and committed family man, enjoying the many gifts of fatherhood, whether on family journeys, memorable days at beach or watching his girls grow. His life was devoted to helping his family, patients, and friends to be joyful and healthy. Kind of heart and gentle of spirit Gerry will be deeply missed by his family, friends, many teammates, and community of well cared for patients.

Dr. Gerry Andler leaves behind his wife of 28 years, Denise Emmons Andler, formerly of Woburn, Massachusetts; his cherished daughters, Arielle and Hailey; his mother, Marilyn Kramer Andler, of Swampscott; his brother, William Andler of Salem, and his brother Robert Andler, of Rochester, NY as well as many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

A celebration of Gerry’s life will be held on October 13^th, 2013 at the Red Barn at Hampshire College from 2-5pm. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

IRENE K. KNIHNICKI

SOUTHAMPTON, Irene Katherine Knihnicki, 89, died on Sept. 25, 2013 at the Linda Manor Extended Care Facility in Leeds. Born on January 10, 1924 in Amherst, MA she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Katherine (Lecko) Knihnicki.

Irene graduated from Amherst High School and Northampton Commercial College. She learned to fly at Northampton Airport and soloed for about 10 hours on a student’s license.

Irene worked for the Department of the Army at West Point Academy in New York for 30 years as the Executive Assistant to the Principal of the Dependents School, where she earned numerous Excellence in Service awards. She traveled extensively with family and friends upon her retirement.

Through the years she took on the care giving role for her father, sister-in-law, mother and sister in Arizona. She moved back to Massachusetts six years ago to live with her sister Florence.

Besides her parents, Irene was predeceased by her sister Eleanor, age 11, in 1936 and her sister Helen Blake of Page, AZ. She is survived by her brother Edwin Knihnicki and his wife Pauline of Sunderland; her brother Richard Knihnicki and Marilyn Berube of Sutton, VT; her sister Florence Droy of Southampton; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be Friday, Sept. 27, at 11:00 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst with burial following in South Amherst Cemetery. A calling hour will precede the service from 10-11 a.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Unit at Linda Manor, 349 Haydenville Rd., Leeds, MA 01053 or VNA & Hospice of Cooley Dickinson, 168 Industrial Dr., Northampton, MA 01060.  Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

BERNARD H. BEAUREGARD

AMHERST, Bernard H. Beauregard, 83, died on Sept. 19, 2013 at the Center for Extended Care at Amherst. Born on Nov. 23, 1929 he was the son of the late Henri and Beatrice (Millette) Beauregard. Prior to his retirement Bernard bought and sold horses and tack equipment. He is survived by his wife, Rita (Gaumond) Beauregard, his children: Rachel Shumway (Bruce), Richard Beauregard (Donna), Louis Beauregard (Patricia), Donald Beauregard (Cindy Korb), Rhonda Seyfried, 13 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Raymond and his grandson Raymond Jr. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, Sept. 28, at 11:00 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. A calling hour will precede the service from 10 – 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

ROBERT A. HART

HADLEY, Robert Allen Hart, 84, died peacefully at Cooley Dickinson Hospital on September 11, 2013, after a serious illness.   He was born on January 19, 1929, and his experiences as a child of the Depression Era made for many interesting stories.  He received his B.A, M.A, and Ph.D. at Indiana University, first specializing in Journalism and English, then focusing on History; he was also editor of the University newspaper. 

After an early career as a columnist for The Chicago Tribune, Robert taught English at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and History at SUNY Cortland.  He came to Amherst in 1966 as a professor at the University of Massachusetts, specializing in the field of American and Diplomatic History.  He educated hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students there until retiring in 1989, after which he pursued a career in finance and investing.  Robert was particularly interested in naval history (the photo was taken on the decks of the U.S.S. Constitution), and his published books included The Great White Fleet; its Voyage Around the World, 1907-1909, The Uncertain Crusade; America and the Russian revolution of 1905 (with Arthur Thompson), and The Eccentric Tradition: American Diplomacy in the Far East.  He is also the author of numerous short stories, published in various magazines in the mid-1950’s.

Robert was a passionate appreciator of music, and especially enjoyed the operas of Wagner, the works of J.S. Bach, and anything by Gilbert and Sullivan.  He loved to paint, and his oil landscapes grace the walls of many of his family members; he was also an avid Boston sports fan.  He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Hart Damon and her husband, Richard Damon, of Amherst, his sister and brother-in-law, Martha and Charles Osborn of Bloomington, Indiana, his grandson, Christopher Marcus of Greenfield, and nine adoring nieces and nephews from New Hampshire to Hawaii.  A private funeral will be held at Grace Episcopal Church on September 18^th. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Edna Louise Tillis

AMHERST, Edna Louise (Dillon) Tillis, 84, of Amherst, passed away at home after a long, difficult illness on September 8, 2013.  Born in Houston, Texas on September 6, 1929 though her legal birthday given was January 6, 1930 due to record keeping during segregation. Her parents were the late Edna Mae Levingston and the late Reverend West Levingston, Jr. of Houston.  For the past 43 years, Louise and her husband, Dr. Frederick Charles Tillis, along with their two children, Patricia Louise and Pamela Charlene, lived in Amherst until the children moved from the area as adults.  The devoted couple recently celebrated 63 loving years together. 

One of two children, she and her late brother West Levingston, III were raised in the Greater New Hope Baptist Church in Houston and attended schools there. Louise and Frederick met at Wiley College at the age of 17 and 16 respectively in Marshall, Texas in 1946, where they were both pursuing Bachelor of Arts degrees in music.  Louise studied piano and voice. She was head cheerleader, a sister of the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, and was crowned college queen “Miss Wiley” in 1949.  She became the first queen to break the color barrier for complexion diversity at this historically black institution.  They became college sweethearts in their sophomore year. Frederick graduated in three years and taught at Wiley during what would have traditionally been a fourth year while Louise completed college in the spring of 1950. Following graduation, they married on July 9, 1950.  During the early years of their marriage, Louise taught music in elementary schools in Texas while Frederick continued teaching at Wiley College.  Frederick obtained his Master’s Degree in Music from the University of Iowa in 1952 and then joined the United States Air Force during the Korean Conflict. Louise taught music at elementary schools in Texas while Frederick was in the service from 1952 through 1955 and after the war, resumed his studies at the University of North Texas College of Music on the G.I. Bill.  At Louise’s suggestion and encouragement, the couple then returned to Iowa for Frederick to complete his PhD in Music Composition from the University of Iowa.  During those years, Louise taught management courses at the University of Iowa.

After completing his PhD in 1963, Frederick’s next academic appointment was at Grambling College, Louisiana where they started a family in 1964.  Louise also held a position as the assistant to the Dean of Grambling College.  The family then moved again to Louisville, Kentucky in 1967 where Louise was assistant to the Dean at Kentucky State University while Frederick was on the faculty as the Head of the Music Department.   In 1970, Frederick was recruited to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst by his former University of Iowa professor and mentor, Philip Bezanson to initiate a jazz studies program at UMass.  Louise continued her administrative career first at Smith College as assistant to the Class Deans in 1972 and then as Chief Administrator in the Dean’s Office at the School of Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in 1974. Louise remained at the School after it was reorganized into both Public Health and Nursing, becoming Executive Administrator in the Dean’s Office of the School of Nursing for seven years until her retirement from dedicated service to the university in 1996. As an educator and administrator throughout her life and career, Louise was known and admired for her meticulous managerial integrity, exceptional organizational skills, and pragmatic wit.        

Louise and Frederick have been active members of the Amherst community over the years. Louise served for two terms as a member of the Amherst Citizens Review Commission as appointed by the Amherst Board of Selectmen and was also a volunteer at Jones Library.  Louise’s many interests included cultural pursuits such as music, theater, dance, art, fashion, and travel.  She and Frederick were longtime philanthropists of cultural and educational organizations such as Wiley College, The Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the United Negro College Fund, the NAACP, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.  She also enjoyed watching collegiate football and basketball and following such sports as tennis, track and field, swimming, golf and the Olympics.  Other pastimes included gardening, bird watching, reading, sewing, crossword puzzles, games, classic movies and television viewing.  

A wonderfully charming, beautiful, stylish, sassy woman with an engaging sense of humor and grace, she will be greatly missed by her beloved husband Frederick of Amherst; daughters Patricia of Fort Pierce, Florida and Pamela and son-in-law Paul Hammacott of New York City; nieces Edna Louise Richards, (husband Jervis) and Janet Williams of Houston; great nieces Nicole Eaglin (husband Freddie) and Myosha Smith; great nephew Christopher Smith and great nephew, godson and Sweet Baboo Jervis II; and newborn great, great nephew Freddie Fitzgerald, all of Houston; and a host of dear friends and family near and far.

Louise’s funeral will be Friday morning at 11 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Home, 87 North Pleasant Street in Amherst.  The burial will be at Wildwood Cemetery.  The family welcomes flowers or if desired, contributions may be made in Louise’s memory to their alma mater Wiley College under the Dr. Frederick and Edna Louise Tillis Scholarship at Wiley College in support of students majoring in music, 711 Wiley Avenue, Marshall, Texas 75670. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Norman C. Ford Jr.

Amherst- Norman C. Ford Jr., professor of physics, inventor and entrepreneur, died August 25, 2013. He was 81. 

He passed away peacefully at Bay State Hospital in Springfield shortly after suffering a stroke. 

Born Feb. 9, 1932 in Springfield, MA, Norm graduated with a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While at MIT he met his future wife, Barbara. He went on to earn a master’s degree from Syracuse University and a Ph.D from the University of California, Berkeley.

During the Korean War Norm was drafted into the army and assigned to program a missile defense system to defend Washington D.C.  He joined IBM in 1956, where he did basic research on thin films, a technology that has wide relevance to the computer memory, electronics and optical industries.

Norm and his young family arrived in Amherst in 1965 to join the expanding physics department at UMass, where he taught for 15 years.  In 1971 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, which he used to conduct research at Oxford University.  In 1976 he was an exchange professor at the University of Freiburg in Germany.

Shortly before leaving academia, Norm, along with fellow UMass physics professor Kenneth Langley, co-founded Langley Ford Instruments (LFI), among the earliest high-tech start-up companies in Amherst.  In the 1980s, LFI designed and built precision light-scattering instruments for use in industrial and academic research. Among other applications, these devices are used for blood analysis in hospitals and medical labs across the country.

Norm, whose dozens of patents and inventions were used in processes from cheese making to detecting eye diseases, went on to found two other technology companies, Precision Detectors and Phoenix Instruments.

In his retirement Norm was adviser to start-up companies in New England.  

During his 48 years in Amherst, Norm’s contributions to public life included working on a blueprint for economic development as part of the town’s 2010 master plan, serving as town meeting member and as clerk for voting precinct two. He enjoyed tutoring students in physics and math.

At the time of his death, Norm was treasurer of “Save Historic Cushman,” an organization opposing a luxury student dormitory complex proposed for rural North Amherst that Norm believed would destroy the character of the town he loved.

Throughout his life Norm applied his inventiveness to everyday tasks, and to some not-so-everyday tasks. After deciding to tap the maple trees on his property, he turned a discarded hot water heater into an automated syrup boiler.  When his eldest son proposed raising calves for beef, the family built a barn and fenced in fields.

Norm aspired to excellence and enjoyed mastering challenges, from solving sudoku to working on an early detection technique for Alzheimer’s disease.  He encouraged similar aspirations in his family and associates.  

In the mid-1960s, when Norm and Barbara commissioned renowned MIT architect Maurice Smith to design an avant-garde house, the contractor insisted it couldn’t be built.  Norm and Barbara prevailed and got their dream house, guided by Smith’s philosophy of building  “habitable three-dimensional fields” that showcase surrounding trees. To this day, the house remains an example of Norm’s vision, derring-do and “can do” spirit.

Norm’s love of nature inspired climbs of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park as a graduate student, canoe trips and family hikes in the Austrian Alps.  After retirement, he vacationed with his family at Squam Lake in NH, where he would entertain all with his master storytelling and razor-sharp wit, and (for those above the drinking age) fine wines.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Barbara; son David, his spouse Carol and their children Andrew and Rachel, of Philadelphia; son Daniel and his partner Emily, of New York; and daughter Jocelyn of Beijing.

A memorial is planned for 3 p.m. on Sep. 21 at the UMass Campus Center Hotel 11 Fl.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the UMass Physics Dept. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

JOELLE ADLERBLUM

AMHERST, Joelle Adlerblum, of Amherst, died August 25, 2013, at the age of 78, at Cooley Dickinson Hospital following hip surgery. She was born in New York City and spent her youth living with her parents, Cullen and Evelyn Adlerblum, in Riverdale, New York.

Joelle received her education from many schools, including Smith College, Washington Square College, Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her work included early childhood education and research at New York University and Brooklyn College. She lived in the Boston area in the 1980s and explored much of the American Southwest, Mexico and Central America, especially Guatemala. She was fluent in Spanish.

Although fiercely independent, she is remembered by many friends and acquaintances who had “deep regard” for her as a musician, painter, a lover of nature and the outdoors, a courageous seeker and religious sojourner who passionately applied herself to the things in life that were important to her. She was a highly spirited woman with a lively mind and ready sense of humor.

At various times Joelle was active in the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst and the Mount Toby Friends Meeting, and she annually contributed to the Friends’ Thanksgiving Dinner gathering. She had a deep meditative practice as a devoted practitioner of the Buddhist tradition, spending many hours in silent retreats over the past decades at the Insight Meditation Society, in Barre, Massachusetts. She was active in the peace movement and was particularly pained and passionate about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She was especially attracted to the writing of Uri Avnery, founder of the Gush Shalom peace movement.

A talented musician, Joelle loved many kinds of music, especially folk music from the left underground; she wrote many songs including her wonderful “Chocoholic Round”; she played guitar and banjo, sang, and was active in the Peoples’ Music Network, the FSSGB and the Raging Grannies.

A memorial gathering will be held at the Woodbury Room in the Jones Library, in Amherst, on Wednesday, September 25, at 6:00. Gifts in her memory may be made to the Jones Library, Inc. and to the Insight Meditation Society, and in each case noted as for the Joelle Adlerblum memorial. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Angeline E Schwartz

AMHERST, Angeline “Angie” Emma Schwartz, 92, of Lexington, MA, formerly of Amherst and Hadley, passed away on Friday, August 2, 2013 at PineKnollNursingCenter in Lexington.

Born September 27, 1920 in New York City, she was the daughter of Leopold David and Emma (Bietenholz) Stern.

She was educated in New York City schools and graduated from JuliaRichmanHigh School with honors. Angie was awarded a scholarship to Long IslandUniversity but was unable to accept due to family circumstances.

She worked for the family real estate and insurance business before relocating to WashingtonDC, where she worked for various Federal government departments including War Production Board and Department of Commerce. Angie also worked for the Motion Picture Association of America.

She married George Schwartz in 1950. They relocated to Philadelphia, PA and Rochester, NY, before settling in the Amherst area in 1965 and building their home on Frost Lane in Hadley, where she lived for almost 40 years. In Amherst, Angie worked as an Administrative Assistant for the Amherst College History Department while George taught at UMass Amherst. After retirement in 1983, she and George traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad. She continued traveling with friends after George passed away in 1992. She enjoyed socializing, dancing, gardening, hiking, walking, golfing, summer theatre productions, concerts and other cultural events.

She moved to the Applewood Retirement Community in 2003, where she found many new friendships among the other residents and staff and renewed acquaintances with many old friends. She moved to LelandHome in Waltham, MA in 2010, and PineKnollNursingCenter later that year.

She was predeceased by her husband George of 42 years, her brother Leopold Stern and his wife Lillian Stern.

She is survived by her nephew Lowell Stern of Bedford MA, her niece Lynnell Stern of LexingtonMA, three grand-nephews, three grand-nieces and two great grand-nephews.

Private burial will be in PlainvilleCemetery in Hadley, MA next to her husband George, at a later date.

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com. To Sign a Guest Book, express condolences, share memories and read other obituaries, go to www.gazettenet.com/obituaries.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

JANE EILEEN SANCTUARY

AMHERST, Jane Eileen Sanctuary, 75, of 33 Kellogg Ave., died on Sept. 4, 2013, at Calvin Coolidge Rehabilitation Center in Northampton.

She was born on May 2, 1938 and was the “baby” of seven children of the late Everett and Mary Sanctuary. She has lived in Amherst all her life and loved this town very much.

Jane was a graduate of New England Art School and has always enjoyed artwork and painting. Many aspects of her talent were evident in all the activities she participated in. She wrote many poems as well and loved to teach others about the Bible.

She has loved living in the Ann Whalen building for over 25 years and has found many dear friends there.

She loved life but her faith was very strong and she now lives with her heavenly Father just enjoying all Jesus has prepared for those who love God.

Jane’s body will be buried in the South Amherst Cemetery with her beloved parents and family. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 10:00 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Many thanks to them by her family. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.