1932 – 2013

Amherst, George H. Reed, Jr. of Mansfield, MA, died on March 26, 2013, at Southeast Rehabilitation Center in North Easton, MA.  He was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and spent many wonderful years living in Amherst, MA.  George received a Bachelors degree from the University of Delaware and a Masters degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He worked for nearly 30 years in the Environmental Health and Safety Department of the University of Massachusetts alongside many close friends and colleagues.   He enjoyed reading, sports, attending Mass, and spending time with family and friends.   George is survived by his children, Dawn Leifer and David Reed, and five grandchildren.  George was a kind and gentle man who was a friend to all.  Memorial contributions may be made to Saint Mary’s Church, 330 Pratt St., Mansfield, MA 02048. Funeral services will be Friday March 29^th, at 11:00 AM at The Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Calling hours will be held from 9:30 AM on Friday, at the funeral home, until the time of the service. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Jonathan Gilbert Hanke

AMHERST —Jonathan Gilbert Hanke, 84, of Amity Place, Amherst, died peacefully at home under hospice care on March 24, 2013, from pancreatic cancer.       

Jono was born April 16, 1928, in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of Kate (Gilbert) Hanke and Lewis U. Hanke, who at that time was an instructor at the American University in Beirut.      

He served with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1946 to 1948 and graduated from SwarthmoreCollege in 1950. He also attended the School of International Affairs at Columbia University, where he met his wife, Sarah Bond Hanke, during her senior year at Barnard College. They were married in Beacon, New York, a year later on September 13, 1952. 

He is survived by Sarah and their three daughters: Dr. Barbara Hanke of Paris, France, and her husband Rodney Rempel, Laura Hanke of Yantis, Texas, and her husband Andrew Sciabarassi, and Genevra Hanke of Amherst and her partner Michael Reid; and grandchildren Austin Rempel, Will Rempel, Nathan Tofsted, and Samuel Tofsted. He is also survived by a brother, Peter, of Austin, Texas; sisters Susan Abouhalkah of Burton, Texas, and Joanne Schwarz of Bethesda, Maryland; and 10 nieces and nephews. His family will miss his compassion, kindness, and wisdom, and the thoughtful perspective he always brought to any situation. 

He retired to Amherst after a 25-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency. He and his family served in five Latin American countries for over 15 years.      

Jono was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, where he was at one time Senior Warden and later Treasurer, and was also a long-time participant in the Friday morning Men’s Group. At various times he was also on the Grace Church Greening Committee, Brother Lawrence Guild, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Outreach and Mission Commission, and Finance Commission. He was treasurer of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts for two years in the 1980s. 

He volunteered for a number of years at Western Mass Legal Services in its Holyoke and Northampton offices, the Amherst Survival Center, Not Bread Alone soup kitchen, and as a Trustee and President of the Amity Place Condominium Association in Amherst. He also acted as a legal and medical advocate for a number of disabled men in Amherst. 

He was a long-time member of the Five College Learning in Retirement Program, and during his association with them served on the Council, the Curriculum Committee, the Great Decisions organizing committee, and the Computer Circle, helping make computers more accessible and useful to other members of LIR. He also served as President from 2004 to 2005. 

A memorial service will take place on Friday, April 19, 2013, 2:00 PM at Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst. Interment will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Amherst Survival Center, the Amherst ABC House, or other charity of the donor’s choice. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Douglass Funeral Home. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Phyllis W. Page

1927 – 2013

Amherst, Phyllis Ward Page, 85, formerly of Amherst, died March 15, 2013.

Born in Pelham, a daughter of the late Lester and Cornelia (Eldridge) Ward, she lived in Amherst most of her life until moving to Chelmsford, MA in 2008. Educated in Amherst public schools, she was a 1945 graduate of Amherst Regional High School.

She was a lifelong member of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst. She was a 25 year volunteer at the former Grace Church Clothing Exchange and participated in many other groups and activities.

Survivors include her daughter, Patti Feeley and her husband Charles of Pepperell, MA, her granddaughters, Jill Wolfendale of Sterling, MA and Sarah Wilmarth and her husband Rich of Bellingham, MA, her grandson Kenneth Page of Granby, and three great granddaughters. 

She survived her husband, Harold Page, her high school sweetheart who died in 1987, she was also predeceased by her sons Kenneth and Philip Page and her sister Marjorie Ward Damiano.

There are no calling hours.  The funeral will take place at Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst at 1:00pm on Friday, March 22, 2013.  Burial will follow at the Pelham Valley Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

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

WILFRIED MALSCH

AMHERST, Wilfried Malsch passed away peacefully on the morning of March 12^th in his home in Amherst. He had lived 88 full years.  He leaves his wife Sally of 40 years, his daughter Elisabeth of Manhattan, her husband John and grandchildren, Annabelle and Oliver.  His son, Christian, predeceased him.  Wilfried was born in Karlsruhe am Rhein in Germany, just a ferry ride away from France.  The only person in his childhood community who owned a car was an actress who was always in a hurry, he said. World War II claimed many of Wilfried’s friends, cousins and his brother, Rolf, whom he sorely missed.  Wilfried often spoke of how relieved he was for his parents when he was captured by the Americans in Natuno, Italy.  

At seventeen he was the youngest in a prisoner of war camp, first in Alabama and then in Pennsylvania.  There he first developed his love and respect for America as a place of tremendous change and endless hope.  A constant thread throughout his life from then on was both his fear of economic depression that led to Fascism in Germany and his hatred of war in general.  He actively campaigned against the rearming of Germany and welcomed the development of the European Union.

Wilfried had a long and distinguished career as a professor of German of international repute especially in the 18^th century period known as the Goethezeit.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Freiburg and habilitated at the University of Tuebingen, entitling him as a full professor.  After shorter appointments at the Rice University in Texas and at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, he became a professor of German in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1971. Wilfried was a scholar in the true sense of the word whose numerous and genial contributions had far reaching intellectual influence that not only became an essential study for other scholars, but often changed the direction of critical thought.  On the mundane level, Wilfried applied his ability to identify essential problems and create solutions in every aspect of his daily life from designing furniture to practical ideas about paper cups with straight sides and self-driving cars.  Finally, he really loved teaching, and he was grateful he could interact with his admiring students until he was 78 years old.  Even in ‘retirement’ his life-long avocation was his vocation, and he enjoyed embarking into new language and literary studies, most recently Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Above all, the family was paramount for Wilfried, and he continued in the literary vein by imparting his traditions to us through story telling. He could entertain us with stories about his missionary grandfather in Ghana, Africa, who axed a snake about to strike his grandmother; about how a chapel is built within a church there in honor of Pastor Mohr who not only converted the locals to Christianity but who introduced bananas and cocoa, now essential to Ghana’s economy; about his grandfather who made a dictionary for translating Ashanti to English; about his mother who was born in Ghana but raised in the Basel mission like all her siblings sent out of Africa; about his rich childhood in a large extended, Christian family; about his mathematician father who led the fire brigade; and always again about his beloved mother who started knitting when she was four and died knitting for her granddaughter when she was 95.

He wrote in German, ‘as death is coming ever closer, I still want to continue living a little longer for the sake of my family.’   He was always optimistic and willing to fulfill his commitments to healing himself.  One often saw him first running, and then walking throughout Echo Hill, and he was an avid member of the Athletic Club. Despite his self-imposed heavy workload and disciplined work schedule, he never made a promise he did not keep to his wife and children.  No matter the adversity, he was grateful for his home and good fortune, and he repeatedly told his loved ones how happy he was to share his life with them.  They were happy as well, and our beloved husband and father Wilfried will be sorely missed.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, March 18^th at 11:00 a.m. at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, with a reception to follow. Burial will be private. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Michael J. Jasmin, 51, beloved son, brother, and uncle, passed away peacefully Sunday, March 10, 2013, at his home in Amherst. 

Michael loved and was loved by his family.  He was the only son of Patricia (Smith) Jasmin of Amherst and the late Norman Jasmin.  He leaves behind his loving sisters and their families:  Marion Jasmin of Greenfield, Jeanne and Ed Brzycki of Belchertown, Theresa and David Niemczura of Palmer, and Cathy and Tim West of Hadley.  Michael adored his nieces and nephews:  Dan Brzycki of Waltham, Matt and Ali Niemczura of Palmer, and Nick and Lexi West of Hadley.  He also leaves his auntie Gingy Vandomo of Granby and many cousins and extended family members. 

Michael was born in Springfield on April 19, 1961, and grew up in Southwick playing hockey and baseball in his youth.  After graduating from Southwick High School in 1979, Michael joined the Navy serving on the carrier USS Eisenhower.  He was a skilled tradesman, great with his hands and with a keen attention to detail.  He worked for years in the trades, including as a painter and a roofer.  Most recently he worked at Mission Cantina in Amherst with his good friend Sammy Kochan. 

Michael lived life at full throttle.  He was funny and fun-loving, with a quick wit.  He enjoyed being outdoors and was a sportsman who enjoyed fishing, golfing, and skiing. 

Michael was also a quiet soul.  He was an avid reader and loved crossword puzzles.  He enjoyed watching the birds at the feeders and spending time with his dogs around his feet.  He was a gifted artist, but modestly shared his drawings and paintings with only his immediate family.  Michael’s greatest love was for his family, and spending time with them, especially his nieces and nephews. 

Michael was taken from us far too young, but we are comforted by the fact that he lived a full life, surrounded by his loving family.  We will miss him every day. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, March 15, at 9:30 am at Most Holy Redeemer Church in Hadley.  A reception will follow immediately in the Parish Hall.  There will be no calling hours and burial will be private at a later date.  

Douglass Funeral Home of Amherst is in charge of the arrangements.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to MostHoly Redeemer Church, P.O. Box 375, Hadley, MA01035. 

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

JEAN MUSHENSKI

HADLEY, Jean (Wiater) Mushenski, 96, of Hadley, passed away March 9^th. Born in Hadley on November 10, 1916, she was the daughter of the late Sebastian and Agnes (Zawacki) Wiater.

Jean graduated from the Hadley schools and worked at the Hopkins Academy cafeteria until she retired. She worked on the family farm on West Street in Hadley most of her life and loved spending time there with her family. Jean loved being outdoors and listening to polkas. She was a member of the Most Holy Redeemer Church.

Jean leaves her son, Stephen Mushenski of Wendell; daughter, Nancy Mushenski of California; sister, Audrey (Wiater) Doty of New Jersey; grandson, Michael Mushenski of Hadley; granddaughter, Jennifer (Mushenski) Percy of North Carolina; daughter-in-law Yvette Mushenski of Hadley; daughter-in-law, Theresa Mushenski of Hadley and four great grandchildren.

Jean was predeceased by her husband Stephen Mushenski; three brothers, Frank, Stanley and John; two sisters, Florence Wiater and Helen Vanasse and her son, Francis Mushenski.

Burial will be private and there are no calling hours. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

ALLEN L. TORREY

AMHERST, Allen L. Torrey, 89, of Amherst, died March 7 at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. He was Amherst’s first town manager and later served as an Amherst selectman and as treasurer/business manager of Hampshire College.  

Mr. Torrey, then 31, was appointed as town manager in 1954. He served for 21 years, resigning in 1975 to become Hampshire College’s treasurer and business manager, a job he held until his retirement in 1990, after which he remained active in Hampshire County community activities.  

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Sylvia Steele Torrey, of Applewood in South Amherst; three sons, David S. Torrey and his wife Katie M. Torrey of Amherst, Philip B. Torrey and wife Nancy G. Torrey of Amherst, and Allen S. Torrey and wife Kate Douglas Torrey of Chapel Hill, N.C.; a granddaughter, Sarah Mitrou and her husband Jeffrey Mitrou of Windham, N.H.; two grandsons, Alexis Torrey of Amherst and Nicholas Torrey and wife Abigail Dean of Carrboro, N.C.; and two great-grandchildren, Anna Mitrou of Windham and James Torrey of Carrboro. Mr. Torrey’s brother, Ronald G. Torrey, and sister, Marjorie Thomson, died previously. 

Born on March 18, 1923, Allen Lovell Torrey grew up in Weymouth, Mass., the youngest child of Mary Allen Torrey and Stanley Thurston Torrey. He attended Weymouth High School and graduated from Fryeburg Academy in Fryeburg, Maine in 1941. His college education at the University of Maine in Orono was interrupted by service in World War II. Returning to Orono after the war, in 1948 he became one of the first graduates of the university’s public management program. He immediately began work as town manager of Lancaster, N.H., and then Camden, Maine, before coming to Amherst, which had narrowly voted in 1953 to adopt the town manager/selectman form of local government. 

During World War II, Mr. Torrey enlisted in the Army Air Forces and received his pilot’s wings at age 20. He accumulated 1,500 flying hours in Europe during 1944 and 1945, piloting C-47s and other cargo and transport aircraft. He was stationed in England, France and Germany with the 326th Ferrying Squadron, Ninth Air Force, and received the Air Medal. He later served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and reached the rank of captain. 

Mr. Torrey first came to Amherst in 1943 as a member of the initial cohort of the 58th College Training Detachment at Massachusetts State College, an early stage in Army flight training. Later, in his public and private life, he became deeply attached to the town, its people and its natural landscape, particularly to South Amherst, where he lived for many years. He was especially dedicated to conservation and preservation efforts, and to the town’s history. Among his favorite activities was helping to put up the lights on the South Amherst Common’s holiday tree. Earlier this month, the Amherst Historical Society honored both Mr. and Mrs. Torrey with the Stephen J. Puffer Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award. 

In 1983 he was elected to the first of two terms as a member of the town Select Board and served as Amherst’s delegate on the Hampshire County Council of Governments. Mr. Torrey was also a founder and past president of the Massachusetts League of Cities and Towns and a past regional vice president of the International City Management Association. 

He was active in numerous community activities, including the Hampshire County chapter of the American Red Cross, and was a past trustee of the South Congregational Church. He was instrumental in the development of Applewood at Amherst, a retirement facility in South Amherst, and was a member of its founding board of directors. Mr. Torrey was a longtime member and past president of the Amherst Rotary Club and received Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow Award in 1986. He was a member of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce and a director of the former Amherst Savings Bank. He was also an Eagle Scout. For decades he was an active member of the Amherst Golf Club and an enthusiastic skier. 

A funeral service will be held at the South Congregational Church in South Amherst at 11 a.m. on March 16. The service will be preceded at 10 a.m. by an interment ceremony, for family and friends, at the South Amherst Cemetery. Donations may be made to the church’s Driveway Fund.   

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.

John B. Walsh

HADLEY, John B. (Jack) Walsh of Hadley and South Dennis passed away March 5, 2013 after a prolonged illness. 

Jack was born and raised in Winthrop, eldest son of the late John MJ and Evelyn Walsh and graduate of Winthrop High School Class of 1953; BA in Industrial Mgmt. from University of Massachusetts Class of 1957, Phi Mu Delta Fraternity; and an MBA from Western New England College. He taught at WNEC for 7 years. He served in the U.S. Army Active Duty & Reserves 1957-1963. After 30 years of employment and loyal service, Mr. Walsh was a 1995 retiree of University of Massachusetts.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Whitworth Wing Walsh of Hadley and Farmington, ME; his brother Robert B. (Bob) Walsh of Winthrop; daughter Pamela Jassal and husband Harvinder of Acton; son Jeffrey and wife Melissa of Northampton, and son Timothy and wife Nicole of Byfield.  He was married for 40 years to the late, Helen V. Eaton Walsh, who died in February 1999.  He is loved and missed by his 8 grandchildren, Mollie Jassal; Jason, Michelle and Tyler Walsh; Rachel and Ian Ehlers; Hanna and Milia Wing.  He is also survived by two great-grandchildren.

Mr. Walsh was Master of Ceremonies for Employee Appreciation Day on the University of Massachusetts campus for many years.  He is a Hadley Lions Club member and past King Lion; member of Five College Credit Union Board of Directors; member and officer of Massachusetts State Retirees Board of Directors and Hampshire County Retirement Board; Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Assoc,; volunteer constable with Amherst Police Department; Amherst Kiwanis Club, Hadley Little League Coach; MC for Hopkins Academy Athletic banquets. One of Jack’s proudest achievements was becoming an Eagle Scout. He was a communicant at the former St. John’s Parish, Hadley, now Most Holy Redeemer Parish.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, March 12, at 10:00 a.m. in Most Holy Redeemer Church, Hadley. Burial will follow in St. Brigid’s Cemetery, Hadley. Calling Hours will be Monday, March 11, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Boston Boy Scouts, Boston Minuteman Council #227, 411 Unquity Road, Milton, MA 02186; or Food Bank of Western MA, PO Box 160, Hatfield, MA  01038. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

MIRIAM VICKERS

HADLEY, Miriam (Betts) Vickers, 96, died Feb. 26^th at ElaineCenter at Hadley. Married for 66 years, Miriam was the beloved wife of Douglas Vickers, retired Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England on Sept. 2, 1916, she was the daughter of the late Herbert and Hannah (Lynes) Betts. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 2, at 10:00 a.m. in the West Springfield Covenant Community Church with burial following in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. There are no calling hours. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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