Gigi Green – Amherst, MA

20 June 1924 – 7 December 2023

 Celebrating the passing of Gigi Green, a centenarian Buddhist-Christian practical mystic, pacifist war veteran, teacher, nurse, healer, and multi-dimensional World Traveler. An Epoch of World History ends after 99 ½ years.

Depending on how and when you knew Gigi, you could think of her in all these ways and many more. In every one of these identities, you would be right.  Right until the end, Gigi knew where she was, who she was with, and what they meant to her.

Gigi was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 20th, 1924, in a conservative home, where form and propriety were the foundation of her childhood. Despite the conservative nature of her home, her mother, Georgia was a model for the social consciousness that would be the framework for Gigi’s life. When the Second World War struck England, this social consciousness was put to work. At fifteen, she sold cookies door to door for British War Relief. Her horizons expanded as she bicycled 24 miles round trip to take flying lessons at a local airstrip. At eighteen she enrolled in Saint Lawrence University because it had an airstrip where she planned to finish her pilot’s license. Long before it came into fashion, she dropped out of college and moved to California, where she worked in the war industry until she joined the Army Air Corps where she was an Airplane and Engine Mechanic (a grease monkey was the term she used). Gigi was both proud of her service and quick to correct anyone who referred to her service as being in the Army without adding the Air Corps.

After a brief wartime infatuation, she married Steve Eckardt on the sixth of August 1945. In the next seven years Gigi’s three children were born; Valerie in Salzburg, Austria; Peter in Northampton, MA; and Cameron in Washington, DC.  In 1952 the Foreign Service posted Steve to Greece where they lived for three years until their separation prior to a divorce, which was unthinkable in mid 1950’s America.

Gigi moved to California and then, with the spirit of adventure that she held onto throughout her life, she embarked upon a three-month camping trip across the United States and Canada – a fun but challenging task for a single mum with three small children.

Gigi moved into the house on Cape Cod Bay in Sagamore Beach that her parents had bought when her oldest sister was born, and spent one of her fondest years, secure with her children by the fireside in an unheated summer house overlooking Cape Cod Bay. Not for everyone, but she loved it.

Although Gigi loved living at Sagamore Beach, she moved the family back to her childhood home in Newton where she completed her bachelor’s degree after 20 years. She worked as church secretary and elementary school teacher. When Valerie and Peter had both graduated from high school, Gigi moved back to her home at Sagamore Beach.

She might have remained a teacher, had it not been for the horrors of the American bombing campaign during the Viet Nam War. Her sense of social duty led her to change course and become a nurse. She had planned to join the Sisters of Saint Margaret, an Episcopal religious community, but abandoned that to care for her mother who had been left an invalid by a stroke. During this time she married again to Jim Craig, a friend from the Amherst days. Although the marriage did not last, she supported Jim through his battle with lung cancer and his eventual death. The house in Sagamore and long walks on the Beach remained her passion. She worked nights caring for patients in hospital and hospice, until a life-threatening car accident ended that career.

At the age of 73 she started a completely new and independent life in Amherst, where Cameron lived. There, she became a devoted Buddhist, becoming an ordained disciple of Thich Nhat Hahn, whom she knew personally, and leading a Sanga for as long as she lived. She lived up to the title of world traveler, visiting all seven continents including solidarity journeys to Cuba and Nicaragua; a devotional visit to Viet Nam with Thich Nhat Hahn; stints as research assistant in New Zealand and Tahiti; an environmental trip to Antarctica on a science vessel; protests and demonstrations in several states and, of course, simply seeing the world while making friends and collecting sand. She visited her nephew Fulton in Alaska, Cameron in the British Virgin Islands, and Valerie in Southern Florida. Her most frequent trips though were to Denmark where Peter had moved in 1969. She rode on his motorcycle to the chalk cliffs at Stevns, weeded in his garden, and celebrated her ninety-second birthday on the beach at Skagen, with one foot in the North Sea and the other in the Skagerrak. Valerie also moved to Amherst and she and Gigi traveled together, exploring Western Mass as well as a trip of a lifetime to England for 3 weeks.

Gigi’s years in Sagamore and Amherst were a blossoming of political and spiritual activism. She enjoyed such divergent activities as founding Cape Cod Vegetarians with Cameron and actively participating in the International Sand Collectors Society. She worked with Veterans for Peace visiting middle schools talking about her experiences in the service. For 12 years she volunteered at a medium security prison presenting Alternatives to Violence, a program shown to reduce recidivism. After many years as a practicing Buddhist, she circled back, embracing both Buddhism and her Christian roots; standing with one foot in each tradition as she had once stood with one foot in each of the Nordic Seas.

She had several life-threatening events before; The leg wound in Nicaragua, the cat bite turned septic, the car crash that tied up traffic on the mid Cape highway 4 hours…. She had rallied and recovered so many times that it was easy to expect that she’d recover from a hip fracture. She did survive surgery and even the post-op pain meds, but it was only a respite, to give her the time she needed to move on, on her own terms.

Gigi’s last weeks were difficult, but she was surrounded by the love of her friends and family. Valerie and Cameron were with her, and Peter spoke with her from Denmark every day. All three of her grandchildren; Rune in Denmark, Cielia in Italy, and Talia in Atlanta, were in touch throughout the week.

Gigi died peacefully in the bed in which she was born, as she wished. She lives on in the countless lives she touched. She was predeceased by her four older sisters and her beloved nephew, Fulton and niece, Karen. In addition to her children, Valerie, Peter and Cameron and grandchildren, Talia, Rune and Cielia, her life is celebrated by her stepsons Jim and Ken; her daughter in law Elisabeth, her grandson in law, Andre, her nieces and nephews; Carol, Bentley, Susan, Sally and Larry; and her great grandchildren Erika, Dagmar, Fulton and Casey; as well as her large chosen family especially Alan, who called her “Ma” for over 50 years. Her friends and supporters, those in her Sangha and beyond, are too numerous to mention. Gigi treasured each one.

In lieu of flowers, we suggest a donation in Gigi’s name to:

Amherst Survival Center https://amherstsurvival.org/

Dakin Humane Society, https://www.dakinhumane.org/

Perkins Library https://www.perkins.org/library/

Society of St. Margaret https://societyofstmargaret.org/

or another group of your choosing in her spirit.

A memorial service will be held at Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst MA, January 27th at 11:00 am. Reception will follow in the Parish Hall, Spring Street, at 12:15.

 

 

AMHERST, MA. Maurice I. Levin, 92, passed away on December 13, 2023, at the age of 92, in Amherst, Massachusetts, following a brief illness. He was the son of the late David and Rose Levin of Newburyport, Massachusetts. He was predeceased by his brother Leonard Levin; his sisters Elaine Mussman and Norma Kabachnick; his sister-in-law, Nancy Vegelante; and his niece, Suzan Proia. He is survived by his wife of nearly 70 years, Donna J. Levin; his children and their spouses, Diane Levin and Stephen Hicks, and John Levin and Sarah Osgood; his grandson, Adamo Lanza; his step-granddaughter, Emmalyn Hicks and her partner Rachel Stein; and beloved nephews and nieces.

Maurice was a professor emeritus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he taught in the Department of Slavic Language and Literature, from 1968 until his retirement in 1998, serving as department chair in the mid-1970’s. In 1977 he received the Distinguished Teaching Award, which honors exemplary teaching. Prior to that he taught Russian language at Indiana University as an associate professor (1965-1968) and as an assistant professor at Bowdoin College (1963-1965). He authored a highly regarded and widely used college- and graduate-level textbook, Russian Declension and Conjugation: A Structural Description with Exercises (Slavica Publishers, 1978).

Maurice graduated from Revere High School in Revere, Massachusetts, in 1949. In 1953 he earned his B.A. in English from Boston University, enlisted in the United States Army, and married Donna. He served his country in the Korean War from 1953 to 1956. During that time, he studied Russian language at the Monterey Army Language School in Monterey, California, and was subsequently stationed in Frankfurt and Berlin, Germany. Following his honorable discharge, he continued his education, earning his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1958 under the G.I. Bill.

While higher education was his calling, his true devotion was to his family. He and Donna raised their two children in Amherst. As a family they enjoyed sailing and kayaking on Western Massachusetts waterways and sharing cookouts and holiday celebrations with family and friends. Anyone—particularly students far from home with no place to go on the holidays–was always welcome at the Levin family dinner table. A lover of verse and music, Maurice recited or sang from memory poetry, Shakespearean sonnets, Irish ballads, and Tom Lehrer tunes. Their home was a frequent gathering place for the numerous friends Maurice and Donna made—many of whom remained friends lifelong. Beloved by family, dear friends, university colleagues, and students, he will be dearly missed.

Services will be private.

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

 

 

 

FLORENCE, MA. Rexford “Rex” K. Sloat, 88, of Florence, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully on
December 13, 2023. Rex was born on November 3, 1935, to Ethel and Rexford Sloat in
Hobart, New York. As a child, Rex lived in Montvale, New Jersey, and in 1965, moved
to Massachusetts, where he lived the rest of his life.

Rex dedicated many years of hard work as a machine operator at Packaging
Corporation of America in Northampton, Massachusetts, from 1967 until his retirement
in 2004. Later, he continued to share his skills and warmth at Liquors 44 in
Northampton from 2005 until 2019.

In his leisure time, Rex enjoyed singing and playing guitar, watching and cheering on
his beloved New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Celtics, and sharing
stories and laughs with friends and family.

Rex is survived by his loving wife, Nancy, and his cherished children: Ken Sloat (Erin),
Shaun Sloat, Glen Facto (Sheryl), and Barbara Sparks. He will be fondly remembered
by his niece, Debbi Sacco, and his grandchildren: Asher and Avery Sloat, Shawn and
Joey Sparks, Joshua and Stephanie Fournier, Kyle Facto, and Jessica Sacco. Rex’s
legacy extends to his great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Rex’s warm spirit, love for life, and the joy he brought to those around him will be
deeply missed but forever remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
May he rest in peace.

A public wake to celebrate Rex’s life will be held at Douglass Funeral Home on Friday,
December 22, from 4:00-6:00 p.m., including a Memorial Service from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of Rex
Sloat to support cancer research and patient care at: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,
P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284, or dana-farber.org/gift

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglasfuneral.com

Valerie Ivy, 99, died peacefully at the Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 2, 2023.

Born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia in 1924, she was the only child of a Russian mother and an Armenian father who had emigrated as a teenager from eastern Turkey, escaping the Armenian genocide.  At age 5, her family emigrated from Stalinist Russia to northern Iran, where she spent most of her childhood.  She was educated at the French Catholic St. Vincent de Paul School in Tabriz, Iran and later attended boarding school at Ecole Jeanne D’Arc in Tehran, Iran.

In the 1940s, Valerie worked as an elementary school teacher and later as a secretary in the US Embassy in Tehran, where she met her future husband, Peter Ivy (Amherst College ’43) when he served in the US Army’s Persian Gulf Command.  Their romance blossomed when the Russian circus was in town, and she offered to translate his program into English.  After their marriage in 1947 at the American Mission Church in Tehran, they traveled by ship to the US, and settled in Philadelphia, PA, where they raised their 3 children.  They later moved to Binghamton, NY, and to Setauket (Long Island), NY, where Valerie worked as a secretary in the Ward Melville School District.

Valerie and Peter retired in 1993 to Pelham, MA, and in 2007 moved to the Applewood at Amherst retirement community.  They embraced and enriched their golden years with family, friendships, diverse hobbies, and travel within the US and abroad, often taking advantage of Valerie’s language skills in French, Russian, Armenian, and Farsi.  After Peter died in 2013, Valerie continued to pursue friendships and creative endeavors at Applewood.  She was a gifted quilter with keen eye for color, an avid reader, and an excellent cook and gardener.  Her ultimate joy was being surrounded by family, celebrating holidays, and cooking meals they would enjoy and remember.

Valerie is survived by her children Valerie and Andrew Steinberg, Elizabeth Read, Stephen and Robin Ivy; grandchildren Scott Steinberg, Jennifer and Colin O’Sullivan, Madlen Read, Samuel Read and Caroline Ciocca, Peter Ivy, and Lauren and Ryan Domenick; great grandchildren Devin O’Sullivan, Eric O’Sullivan, and Evelyn O’Sullivan, and many nieces and nephews.

Her family is grateful for the love and support of Applewood residents and staff over the past 15 years, and for the compassion and skill of the staff and volunteers at the Hospice of the Fisher Home caring for Valerie in her final days.

A celebration of Valerie’s life and 100^th birthday will be held in Amherst in June 2024.  Her ashes will be interred in the columbarium at Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst, where she and Peter were members of the congregation.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Valerie’s name to the Hospice of the Fisher Home (1165 North Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01002) or Smile Train (P.O. Box 96231, Washington DC 20090-6231).

Obituary and memorial registration at www.douglassfuneral.com.

 

 

 

PELHAM,MA: Jeannette J. (Magdycz) Hall, 87, passed away peacefully on December 10, 2023, at home.

Born in Montague, October 10, 1936, she was the daughter of the late Peter and Anna (Kaczynska) Magdycz. Jeannette attended school in Montague and graduated from Turners Falls High School.  She began her career as a dental assistant in Greenfield. She met her late husband, Richard, and married in 1958. They made their home in Pelham and raised their family. Both Jeannette and her late husband, Richard L. Hall, owned and operated Hall’s Poultry Food Service on their farm in Pelham.

Jeannette was a loving wife and devoted mother to her sons, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Many of her sons’ friends called her ma or ciocia. Jean was a very generous and kind person who had a great sense of humor and a great smile for everyone she met. She loved playing bingo, traveling to Old Orchard Beach, Maine and Venice, Florida. She was an avid Red Sox and Patriot fan like her husband and attended many Red Sox spring training games in Florida.

She was a communicant of St. Brigid’s church in Amherst. Jeannette is survived by her son Rick (Richard) and his wife Laura of Pelham, two grandsons, Jason Hall (Nessa) of Hadley, and Stephen Hall of Pelham. Two granddaughters, Courtney Hall of Hadley and Shelbey Hall of Manhattan, NY, two great granddaughters, Brooke and Mackenzie Hall of Pelham and a sister-in-law, Helen Magdycz of Hatfield. She also leaves many nieces and nephews.

Jeannette was predeceased by her husband, Richard L., son Peter C. and granddaughter Chelsea. Her two sisters, Emily Dupay and Caroline Wykowski, five brothers, John, Edward, Peter, Albert, and Raymond Magdycz.

Funeral Services will be held on December 18, 2023, at 11am from the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst, Ma. A calling hour, 10am-11am, will precede the Funeral Service.

Burial will follow at Quabbin Memorial Park Cemetery, Ware MA, in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Pelham Fire Department, 2 South Valley Rd., Pelham Ma.

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

 

Hadley, MA — Alice Joy Underwood, 96, died on December 6, 2023 at The Center for Extended Care at Amherst. She was born at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA on May 22, 1927, daughter of Ruth Emily (Smith) and Linn Raymond Underwood of Hadley.

She attended Hadley schools and graduated from Hopkins Academy, Class of 1945 and from Northampton Commercial College, Class of 1947. She retired from Shawmut Bank-Amherst (formerly The First National Bank of Amherst) as a Trust Administrator in the Trust Department in 1990.

Alice is survived by her sisters Shirley Parsons of Hadley and Nancy Johnson of Athol along with several nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her sister Jane Underwood (with whom she lived).

There will be no calling hours or service. Burial will be in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. Donations in her memory may be made to the Dakin Humane Society, PO Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101 or at dakinhumane.org. Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

AMHERST, MA: Kenneth Arthur Ertel, Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, beloved father and friend, passed away on December 4, 2023. He was three weeks shy of his 95th birthday.

Ken lived a passionate, principled life of constant curiosity. He intersected with artists, academics, outdoorsmen, and politicians – all on equal ground with equal vigor and joy. Ken lived each “slice of life” to the fullest.

Born in 1928 at the onset of the Great Depression in Mikana, WI, Ken spent his early years working on a dairy farm, hunting, and fishing to help support his large family.

His family moved to Milwaukee where he completed high school and excelled at track and field. He enlisted in the Army near the end of WWII and served as support staff to the commanding General of U.S. Army forces in Japan.

Upon returning to the States he entered college at the University of Minnesota on the GI bill. In summers, he worked in the West manning fire towers. During this time he completed his bachelor’s degree, married Madge Olson of Alpha MN, and started a  family.  He began his career in vocational education in Washington state and Idaho.  While there he completed his PhD in education, did consulting work, and edited a professional journal sponsored by the Ford Foundation.

He loved Idaho for the wilderness, hunting, and fishing. He was active in political circles supporting local campaigns, Senator Frank Church, and organized anti-war colloquia. This interest in our nation’s democracy and politics was lifelong.

In 1971, Ken led his family eastward to realize promising opportunities at the University of Massachusetts. While at UMass he received numerous Federal grants for research and influenced the careers of many graduate students over the years. He was also appointed to the Advisory Boards for the new Holyoke Vocational School and Minuteman Vocational School in Lexington. He remained involved and principled during this tumultuous time at UMass. 

While dedicated to his career, he was also proud of being involved and supportive of his wife’s career and his children’s many interests. His support extended beyond his family, as he cultivated an open and welcoming home in Leverett for all. 

On retirement in 1990, he found great satisfaction in several pursuits including being a master wood turner, president of the MA Woodturners Association, and training hounds to track and tag black bears in Western MA. He was instrumental in the design and building of his son’s house in Vermont. Late in life, he studied watercolor and became an accomplished artist. He was an enthusiastic fisherman and hunter, taking trips with good friends to Upper Michigan, Bahamas, Montana, and Maine. He attributed his good health in part to his dedicated practice of Tai Chi.

His wife Madge passed on in 2007. He is survived by his dedicated companion Betty Brace, his children Beth Hall (Loren), David Ertel (Linda), Ellen Hilton (Tom), and Janet Ertel (Steve Reagan), five granddaughters, two great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews who all loved him very much.

Ken’s family would like to express deep gratitude to the healthcare professionals who supported him. In keeping with Ken’s wishes, there will be no formal service, but we invite you all to raise a glass, crack a joke, and tell a story in his honor.

Memorial Guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

 

 

Girard G. Roberge, 96 of Amherst, Ma. died Tuesday, November 21, 2023 following a long illness. He was the widower of Helen (Sanders) Roberge who died in April of 2104.

He was a retired home builder in Amherst, Ma. for Sanders & Roberge. Girard loved spending time with his family at his cottage in Wellfleet, Cape Cod, boating on the Cape and wintering in Florida in his motor home.

He leaves behind two sisters, Pauline Smith of Belchertown and Louella Lamirande of Holyoke as well as many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Theodore and Marie Roberge. As well as his siblings, Evelyn Utter, Joseph Roberge, Beatrice Reinke, Irene Merrett, Theresa Teschke, Dolores Lindamood and Theodore Roberge Jr.

The family would like to thank The Veterans Home of Holyoke for his care.

Donations can be made to the Dakin Animal Shelter or Veterans Home of Holyoke.

A graveside service will be held on Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 11:00am at the South Amherst Cemetery located on 1205 South East St. in Amherst, Ma.

Memorial Guestbook can be found at  www.douglassfuneral.com

                         Marcia F. Hillenbrand     

AMHERST, MA: Our beloved mother passed peacefully, surrounded by family, on November 17, 2023

She was born Marcia Fay Hodgkins on September 19, 1937 in Bellows Falls, Vermont. She was the middle(ish) child of Myrtle and Walter Hodgkins. They came to Massachusetts when she was 3 and settled in Pelham.  She graduated from the Amherst school system in 1955.  She lived most of her life in Amherst, then Belchertown, then back to Amherst at Greenleaves, where she made many friends.  

Marcia was predeceased by the love of her life, Donald E. Hillenbrand, her sister, Phyllis Aldrich, brother, Donald Hodgkins and Walter Hodgkins, Jr., her lifelong best friend, Gracie Kelley, and many other dear friends and relatives.   

Marcia spent most of her working life feeding children in the Amherst Public Schools, eventually retiring  from the Wildwood School Kitchen as Manager. Before her daughters were born, she worked at the Lord Jeff (Boltwood Inn) as a maid and secretary.   

She loved the Boston Red Sox and UMass Men’s Basketball and would talk to you about it as much as possible. She had opinions about both. Marcia and Don loved southern Maine, and would travel there on many, many weekends with Gracie and Bill Kelley, where they watched the sun rise over the ocean, played cards, and ate lobster. Goose Rocks Beach was her happy place.  Every July, both Marcia and Gracie, along with their families,  spent a few weeks at the beach and called themselves “summer natives.”  

Marcia leaves behind three daughters, Donna Beauregard (Richie), Lori Donnini, and Linda Hillenbrand (Brian Blinn). Five grandchildren and their partners, Jeffrey Beauregard (Jill), Heidi Beauregard Lavin (Drew), Anthony (A.J.) Donnini (Michelle), Janelle Donnini (Rob), and Joseph Mew (Kim).  Six beautiful great-grandchildren, Claire Beauregard, Anna Beauregard, Evelyn Lavin, Westley Lavin, Henry Mew and Olivia Donnini.  She also leaves her brother Paul Hodgkins (Angie), sister Kathy Guercio (Joseph), and many special nieces and nephews.

Her family wants to thank the wonderful staff of Pioneer Valley Rehabilitation and Hospice for caring for her in her last days.     

Calling hours will be on 11/29/23 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. followed by a ceremony at 11:30 at Douglass Funeral Home, 87 N. Pleasant St. Amherst, Ma.

A graveside service will follow the ceremony at the Pelham Hill Cemetary on North Valley Road.