Joy loved to travel with Charlie and later with each of her grandchildren (Michael, Alicia, Max and Sarah), visiting over 35 countries.  She was active in her church, serving as an Elder in the Kennett Square, PA Presbyterian church and, together with Charlie, as a leader of the Senior Youth fellowship for four years.  Joy was known for Ikebana flower arranging, making beautiful, unique arrangements for the Westminster Presbyterian church for a number of years.  She loved music, theater, bridge, gourmet cooking and being with family and friends.

Joy was a volunteer for her local Hospital Auxiliary, offering comfort and information.  She was one of the founders of Encore, a resale shop for the Chester County Hospital, where she was its first manager for eight plus years.  Later she helped start and was chairman for over twenty years of the Westminster Church’s Thrift Shop.    She was a Lifelong Learner, enjoying courses at the University of Delaware and always willing to try something new even into her nineties when she participated in a choir and a play. 

We all will miss her joyful spirit, confidence and determination.  She is survived by her children and their spouses, Karl and Char, her grandchildren and Sarah’s spouse, Robert, nieces and their families. 

Services will be held for immediate family and friends. 

Donations may be made to the Center Church of South Hadley, One Church Street, South Hadley, MA 01075 or to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 28 West 44th Street, Suite 609, New York, NY 10036.

Her husband Andrew is deceased, and she is survived by her son Thomas Carney, daughter Donna Waldron, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Margaret worked at Hamilton Newell in Amherst starting right out of high school and did everything from typesetting to bookkeeping and sales for many decades. Margaret was very religious and was heavily involved with the former United Church of Pelham as a member, treasurer and a deacon for over twenty-six years.  She volunteered at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Coffee Shop and once said she had over 8,000 volunteer hours.  Margaret loved to travel and, along with her sister-in-law Joan, visited and enjoyed many countries.  Margaret will be extremely missed.

Calling hours are from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Tuesday April 25th.  A graveside service will be held Wednesday April 26th at 10:00am., at the South Amherst Cemetery.

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

Richard Robert Sawicki of Granby passed away Tuesday 4/11/2023 at home after a short illness.

Born June 21, 1939, in Northampton, to Chester (deceased) and Anna (Mish) Sawicki (deceased).

Richard graduated from Hopkins Academy in 1957.  Richard began his career in the Coast Guard, stations on the Cape, serving 4 years being honorably discharged in 1963.  Richard settled in Amherst and began his family.  Moving to Pelham in 1963 and resided in Pelham until 2015. 

Richard worked many different jobs throughout his life with the last employer being Warner Brothers Construction, where he remained until his retirement after 44 years.  During Richard’s earlier years he enjoyed camping with his family and friends on the Cape, fishing, and spending time with his two sons. 

In 1989 Richard met Cheryl Stone and they were married on June 30, 1990.  They enjoyed 33 years of marriage, creating loving memories with their families, as well as 33 years of camping and fishing in Maine with friends.  Richard spent many Saturdays’ golfing at the various golf courses in the Amherst area.

Richard is survived by his wife Cheryl, son Scott (Denise) of Shutesbury, Christine Dejlitko of Meriden, CT, Amy (Paul) Gravell of Meriden, CT, Kelly Parziale (Marlinda) of Elizabethtown, KY. Grandchildren, Kevin (Jessica) Sawicki of Milford, Sean (Rebekah) Sawicki of Winchendon, Erin Sawicki of Shutesbury, Christian Sawicki of NY, Cody & Connor Wilczak of Meriden, CT, Katlynn & Madison Parizale of Elizabethtown, KY, Gavin Parziale of MO, and Isabelle Gravell of Meriden, CT.  Great-Grandchildren Madison and Emileigh Sawicki of Chicopee and Luke Sawicki of Winchendon.  He is also survived by his brothers-in-law Greg Stone of Belchertown, Gerald Young of Ludlow, Cleon “Buzzy” Booth of Pelham and Ernest Booth of Northampton.  As well as several nieces and nephews. Richard will be missed for his great smile, contagious laugh, and his gentle and kind personality.

Richard is pre-deceased by his parents, his brother David Sawicki and his son Richard R. Sawicki, Jr.

At the request of the family there will be no calling hours.  A graveside service will be held at Valley Cemetery located at North Valley Road, Pelham on June 3, 2023, at 11:00 with a reception being held at the Belchertown VFW immediately following the cemetery service.

Please consider donating in Richard’s name to the American Kidney Foundation at http://secure.kidneyfund.org.

Bradlee Ewing Gage, Jr. who was much loved and is now deeply missed by a multitude of heartbroken family and friends, passed on calmly and at peace in hospice care on April 8, 2023. Born July 22, 1955 to Bradlee E. Gage, Sr. and Elizabeth “Betsy” Allen Gage, he was the first twin son born – brother Bill arrived four minutes later. The twins joined their older sister, Nancy.

Brad grew up in Amherst, MA and was a 1973 graduate of Amherst High School where he played and lettered in football and track. He received a business degree from Ithaca College in 1977 where he was the social chairman and then President of Pi Lambda Chi Fraternity.

After college, Brad went into sales for the U.S. Line Company and 40 Up Tackle, two family owned businesses started by his father. Brad was an astute businessman who went on to be an accomplished manufacturer’s sales representative in the fly fishing industry. New England was the territory he covered and he knew it well. Friends lovingly called him “Back Roads Brad” because he could tell you directions for anywhere you wanted to go. He proudly represented Sage, Redington and Rio products and Tibor Reels for over 34 years to fly fishing shops large and small throughout the Northeast. Humble and modest with incredible diplomacy skills, Brad could talk to anyone about anything and find common ground. This trait enabled him to make strong connections with people from all walks of life.

An avid fly fisherman from a young age, Brad fished both fresh and saltwater. He made a yearly trip to Cobb’s Pierce Pond Camp in New Portland, ME – waters he fished with his father and brother for over 50 years. His true passion was saltwater fly fishing and many a summer’s day was spent with Brad chasing the tides – a particular feat was a 36 inch striped bass caught on the Merrimack River.

In 1985, Brad met the love of his life, Rose – they married in 1991. Daughter Mackenzie was born in 1995. The family loved to travel and explore the world together with many trips overseas including destinations off the beaten path. A place closer to home that had special meaning to Brad since a young age was Rockport, MA. As a young child his family summered at his maternal grandparents home there. Brad loved a good beach day spent with the Boston Globe followed by steamers, lobsters and an ice cold Rolling Rock while watching the Red Sox.

Brad was predeceased by his parents and is survived by his wife of 32 years, Rosemarie “Rose” Cleary Gage, his beloved daughter Mackenzie Allen Gage of New York City, his sister Nancy Gage Torrey and husband Philip, twin brother Bill Gage and wife Anne, extended family as well as many nieces and nephews. In addition to his family, Brad was fortunate to have many lifelong friendships that spanned decades.

Per Brad’s wishes, burial will be private. A service of remembrance will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, should you be so inclined to make a donation in Brad’s memory, consider the Pierce Pond Watershed Trust, P.O. Box 5660, Augusta, ME 04332-5660, a place near and dear to Brad’s heart where many happy memories were made and he felt strongly about its preservation. Or, take a kid fishing and introduce them to the joys of the great outdoors and the conservation practice of catch and release.

Memorial Guestbook can be found at www.douglassfuneral.com

Katherine A. Sargent

March 13, 1940 – February 20,2023

      Katherine (Kathy) Sargent has passed away at the age of 82. Born Katherine Ann Doktor in Cushman in 1940, she was the daughter of Anna and Francis Doktor, and the second oldest of four children. Kathy attended the Amherst schools, graduating high school in 1958. An avid sportswoman, she excelled at athletics and played for the girls’ basketball team. After high school she earned a nursing degree from the Worcester College of Nursing in 1960. Kathy then continued her education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst studying art, painting, and illustration. Here she met her future husband, Theodore (Ted) Sargent. The couple married in 1966, settled in Leverett and raised two children.

     Kathy was a gifted artist, illustrating scientific papers and textbooks including “Genetics: Human Aspects,” by Arthur P. Mange and Elaine Johansen Mange, and her husband Ted’s 1976 book “Legion of Night: The Underwing Moths.”  Kathy also had a full career of nursing, working for many years at the University Health Services at UMass.

     Kathy’s real love was fabric art and quilting and she was a long-time member of the Pioneer Valley Embroiders Guild and the Hands Across the Valley Quilting Guild. Her elaborate quilts incorporated embroidery, painting, and beadwork, and depicted scenes of nature, wildlife, and landscapes of much-loved places from her travels. She had a strong interest in natural history and love of nature which was evident in all her work. From her home in Leverett she established ‘The Woodland Studio,’ and this is where many of her finest creations came to life. Her quilt “Shades of Night” includes the five species of underwing moths from Ted’s research and is now in the permanent collection of The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, joining Ted’s complete entomological research and collections.

     Kathy leaves her son, David, daughter Meryl, and four grandchildren, Elliot, Lydia, Ethan, and Theo. Kathy requested no funeral, however donations in her memory can be made to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell MA. (www.neqm.org).

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

Katherine Sargent

     Katherine (Kathy) Sargent has passed away at the age of 82. Born Katherine Ann Doktor in Cushman in 1940, she was the daughter of Anna and Francis Doktor, and the second oldest of four children. Kathy attended the Amherst schools, graduating high school in 1958. An avid sportswoman, she excelled at athletics and played for the girls’ basketball team. After high school she earned a nursing degree from the Worcester College of Nursing in 1960. Kathy then continued her education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst studying art, painting, and illustration. Here she met her future husband, Theodore (Ted) Sargent. The couple married in 1966, settled in Leverett and raised two children.

     Kathy was a gifted artist, illustrating scientific papers and textbooks including “Genetics: Human Aspects,” by Arthur P. Mange and Elaine Johansen Mange, and her husband Ted’s 1976 book “Legion of Night: The Underwing Moths.”  Kathy also had a full career of nursing, working for many years at the University Health Services at UMass.

     Kathy’s real love was fabric art and quilting and she was a long-time member of the Pioneer Valley Embroiders Guild and the Hands Across the Valley Quilting Guild. Her elaborate quilts incorporated embroidery, painting, and beadwork, and depicted scenes of nature, wildlife, and landscapes of much-loved places from her travels. She had a strong interest in natural history and love of nature which was evident in all her work. From her home in Leverett she established ‘The Woodland Studio,’ and this is where many of her finest creations came to life. Her quilt “Shades of Night” includes the five species of underwing moths from Ted’s research and is now in the permanent collection of The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, joining Ted’s complete entomological research and collections.

     Kathy leaves her son, David, daughter Meryl, and four grandchildren, Elliot, Lydia, Ethan, and Theo. Kathy requested no funeral, however donations in her memory can be made to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell MA. (www.neqm.org).

William J. Manning died on March 4, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was 81 years old. A scientist, teacher, author, gardener and a world traveler, Bill was also a devoted husband and father to his wife, Arlene, and sons, Michael and Stephen.  

Bill was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1941, the middle child of William J Manning Sr. and Lilian Jakeway Manning. He had two sisters, Emily and Susan, both of whom preceded him in death. Bill was a good student, worked a part-time job at the local drugstore and credited his paternal grandmother for sparking his lifelong passion for plants and trees. 

After graduating from Michigan State University, Bill moved to Newark, Delaware where he earned a PhD from the University of Delaware. He first met Arlene in the summer of 1966 when she worked a summer job in his research lab; they married in 1969 and soon moved to Massachusetts after Bill started as a professor at the University of Massachusetts. After seven years of living in Lexington and working in Waltham, Bill transferred to the Amherst campus in 1977 and has been an Amherst resident ever since. 

Bill was a biologist and plant pathologist by training and spent decades studying the impact of air pollution on plants. He maintained greenhouses and set up monitoring stations at places like Mount Greylock, Mount Washington and the Quabbin Reservoir. He once drove a Uhaul truck full of pine tree seedlings from Tennessee to Amherst so he could use them for experiments. He also worked for more than 10 years in Central and Eastern Europe surveying the valleys and slopes of the Carpathian Mountain Range looking at the impact of air pollution on trees. In retirement, he researched and wrote a book about urban trees and air pollution. 

In addition to his work at UMass, Bill was also an editor at Environmental Pollution, a scientific journal, for over 20 years; for part of that time he served as the editor-in-chief. In this role he worked extensively with other editors and scientists from around the world and hosted multiple international research conferences.

Bill was an enthusiastic traveler who strongly believed in the value of getting out and seeing the world. He frequently collaborated with scientists around the world and was a mentor to many international researchers. His work allowed him to visit over 30 countries, including Italy, Poland, Mexico, China, Japan, Korea, France, Switzerland and Australia. After he retired, Bill and Arlene visited Germany six times to visit their son and grandchildren while they were living there. Their favorite destination, without question, was England, with the Lake District region the place they returned to over and over.

England was also the destination for two family sabbaticals, one in 1975 and one in 1981. During the first sabbatical Bill and Arlene spent time visiting Europe while sleeping in their VW van (with two young children!); during the second sabbatical the family was based in Lancaster, England and visited Scotland, Ireland, Wales and London. Later, back in the United States, Bill took the family on driving tours of national parks and later logged hundreds of miles on the road while visiting his sons during their college years. 

Bill was always happy to be outside working in the yard and in his garden. Over the years he transformed a bare acre of land by planting numerous fruit trees, a wide variety of Japanese maples, flowering shrubs, evergreens of all sizes, a large vegetable garden and innumerable tulips and daffodils. He would spend hours every year spreading a mountain of mulch, one wheelbarrow at a time.  When he wasn’t in the yard, he could often be found sitting in a favorite chair with a book; he amassed a large personal library and had an impressive ability to recall the details of nearly everything he read. 

Bill was also a member of Grace Episopal Church in Amherst for over 40 years, both as a congregant and for a time as the junior warden. He believed it was important to contribute to the community around you; in later years he volunteered at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and was a supporter of the Kestrel Trust Land Preservation. 

Bill is survived by Arlene (his wife), sons Michael (and his wife, Dionne) and Stephen (and his wife, Lis) and by three grandchildren, Gabe, Owen and Quinn. He will be greatly missed and we are all grateful for the full life he had and shared with us. 

In lieu of flowers, any donations to the Kestrel Trust or to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts would be welcome. A memorial service will be held at a date later this spring. Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

Dror Shmerling, 63, beloved husband, father, saba, brother, and friend to his community died on March 4, 2023 in his home in Amherst, MA just four weeks from his birthday after a brief five month battle with cancer. His generous spirit, laughter, and optimism will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Born in Jaffa, Israel in 1959, Dror spent his early years appreciating the water in any way he could – water polo, water skilling, swimming, and enjoying the ocean on his family’s small boat. After serving three years in the Israeli Defense Force, he graduated from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in computer science in 1986.

He married his beloved wife of 40 years, Shirley, on July 22, 1986 and they moved to Amherst, MA, USA where Dror earned his Master of Business Administration degree at University of Massachusetts Amherst. After graduating in 1989, he worked for ATT/Lucent in Hartford for several years until they moved to Randolph, New Jersey. It was there that the family welcomed their first son Matan (in 1995) – who Dror got to share his love of outdoor activities with; including soccer and biking.

Dror’s entrepreneurial spirit came out in a variety of ways. He was always looking to join new projects and find exciting ideas to work through as a way to find solutions for the puzzles each  new one would hold. He worked in a variety of roles for both corporate and start up projects while continually developing connections – both personal and professional – in his community.

Whether he was coaching recreational youth soccer, biking seven times in the Pan MA Challenge to fundraise for cancer research, or just playing with his family, Dror’s laughter was a central feature for all. When Adi joined the family in 2000, Dror continued to develop in his role as a patient and devoted father – seeking to love each of his family members in the way that matched what they needed best.

In 2002 Dror and Shirley moved back to Amherst with their beautiful family and shortly after Dror began to teach a core course in business and technology at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. In this role as instructor and mentor, he reached a large contingent of undergraduate students and graduate teaching assistants – combining his business knowledge with his joking manner and care in a way that helped each along on their own journeys.

In 2015 Dror became manager of a popular local business which benefited greatly from his business acumen, as well as his care and attention for his co-workers and customers. Because of Dror’s spirit of giving and care – many colleagues, friends, and his family sought his advice, wisdom, and support during their own challenging times.

In 2018 Dror was overjoyed to become saba – grandpa – to his grandson Brady. Spending time with Brady added even more joy to the time he already loved spending with his immediate and extended family. Dror will be remembered as a supportive husband, patient father, and loving family member who always had time for those in his life.

In addition to family and his business pursuits, Dror was an avid biker, enjoyed glass work and wood working. Even in these last few months he was looking for ways to share with others in his life. Dror’s generous and supportive spirit meant that he enjoyed life and looked to help anyone he could. His laughter and optimism carried him even until the end.

Dror is survived by his wife Shirley Shmerling (Amherst, MA); his two sons Matan (and Alisha) Shmerling (Townsend, MA) and Adi Shmerling (Amherst, MA); his grandson Brady Shmerling (Townsend, MA); his sister Zipi (and Avi) Brunn (Israel); and brother Ruby Schmerling (Amhest,MA); his nephew Omri Brunn (Israel), his niece Tamar Brunn (Israel), and his nephews Micah and Oren Schmerling (Amherst, MA).

Services will be officiated by Rabbi Benjamin Weiner and held Thursday, March 9, 2023, 11:00 am at the JCA Cemetery (222 Leverett Road, Shutesbury, MA). Shiva Hours of visitation will be held at 23 Bayberry Lane, Amherst, MA on Thurs. March 9: after the service to 8:00 pm; Fri. March 10 11:00 am to 3:00 pm; Sat. March 11 6:00-9:00 pm; Sun. March 12 11:00 am to 2:00 pm and 5:00-9:00 pm; Mon. March 13 11:00 am- 2:00 pm and 4:00-8:00 pm; and Tues. March 14 11:00 am-2:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Flowers for the service can be sent to Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, MA (413.253.3407) or to the family at 23 Bayberry Lane, Amherst, MA.