Robert Montrose (Bob) Graham, 90, of Pelham died peacefully on January 2, 2020, with family at his bedside. Bob was born in St. Johns, Michigan to Esther Pearl of Clinton County, Michigan and Walter L. Graham of Kincardine, Ontario. He is predeceased by his younger sister Margaret. Bob is survived by his wife Judith Pierce of Pelham, by two children and one grandson from his first wife Charlotte, Heather Graham of Atlanta, and Monty Graham and grandson Walter Graham, both of New York City and by Judith’s daughter Gale Hubley and granddaughters Jessica and Katharine Swiercz of Pelham, and son Lincoln Hubley of Haydenville.

As a child during the Great Depression, Bob was raised on his mother’s family farm. Both his parents were unemployed. But the farm was self-sufficient, so Bob did not want. In fact, in the background was the sound of his aunt Francis playing the family Steinway Baby Grand. Bob’s ancestry is rooted in academia. His mother taught high school math, his uncle Orsamus Merrill Pearl was Chairman of the Classics Department at the University of Michigan, and his uncle William Pearl was an Oxford Rhodes Scholar, before being wounded in 1917 in the Battle of Verdun, while serving as an ambulance driver in the French Army. Bob also served. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1952 serving in the Korean War as part of the U.S. Army Security Agency, rising to the rank of Sergeant and receiving multiple commendations at the time of his Honorable Discharge in 1955.

Bob led a storied life in computer science, beginning as a pioneer in the 1950’s at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Bob received an MA in Mathematics at the University of Michigan in 1957, where his passion for computers began. At the time, there were no formal academic programs, as computer science was not yet a discipline in its own right. As a Senior Programmer at the University of Michigan in 1960, he co-authored the MAD compiler, which was widely used at universities and in industry. Coupled with in-depth early experience as a systems programmer, it launched his career. The MAD compiler was perhaps best known for its wry error-handling. If a program did not compile, MAD would output a line-printed image of Alfred E. Neuman, with the inscription “What, me worry?”

During the Cuban missile crisis, the Pentagon realized its computer systems were fatally slow: they could only do one thing at a time. MIT legends J. C. R. Licklider and Robert Fano persuaded the Department of Defense to fund the idea of “Time Sharing” computers. In 1963 Bob was one of a few chosen to join Dr. Fernando (“Corby”) Corbató’s “Project MAC” as a core designer of the Multics operating system, the first generation of time-sharing operating systems, helping to make the expensive, hard to get, and slow computers of the day, orders of magnitude more efficient. Multics was an ancestor of Unix, and the origin of key technologies, such as email.

After MIT, Bob was Visiting Professor at UC Berkeley, before joining the Computer Science faculty at the City College of New York, from 1972-1975. He accepted the position of Chairman of the Computer Science Department at the University of Massachusetts in 1975. It was to become his academic “home”. Under his leadership, the University of Massachusetts developed an undergraduate major in computer science.

Bob retired in 1996, having taught for 30 years, authored dozens of papers, given countless talks, hosted numerous workshops, and written a textbook. In 1996 he was inducted as an Association of Computing Machinery “Fellow”. He became Professor Emeritus at the College of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Massachusetts and for years after regularly visited the University to participate in events with faculty, students and staff. It was his home away from home.

Colleagues at MIT nurtured Bob’s interest in the outdoors, with weekend hiking, backpacking, and rock-climbing outings. He joined the Appalachian Mountain Club, and introduced his family to New Hampshire’s White Mountains. He taught his son rock-climbing at Quincy Quarries and at the Shawangunks. His son and grandson actively hike and climb, a tribute to Grandpa Bob’s legacy.

Bob and Judi traveled extensively to parks and conservation land all over the world, from Africa to the Galapagos, the Northwestern U.S and Alaska, finding refuge and delight in the flora and fauna along the way. Their travels were not solely focused on nature, but on history as well. They spent two summer vacations driving and camping, and sometimes paddling, the route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back.

Bob was a keen supporter of his wife Judi’s passion for land conservation in Massachusetts. Judi serves on the Board of Kestrel Land Trust, which currently monitors and permanently protects over 3,500 acres of private and municipal land in 15 towns for the benefit of future generations. He often volunteered to join her at Kestrel functions and on her many visits monitoring land projects. Bob was a devotee of light opera and served on the board and worked behind the scenes on set construction for Valley Light Opera productions for 27 consecutive years. Both Bob and Judi found warm comradery in the VLO community.

Visiting hours at the Douglass Funeral Service, 87 North Pleasant St., Amherst are Friday, January 31 from 5 to 7 PM. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to The Valley Light Opera, P.O. Box 2143, Amherst MA 01004 or to Kestrel Land Trust, P. O. Box 1016, Amherst MA 01004.

Firuzeh Khorasanizadeh died on January 17, 2020, a few months after her 58th birthday, at Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst, MA. Firuzeh was born in Iran and came to Worcester, Massachusetts in August 1978, as a student at Worcester Academy. After high school graduation, she spent a year at Clark University before transferring to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in applied mathematics. Soon after moving to Michigan she married Kourosh Danai, whom she had met during summer vacations on the Caspian Sea. After receiving their degrees they moved to Amherst in 1987 with their year-old son, Amin, where they have made home ever since. Their daughter Afra Mehr was born in 1992.

Firuzeh worked at MassMutual as an actuarial analyst, at UMass Medical as a data analyst in public health, at UMass Amherst in various capacities, and as a high school math teacher in Springfield public schools. She enjoyed working but she was a caretaker at heart, and her children and family always came first.

Firuzeh loved swimming and hiking. She logged countless laps in the Hampshire Athletic Club pool in Amherst and was happiest when she was swimming in the ocean off the Cape Cod National Seashore or in one of the kettle ponds on the Cape. She started many of her mornings with walks in the Amethyst Brook Conservation Area. Firuzeh also learned to play bridge in her final years. But more than anything she loved her golden retriever, Asal, who was her constant companion for the last 10 years of her life and was at her side to the end in the Fisher Home.

Firuzeh is survived by her husband of 38 years, Kourosh Danai, her children, Amin and Afra Mehr, her daughter-in-law, Laura, her mother, Fatemeh Sadeghi, her siblings, Farzin, Sepideh, and Sadaf, and their families. Calling hours will be at Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst from 11-12:30 on Tuesday January 21 followed by a reception at Inn on Boltwood from 12:30-2:30. The burial will be private. A memorial will be held at a future date.

Alvin Steiner, of Loomis Village Retirement Community in South Hadley and previously of Livingston, New Jersey, peacefully passed away at the age of 85 on January 15, 2020, surrounded by his loving family.

Alvin was born October 8, 1934 in the Bronx, New York, the second of three sons born to William Steiner, owner of Supreme Meat Market on Madison Avenue, NY, and Bella Steiner, a homemaker. After attending City College of New York, he married Shirley Goodwin in 1956 before serving as an army lieutenant stationed at Fort Benning, GA.

Following his service, Alvin worked for a time in the industrial lighting business before founding American Benefits Group, a pension administration company headquartered in West Orange, NJ, with offices in Manhattan, Armonk, NY, and Florida. He served as president for several decades, after which he worked in semi-retirement as a consultant and guest speaker at insurance conferences. He was frequently in demand for his knowledge and original sense of humor.

A musician and great lover of jazz, literature and American and Jewish history, Alvin spent his retirement engrossed in scholarship on Judaic history and philosophy, leading several discussion groups and film series and teaching computer skills in his communities in New Jersey and Massachusetts. His greatest joy came from spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren.

Alvin is survived by his love Shirley. The two met at age 15 in 1950 and were married for 63 years. He is also survived by his daughter Abbie and her husband Myles Jacobson; his son Adam and Adam’s wife Ellen Mandel-Steiner; his brother Sheldon and Sheldon’s wife Marion Steiner; and his grandchildren: Mariel, Will, and Ezra Norris. Alvin was predeceased by his brother Herbert.

The family will hold a funeral service at the Jewish Community of Amherst on Monday, January 20, at 10 AM, followed by a green burial at the JCA cemetery in Shutesbury.

Ray A. Moore age 86, Amherst College Professor of History and Asian Languages and Civilizations, Emeritus, passed away peacefully on January 7 in Amherst. Prof. Moore was born in 1933 into a family of tenant farmers in Axtell, Texas. In search of a better life, he joined the US Army at age 14 and served in the Korean War before being honorably discharged in 1952.
Prof. Moore earned A.B., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Michigan. During his studies, he met and married his wife, the former Ilga Kacerovskis, in 1957. The Moore’s then welcomed two sons, Mark and Kenneth.
In 1965, Prof. Moore joined Amherst College’s history department. He was instrumental in establishing: Amherst’s Asian Studies program; the Five College Center for East Asian Studies; the Associated Kyoto Program Junior Year Abroad at Doshisha University; and the Yushien Japanese Garden on the Amherst campus. To perpetuate their love of Japan and the College, Prof. and Mrs. Moore established a trust to fund Japanese studies. Prof. Moore retired from teaching in 2004.
In 2012, the government of Japan awarded Prof. Moore the Order of the Rising Sun, a medal presented since 1875 to honor lifetime contributions to US-Japanese friendship. Prof. Moore was a leading scholar and author on the history of modern Japan and the American occupation following World War II. His books include Partners for Democracy: Crafting the New Japanese State under MacArthur
Prof. Moore was an avid hiker, skier, traveler, and runner. He and his wife completed several Marine Corps and Boston marathons. Prof. Moore is preceded in death by his wife Ilga. He is survived by two sons Mark and Kenneth, his daughters-in-law Fran and Beth, and five grandchildren, Nicholas, Kelsey, Anna, Colin and Ethan.
Memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Ray A. Moore age 86, Amherst College Professor of History and Asian Languages and Civilizations, Emeritus, passed away peacefully on January 7 in Amherst.

Prof. Moore was born in 1933 into a family of tenant farmers in Axtell, Texas. In search of a better life, he joined the US Army at age 14 and served in the Korean War before being honorably discharged in 1952.

Prof. Moore earned A.B., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Michigan. During his studies, he met and married his wife, the former Ilga Kacerovskis, in 1957. The Moore’s then welcomed two sons, Mark and Kenneth.

In 1965, Prof. Moore joined Amherst College’s history department. He was instrumental in establishing: Amherst’s Asian Studies program; the Five College Center for East Asian Studies; the Associated Kyoto Program Junior Year Abroad at Doshisha University; and the Yushien Japanese Garden on the Amherst campus. To perpetuate their love of Japan and the College, Prof. and Mrs. Moore established a trust to fund Japanese studies. Prof. Moore retired from teaching in 2004.

In 2012, the government of Japan awarded Prof. Moore the Order of the Rising Sun, a medal presented since 1875 to honor lifetime contributions to US-Japanese friendship. Prof. Moore was a leading scholar and author on the history of modern Japan and the American occupation following World War II. His books include Partners for Democracy: Crafting the New Japanese State under MacArthur

Prof. Moore was an avid hiker, skier, traveler, and runner. He and his wife completed several Marine Corps and Boston marathons. Prof. Moore is preceded in death by his wife Ilga. He is survived by two sons Mark and Kenneth, his daughters-in-law Fran and Beth, and five grandchildren, Nicholas, Kelsey, Anna, Colin and Ethan. 

Ray A. Moore age 86, Amherst College Professor of History and Asian Languages and Civilizations, Emeritus, passed away peacefully on January 7 in Amherst.

Dr. Moore was born in 1933 into a family of tenant farmers in Axtell, Texas. In search of a better life, he joined the US Army at age 14 and served in the Korean War before being honorably discharged in 1952.

Dr. Moore earned A.B., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Michigan. During his studies, he met and married his wife, the former Ilga Kacerovskis, in 1957. The Moore’s then welcomed two sons, Mark and Kenneth.

In 1965, Dr. Moore joined Amherst College’s history department. He was instrumental in establishing: Amherst’s Asian Studies program; the Five College Center for East Asian Studies; the Associated Kyoto Program Junior Year Abroad at Doshisha University; and the Yushien Japanese Garden on the Amherst campus. To perpetuate their love of Japan and the College, Dr. and Mrs. Moore established a trust to fund Japanese studies. Dr. Moore retired from teaching in 2004.

In 2012, the government of Japan awarded Dr. Moore the Order of the Rising Sun, a medal presented since 1875 to honor lifetime contributions to US-Japanese friendship. Dr. Moore was a leading scholar and author on the history of modern Japan and the American occupation following World War II. His books include Partners for Democracy: Crafting the New Japanese State under MacArthur

Dr. Moore was an avid hiker, skier, traveler, and runner. He and his wife completed several Marine Corps and Boston marathons. Dr. Moore is preceded in death by his wife Ilga. He is survived by two sons Mark and Kenneth, his daughters-in-law Fran and Beth, and five grandchildren, Nicholas, Kelsey, Anna, Colin and Ethan.

Martha Louise Fellers was born in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1926 to Carl Raymond and Josephine (Sanders) Fellers. She graduated from Amherst High School in 1944 and received her B.A. degree from Smith College in 1948. She went on to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, and received a M.Ed. (1950) in education which she used to teach children, first in FL and later in CT.

Warren Averill and Martha Fellers of Amherst, MA were married in June of 1948. They had an amazing 70 years together. They raised four children, Stephen (1953), Anne (1954), Paul (1962) and Martha (1964). She is survived by her children, along with 6 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Warren and Martha lived in Florida, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire before settling in Weston, CT for 25 years. Martha delighted in raising her children and working as a reading teacher. Her many retirement years were spent in Amherst, MA. She spent many hours studying and collecting antique glass, postcards, and books. She enjoyed many summers in North Eastham on the Cape and served as a trustee for the families’ Cape Cod trust for close to 40 years.

Martha was a well-loved wife, mother, grandmother and aunt. She enjoyed a long, full, life and was able to travel extensively in later life. She traveled with her husband, Warren, all over the United States including California, Hawaii, and the Smoky Mountains. She was lucky to have memorable family trips to London, Paris and Ireland, as well as Rome, Venice and Pompeii.

A graveside service will take place on Monday, January 13th at 10am at the St. Brigid’s Cemetery in Hadley.

Bruce Newcomb Morton, age 76, died at his home in North Hadley on January2, 2020. Morton, a retired professor of law at Touro University in Huntington, New York, had lived in North Hadley since 2008. He is survived by two stepsons: Tim Hays, of Burlington, CT., and Brad Hays, of Burlington, VT; as well as by his brother, Keith, of Ashburn, VA. A graveside service will be held on Friday January 10th at 11:30 AM at the South Amherst Cemetery. 

Lois E. Dethier died peacfully at Hopice of the Fisher Home on January 6, 2020 at the age of 92. She was born at Nuangola Lake, PA. and was a graduate of Wyoming Seminary, Dean School of Business, Kingston, PA. Lois attended the University of Pennsyvania, where she met her future husband, the late Vincent G. Dethier there. Always a devoted advocate of music, upon moving to Amherst with her husband and sons, she attended Smith College as an Ada Comstock Scholar and received her BA in music. She was also an active member of the Amherst League of Women Voters. Lois is survived by her sons, Jehan, of Charleston, SC. , and Paul and his wife Maria of Sunderland, Ma. Burial will take place at the Seaside Cemetery in Blue Hill, Maine.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1165 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, Ma. 01002

Mother to hundreds, friend of thousands, loved by all who knew her, Judith E. (Cook) Loebel died on December 11, 2019 as she lived, surrounded by those she loved and who loved her.
Judy was the heart of her large family. She was married for 54 years to Tod Loebel, with whom she built a family via blood, adoption, and determination. She leaves behind her children: Darlene, Stephen, Gretchen, Wendy, TR, Jennifer, Andrew, Zoe, Andi, and Noah, 27 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, as well as dozens of children she nurtured over more than 49 years as a foster parent. Judy was a fierce advocate for these children and was always quick to shelter those (of any age) in need.
Judy was a Hadley farmer’s daughter who applied the work ethic she learned as a child to all she did. She was born on August 5, 1943 at Cooley Dickenson Hospital to Gordon and Marjorie Cook. She grew up on Cook Farm with her three brothers: Gordon Jr, Richard, and Peter Cook. As an elementary school student, Judy joined the high school band as a clarinet player, later taking up saxophone and drums as well. She was a member of the local 4-H. At sixteen, she was crowned the Hadley Tercentenary Queen. She graduated from Hopkins Academy in 1961 as her class valedictorian. She went on to complete degrees in biochemistry and physiology at Mount Holyoke College, as well as a later degree in computer information systems from Rollins College.
For 45 years Judy worked as a clinical chemist, advancing from a research assistant at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, to laboratory supervisor at Holmes Regional Medical Center, to field representative at Instrumentation Laboratories, to the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Tosoh and DOCRO. Her expertise led her to consulting on clinical oncology trials and work with the FDA. She loved her work and continued it to within days of her passing.
Later in life, Judy volunteered at Lathrop Home and Harvest Club. She and Tod travelled the world, often sharing these experiences a with her children. In 2000, Judy and Tod opened the elegant Ivory Creek Bed and Breakfast on Chmura Road in Hadley. She loved meeting and hearing the stories of those who stayed at the B&B.
Judy was full of life, intelligent, strong, sensitive and wise. She was beautiful, although she didn’t know it. She lived an exemplary life that inspires all who cherish her memory. Her words continue to guide her family as they try to live by her example.
The family plans to host a celebration of life at a future date.