FRED E. MASTENDINO

HADLEY, Fred E. Mastendino passed away on May 10^th at the Center for Extended Care at Amherst. Formerly of Windfield Senior Estates and Sylvia Heights, Hadley, Mr. Mastendino was born August 5, 1909 in Brooklyn, NY and spent his early years in Formia, Italy, returning at age 6 and attending PS 83 in Brooklyn, where he met his future wife, Maria LiBretto, now deceased. He retired from Rhoades Rubber Division of Paragon Rubber, Easthampton, MA, in 1979, as a supervisor. He was previously a volunteer fireman for New Hyde Park, NY Fire Dept., where he attained the rank of Captain. He was active in the Knights of Columbus and a parishioner at St. John’s R.C. Church and Most Holy Redeemer, both in Hadley. Mr. Mastendino was very well known in Hadley, active also in the Council On Aging for many years and will be greatly missed by family and friends. He is survived by his son, Alfred C. of Sagamore Beach, his daughter Marie A. Peterson of Ecuador, four grandchildren; Patricia Hoffman of Maryland, Alan R. of Chester, Jeffrey C. of Manchester-By-The-Sea, and Anthony A. of Carver, MA, seven great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, May 14, at 10:00 a.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Church, Hadley with burial following in Holy Rosary Cemetery. Calling hours will be Monday, May 13, from 5-7 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Memorial donations may be made to Most Holy Redeemer Church, PO Box 375, Hadley, MA 01035. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Vernon T. Thomas

HADLEY, Vernon T. (Ted) Thomas, 84, passed away at the Elaine Center in Hadley on May 5, 2013, following a period of declining health.

He was born in Hadley on January 11, 1929, the youngest of six children, to the late August and Mathilda (Plutsky) Thomas. He was predeceased by three brothers and two sisters.

Ted was a 1946 graduate of HopkinsAcademy in Hadley, participating in all varsity sports, and then attended the University of Massachusetts, graduating in 1951 after a four year stint on the varsity soccer team. He served with the United States Army in the Korean War from 1952-53 with “L” Company of the 35^th Infantry Regiment of the 25^th Infantry Division – attaining the rank of sergeant as a weapons platoon squad leader. He was a member of the VFW Post 754 of Amherst, the 35^th Infantry Regiment (CACTI) Association and the 25^th Infantry Division Association.

His post-military career was in the insurance industry. He enjoyed a thirty one-year tenure with the Peerless Insurance Company of Keene, NH, serving in management, marketing and auditing positions until his retirement in 1993.

Ted’s retirement years were spent griping about the Boston Red Sox and attending his grandchildren’s sporting activities in Hadley, Granby and Roswell, Georgia. He was a fixture at UMass football games, a fan of the Cleveland Browns and assumed the role of semi-resident handy man at the HadleyGardenCenter. He enjoyed traveling to Maine, Pennsylvania, Georgia and attending Korean War Veteran reunions. He participated in the 1995 dedication of the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C., by marching in the parade with the 25^th Infantry Division.

He was predeceased by his wife of 49+ years, Gilda M. Grandonico, in 2004. He is survived by his two daughters, Janine T. Giles (Tom) of Hadley, Cheryl T. Boisselle (Kevin) of Granby and his son David B. Thomas (Beverly) of Roswell, Georgia. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren; granddaughters Brittany J. Giles of Sunderland, Lindsey C. Thomas and Morgan S. Thomas of Roswell, Georgia ,  Kelsea L. Boisselle and Jenna M. Boisselle of Granby and his favorite grandson, Thomas L. Giles of Spokane, Washington, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Honoring Ted’s wishes there are no calling hours.  A private burial of his ashes will be held at the convenience of his immediate family at a later date.  Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Rita Ellen Sibbison

AMHERST, Rita Ellen Sibbison, 90, died in peace on May 1, 2013, in Hadley, Massachusetts.  She was  born on February 8, 1923, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised by her beloved grandmother, Elenora Gueldner, and then, when her grandmother died, by her Aunt Mamie.  Rita grew up in a boisterous extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins whose roots began in the city and spread across Lake Ponchartrain to the then-sleepy beach town of Mandeville, where her Uncle Charlie had a house built on stilts.  From her earliest days she was admired for her kindness, beauty, wit and charm.

Forced by the Great Depression to leave Sophie Newcomb College and help with family finances, she met her future husband, Jim Sibbison, at a dance for servicemen when Jim’s Navy destroyer was doing maneuvers in the Gulf to prepare for the Mediterranean front.  They married in New York City in April, 1945, when Jim was on leave, and their only child, Wendy, was born the following year. 

Jim and Rita lived in Virginia and Washington, D.C., until 1982, when Jim–a journalist for the Associated Press and then a press officer for the Environmental Protection Agency–retired.  They then moved to Amherst to be near their daughter, who had settled in Western Massachusetts.  Rita soon joined the Amherst Woman’s Club, which she served as President from 1990 to 1992 and of which she was an active member until her death.  For the past six years she also volunteered her time and considerable energy to the Hospice Shop of the Fisher Home in Amherst.

Rita, like most women of her generation, spent much of her married life caring for her family.  She excelled at everything domestic.  Her legendary cocktail and dinner parties always included a tower of shrimp surrounded by men with toothpicks.  She could smock a dress, repair small machinery, make a tailored suit, force a tulip, whip up a mousse, slipcover a chair, needlepoint a pillow, and make stains vanish.  But most of all she could love.  Motherless, she drew people to her like a fragrant gardenia.  She was kind, generous, enthusiastic, and compassionate.  Everyone who met her soon fell under her gentle, cheerful, and slightly sardonic spell.  There was not a mean bone in her body.  The happiest days of her life were the births of her daughter and granddaughter, the grateful recipients of her lifelong, openhearted devotion.

Rita’s sole regret was that she did not have a better education; she taught herself everything she knew through reading.  She read the New York Times daily from cover to cover, looking forward each week to the Science section, and spent additional hours with her nose in a book.  While she mainly enjoyed history and biography, she said that reading Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex and Betty Friedan’s  The Feminine Mystique changed her world view forever.  When living in Washington, D.C., she eagerly volunteered at the Women’s Political Caucus but left after several months, discouraged by the patronizing attitude of the paid staff toward the unpaid housewife volunteers.  A staunch feminist and progressive Democrat, she nonetheless viewed the moral evolution of both genders as a whole with the same skepticism.

Rita had a powerful affinity for art, trees, birds and the moon.  In 2012 she adopted a stray chicken that appeared in her yard, naming her Clara and eventually moving her to a friend’s farm.  She also enjoyed travel and, with Jim, roamed around Europe several times.  In 2007, she and Wendy took a long trip to Italy and began annual vacations together on the Cape.  Last year Rita successfully ventured forth on her own to visit her nephew and his wife in southwestern Virginia.

In 2006, after 61 years of marriage, Jim died.  They had lived in their house on Blue Hills Road for 24 years, longer than they had lived anywhere else.  In Amherst they made many affectionate and intellectually compatible friends.  They were happy there, and Rita continued to live independently in their home until shortly before her death.  She is survived by her daughter, Wendy Sibbison of Greenfield, her granddaughter Maisie Sibbison-Alves, and her nephew Jim Allen and his wife Ursula of Stuart, Virginia. 

A celebration of Rita’s life will be held at the Amherst Woman’s Club on Sunday, May 19th, from 4 to 6 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road, PO Box 9269, N. Amherst, MA 01059. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Helen B. Goddard

Amherst – Helen B. Goddard died peacefully on April 30^th at the Hospice of the Fisher Home in North Amherst. 

Helen, a long time resident of Amherst worked for the Amherst Pelham School District as a front office secretary in the high school and then as the Registrar for both senior and junior high schools until her retirement in 1996.

Helen is survived by her three children Dora J. Brace of Amherst; Russell H. Goddard of Valdosta, GA and Nancy B. Goddard of Long Island, NY and their respective spouses Edward Brace, Karen Goddard and Steven Sobstyl.  She also leaves her four grandchildren Benjamin, Chelsea, Zachary and Shannon.  She is also survived by her sister Elizabeth Donovan of Hyde Park, MA and many nieces and nephews.

To honor the life of Helen Goddard, services will be held at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, with calling hours on Sunday, May 5 from 3:00pm – 5:00pm.  Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 6 at 10:00am at the Douglass Funeral Home.  Helen’s ashes will be scattered by her family at a later date.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Hospice of the Fisher Home at 1165 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA01002 or the American Cancer Society, PO Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK73123-1718. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

DOROTHY FITZGERALD

AMHERST, Dorothy Fitzgerald, 101, died April 29, at the Center for Extended Care at Amherst. Born in Boston on May 13, 1911, Dorothy was the daughter of the late William R. and Susan (Cummings) Senior. Dorothy moved to Amherst with her sister, Ellen Vaughan, in the early 90’s. She had many happy years in Amherst with her sister and at the Amherst Senior Center. She took daily walks to CVS and would often stop and visit with friends along the way. Dorothy was predeceased by her sister, Ellen, and her husband William Fitzgerald. She will be greatly missed by her many friends, especially, Beatrice Dragon and Margaret Coty. Funeral services will be today, May 2, at 11:00 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. A calling hour will precede the service from 10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Burial will take place in Belleville Cemetery, Newburyport. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

ERCOLE CANALE-PAROLA

AMHERST, Longtime Amherst resident Ercole Canale-Parola, a highly regarded researcher, department head, retired professor and professor emeritus of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts, died peacefully in Amherst on March 29th, 2013 following a brief illness. He was laid to rest in Wildwood Cemetery beside his beloved wife Thelma, and his mother Ede Momigliano on April 6^th, 2013.

Born in 1929 in Frosinone, Italy, to Ede Presciutti and Mario Canale-Parola, his early years were heavily impacted by the loss of his father at age 5, and the hardships of World War II. As a child, he witnessed firsthand the Nazi occupation of Rome, the infamous aerial bombing of the San Lorenzo neighborhood, the partisan attack in Via Rasella and the triumphant entrance of American forces into the fallen city. After the war, in 1951, he reluctantly left his studies at the University of Florence to join his mother, who had moved to Chicago, Illinois and remarried an Italian doctor and professor, Lele Momigliano. Dr. Momigliano, who was Jewish, had defected to the United States when Benito Mussolini enacted the discriminatory racial laws of 1938.

Having no degree, and speaking little English, Ercole took a job dyeing candy in a gumball factory run by an Italian immigrant, a position that provided him with ample motivation to resume his education. It was while studying at the University of Chicago at Urbana-Champaign that he met his wife of 57 years, Thelma Canale-Parola. Their meeting had two immediate impacts on their futures: Thelma changed her major from Spanish to Italian, and Ercole determined that he would have to take his studies more seriously if he was going to date a star student. Both would later earn PhDs from that institution and go on to have illustrious careers in academia. Ercole would become one of the world’s leading experts on spirochetes and, during his long academic career, served as mentor to countless other scientists who now conduct research, teach and head departments throughout the country and abroad.

Ercole was also a passionate and knowledgeable opera and classical music aficionado, a Red Sox fan, a lifetime progressive Democrat and expert wine enthusiast. In his spare time he worked on a historical fiction manuscript set in wartime Italy, experimented with oil and watercolor painting, and deeply enjoyed reading and competing with his wife to be first to finish the New York Time’s Sunday crossword puzzle.

Ercole Canale-Parola will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues and former students. He is survived by his children Claudia and Daniel, their spouses Matthew Blumenfeld and Marina Viola, his 5 grandchildren, Isa and Sadie Blumenfeld, and Luca, Sofia and Emma Canale-Parola (as well as by trillions and trillions of individual Canaleparolinas – a spirochete named in his honor).

A memorial service will be held for both Ercole and Thelma in the fall. The family suggests that anyone wishing to honor Ercole’s memory consider making a tax deductible donation in his name to the Jones Library in Amherst, as both Ercole and Thelma were strong supporters of that institution: Jones Library 43 Amity Street, Amherst, MA01002. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

OTTO VOGL

AMHERST, Professor Otto Vogl, 85, passed away peacefully April 27, at home with his dear wife Jane Cunningham Vogl and dog Gracie by his side. 

Otto was a dynamic visionary who was one of the global leaders in the development of plastic. He was born on November 6, 1927 in Traiskirchen, Austria, near Vienna.  He studied organic chemistry, receiving his Ph.D from the University of Vienna in 1949, having completed his thesis on steroids. In 1952, he went to the University of Michigan as a post-doctoral fellow where he met and married Jane.  They then moved to Princeton University where he continued his research. In 1956, he joined DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware, which was the beginning of his illustrious career.

At DuPont, Otto was one of the pioneer researchers on aldehyde polymerization (plastics). He was there for 14 years before becoming a full professor and one of the founders of the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  In 1983, he left UMass to accept the newly created position as the Herman F. Mark Professor at the Polytechnic University in New York, the first endowed polymer professorship in the country. He recognized science as an international language and tirelessly taught and lectured worldwide.

During his academic career, Otto Vogl supervised approximately 100 students and postdoctoral research associates from around the world, published 450 scientific papers, wrote an additional 150 science related articles and held of over 50 US and foreign patents.  He served on 15 editorial boards, received many international awards and four honorary doctoral degrees.

Otto was also very active in committee work in the polymer field, and developed and led many of its critical organizations. He was a member of, among others, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the American Chemical Society, the Austrian Chemical Society, the Pacific Polymer Federation (which he founded in furtherance of his commitment to international science), and the prestigious Royal Swedish Society of Sciences.

Otto is survived by Jane, his wife of 57 years; their son Eric of Houston and daughter Yvonne of New York; eight grandchildren; one great grand-daughter and Gracie, his dog.  He will be deeply missed by all.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, May 7^th at 10:00 a.m. in St. Brigid’s Church, Amherst. A private family burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

STANLEY P. DURNAKOWSKI

AMHERST, Stanley P. Durnakowski 77, of Amherst passed away April 25, 2013 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.  Born February 23, 1936 in Suffield, CT, son of the late Stanley and Sophie Kulas Durnakowski. 

Predeceased by Henry, Eugene, Eleanor and Valaria his brothers and sisters. Raised in Suffield he spent the last 39 years in Amherst.  

Beloved husband and father, Stanley will be missed by his wife of 53 years, Beverly Durnakowski; his four daughters Darlene Peronne and her two children Ryan and Ashlee of Gulfport MS; Lisa Sacco and her husband Michael of Leominster, daughter Jessica Sacco and sons, Daniel and Linwood Gallant and his wife Kelly and great grandson Asher Bryce Gallant; Michele and Richard O’Donnell of Amherst; Jennifer Dickinson of Holden and her children, Cody, Alexandra and Mathew.

His loves were his family, polka music, farming and food.  

In 2001 he started his campaign to collect the required number of signatures for a vote to change the government of Amherst from Town Meeting to a Mayor. He was a member of the Lion’s Club and Knights of Columbus.

The family wishes to thank The Fresenius Dialysis Center of Northampton, Dr. Kamel and staff, the ICU Unit at Cooley Dickinson Hospital for the excellent care and compassion they provided. Special thanks to Dr. Julie Stanton of Hadley.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, April 30, at 9:00 a.m. at The Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst with burial following in St. Joseph’s Cemetery Poquonock, CT. Calling hours will be Monday, April 29, from 5-8 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Robert F. Winne

AMHERST, Robert Frank Winne, 88, died peacefully at home in Amherst on April 22, 2013.

He was born December 27, 1924, in Brockport, NY, the son of Robert Frank and Miriam (Thompson) Winne. His grandmother Lina (Cook) Thompson came from a long line of Cook families in Hadley, and his grandfather Alfred Thompson was the principal of Hopkins Academy in the 1890s and president of Brockport Normal School, now the State University of New York at Brockport, 1910-1936.

As a child, Bob enjoyed family holidays on an island in Georgian Bay in Canada. When Bob was 15 he joined the very first group of campers at the Farm and Wilderness Camps in Plymouth, VT. He went on to be a counselor and lifeguard and met his first wife, Mary Eliot, there. Later his children attended while Bob designed and helped build several camp structures. The camp is still active.

Robert graduated from BrockportHigh School in 1942 and attended one year of college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY.

He was inducted into the Army in 1943, served in the 289^th Infantry Regiment, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes in Belgium. Out of his unit of 40 men he was the only one not killed or wounded. After the war ended in Europe, he was manager of a commissary and supervised imprisoned German officers. He separated from the Army in February 1946.

He returned to college on the G.I. Bill, graduating from the RPI School of Architecture in 1949. He worked for architectural firms in Houston, TX, and Boston, MA, before joining the architecture faculty at RPI. He earned a M.A. in 1960. He had appointments at PennsylvaniaStateUniversity and at BarnardCollege, and retired from RPI in 1988.

His second wife was Ann Hagen Griffiths, a photographer.

In 1986 he and Patricia G. Holland, a writer, were married at their house in Amherst.

He became a member of Amherst Town Meeting. He took part in planning the renovation of Town Hall 1992-1994, served actively on the committee to renovate the North Amherst Library 1995-1996, and in 1997-1998 worked with architect Peter Kitchell to design the Boltwood Walk parking garage.

He had a long interest in the history of art and was a skilled and sensitive photographer. His closest friend was the late artist and craftsman Richard Hooke of Amherst, who with his wife, Ruth Hooke, introduced Bob to Pat.

He leaves behind his wife, his daughter Elizabeth “Lise” Winne, her partner James Lestrange of Saratoga Springs, NY, their daughter Kiersten Lestrange, and his son Clark Thompson “Tom” Winne and his wife Victoria Wilson Winne of Homer, AK.

He leaves his grandchildren, Holland Hill of Edmonds, WA, Vanessa Fefelov of Homer, AK, Amon Winne of Green Lake, WA, and Llosh Winne of Bothell, WA, and five great-grandchildren. He leaves his sister, Alice (Winne) Garlock, and nephew Charles Garlock of Brockport, NY, and his stepson and family, Jonathan, Kristin, and Jesse Lieber of Portland, OR, and his stepdaughter, Lucy Barber, of Washington, DC.

Burial will be at WildwoodCemetery, Amherst, Friday, April 26, at 1 p.m. Arrangements are by the Douglass Funeral Service. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Peter Ivy

AMHERST, Peter Cryer Ivy, 91, died on April 17, 2013, in Amherst. Peter was born to Robert and Norma Ivy in 1922 and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Friends Central School and Amherst College. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army’s Persian Gulf Command in Tehran, Iran, where he met his future wife, Valerie. After discharge from military service he worked as a civilian for the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and married Valerie before returning to Philadelphia.

After attending the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Drexel Institute of Technology, Peter made his career working at Burroughs Corp. Research Center, General Electric, Link Aviation, and Grumman Aerospace Corp. in Bethpage, NY. During his working years, Peter was active with the Philadelphia Junior Chamber of Commerce, Toastmasters, and Little League baseball teams.

Peter and Valerie retired to Pelham in 1992, and later to Applewood in Amherst. Peter was a lifelong artist and continued painting until his death. His paintings have most recently been exhibited at the Burnett Gallery and at Applewood. Peter was also an avid golfer and served for 14 years as class secretary for the Amherst College Class of 1943, for which he won a Distinguished Service Award.

Peter is survived by Valerie, his wife of 66 years; children Valerie and Andrew Steinberg, Elizabeth Read, and Stephen and Robin Ivy; grandchildren Scott Steinberg, Jennifer and Colin O’Sullivan, Madlen Read, Peter Ivy, Samuel Read, and Lauren Ivy; great-grandson Devin O’Sullivan; and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service is planned for May 20 at 11 a.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Peter’s name to the Friends of the Amherst Senior Center (70 Boltwood Walk, Amherst, MA, 01002) and the Smile Train (PO Box 96231, Washington, DC, 20090). Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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