Pat Schneider of Amherst Massachusetts passed away on August 10, 2020. She was the author of ten books of poetry, plays, and non-fiction. Born in the Ozark mountains of Missouri on June 1, 1934, Pat became intimate with fossils, creek beds, grasshoppers and box turtles. After a search for work took her single mother to St. Louis, from age ten Pat lived in tenements and in an orphanage until she was given a scholarship to college. Those early experiences deeply influenced her writing and fueled her passion for those who have been denied voice through poverty and other misfortunes. Pat and her husband Peter Schneider moved to Amherst in 1966 where Peter served as pastor of Wesley United Methodist church until 1980 and where Pat and Peter were committed to building a community-based social justice ministry.In 1981, Pat founded Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA). Today an international network of workshop leaders use the writing method described in Pat’s book, Writing Alone and With Others (Oxford University Press). How the Light Gets In: Writing as a Spiritual Practice (OUP) was published in 2013. Her last book is the poetry collection The Weight of Love, published by Negative Capability Press in 2019.Pat’s libretto, “The Lament of Michal,” was performed in Carnegie Hall. Her poetry has been read on NPR sixteen times. Her plays have been performed in over three hundred productions. A film about her work with women in low-income housing titled Tell Me Something I Can’t Forget was made by Florentine Films in 1992.Pat is survived by Peter Schneider, their four children and two grandchildren.  The family is grateful to the Elaine Center in Hadley Massachusetts for care in her final year. If you wish, you may honor her by making a donation in her memory to AWA, the organization she founded, nurtured, and sustained with love and boundless energy, either online at https://amherstwriters.org/nonoring-pat/ or by check to Amherst Writers and Artists, PO Box 1076, Amherst MA 01004. 

Majorie Flynn passed away August 12, 2020. Marjorie joined her beloved husband Eddie in his arms in heaven. Marjorie leaves her loving daughter Lucy, son Mark, sons-in law David and Tom, her brother Bill, and sisters Lucy and Betty. She is predeceased by her daughter Laureen and her sister Barbara.
The family would like to thank CareOne for their loving help to Marjorie for over nine years.

Majorie Flynn passed away August 12, 2020. Marjorie joined her beloved husband Eddie in his arms in heaven. Marjorie leaves her loving daughter Lucy, son Mark, sons-in law David and Tom, her brother Bill, and sisters Lucy and Betty. She is predeceased by her daughter Laureen and her sister Barbara.
The family would like to thank CareOne for their loving help to Marjorie for over nine years.

Amherst, MA—Sandy Hill (born Francis S. Hill, Jr.), aged 79 years, passed away on July 24, 2020 of complications from a stroke suffered in 2000.

Born in Boston, MA, to Francis Sherburne Hill, Sr. and Evelyn Ames Royce Hill, Sandy earned electrical engineering degrees (B.S., M.S., Ph.D.) from Yale University. In graduate school he began his teaching career as a Carnegie Teaching Fellow, as well as consulting for the RAND Corporation. After graduation he worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories in digital data transmission for three years before becoming a professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

For 32 years, Sandy taught, advised and inspired students at UMass. He was beloved as a dedicated, enthusiastic, generous teacher and colleague. During his time at UMass, Sandy became a pioneer in distance learning, teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses in television studio classrooms for his on-campus students. These courses were recorded and delivered to industry by both videotape and satellite broadcast, allowing off-campus corporate engineers an opportunity to earn advanced degrees while continuing to work. Sandy also created and directed Engineering Computer Services and authored several textbooks including Computer Graphics, published in 1990. Innovative, energetic, charismatic, and fun, Sandy was also invited by corporations to teach week-long in-service computer courses. Always interested in new ideas and developments in programming languages, computer technology, and computer graphics, Sandy bridged a gap between computer engineering and computer science. Some of Sandy’s teaching awards include being selected as a Lilly Endowment Teaching Fellow and receiving the Outstanding Teaching Award, College of Engineering. He was elected as a Fellow of IEEE, Institute of Electrical Electronics and Engineers, where he was an editor of the IEEE Communications Magazine and of the column “Gentle Diversions.” Sandy’s love of travel and teaching led to years of teaching abroad—in Graz, Austria, at the Technische Universität Graz and as a Fulbright scholar in Bangalore, India, at the Indian Institute of Science.

In addition to a passion for mathematics, Sandy had a lifelong love of music and played both clarinet and piano. He played the clarinet in quartets, at local venues, and in the community and oompah bands. In spite of the left-arm paralysis caused by his stroke, Sandy continued to play piano with one hand, playing weekly duets with friend Linda Fisher Smith; together, they belonged to Piano Connections, a group of retired pianists who meet and perform monthly. Sandy’s daily piano practice gave him great pleasure until just days before his death.

Despite his stroke, Sandy remained vibrant, charming, gentle, and kind. His optimism and perseverance in the face of life-changing adversity allowed him to continue an active life full of social, cultural, and academic interests, and travel in the US and abroad. For two decades, Sandy’s personal care assistants helped to keep him strong and active and enriched his life with youthful companionship.

Sandy leaves his wife of 32 years, Merilee Carlson Hill; daughters, Jessie Hill of New Haven, CT, Rosy Hill (Garry Scott) of Burlington, VT, and Greta Neunder (Red Robinson) of Brooklyn, NY; grandchildren, Samantha and Jack Scott, and Lily and Ada Goren; and sisters, Evelyn Spalding and Wendy Merriman.

If you wish, donations may be made to Northampton Community Music Center (NCMC), 139 South Street, Northampton, MA 01060. Until it’s safe to get together, please remember Sandy by listening to Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet.

Frederick Arthur Filios passed away peacefully Friday, August 7, 2020, with family by his side. He was born Oct. 30, 1918, in Westfield, to Teresa (Pagani) and Salvatore Filios (recent immigrants from Italy). Fred grew up in Westfield, graduating from Westfield High School in 1936. In his teen years he was a member of the 4-H club. He raised chickens and received many blue ribbons.

After high school, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, working in the National Forests for the Federal Government during the Great Depression.  Afterwards, to save for college he took jobs with Columbia Bicycle and Oleksak Lumber Co where he worked as a licensed boiler fireman. He was part of the first generation of his family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy from Stockbridge School of Agriculture (now UMass) in June 1942. Fred enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, formally entering after graduation. He was a radio operator for air transport command, stationed in Casablanca, Africa flying as a crew member primarily on C-47’s, and occasionally on B-17s.  In 1945 he was sent to California to transport supplies in the Pacific. He saw duty in both theatres of WWII.

Returning from the war, he was employed as a Soil Scientist for the U.S. Soil Conservation Service assigned to the Worcester, MA area. That is where he met his future wife, Norma Dick, at a square dance. They were married in June of 1952. They chose to settle in Amherst, MA, where they raised 8 children. Fred was a volunteer with the Boy Scouts, Knights of Columbus, an active parishioner at St. Brigid’s Church, choir member and an elected town meeting member.  In 1965, Fred accepted a job opportunity with International Resources and Geotechnics. This brought Fred, and eventually his family, to Panama where he mapped soils and taught Panamanian College students soil mapping. They returned to Amherst after a few years when they discovered their youngest child, Laurie, was profoundly deaf.

Rather than travel away from the family, Fred decided to use his Fireman’s license working at Amherst College. This led to a career as a steam engineer at the University of Massachusetts.  He retired from the University in 1982. This once again set him on a new path with his own company, Filios Enterprises Inc., doing percolation tests, septic system designs, and wetlands mapping until 1996.

In October of 2018 at his 100^th birthday party Fred was presented with the Boston Post Gold-Headed Cane for Amherst, signifying his status as the oldest living citizen of Amherst.

He will be deeply missed by his 8 children; Kathryn Finn of Amherst, Walter of Gulfport, Mississippi, Paul and wife Krys of Alexandria, Virginia, Teresa Korpita and husband John of Sunderland, William and wife Larissa of Malden, Marita Magnant and husband Gary of Topsfield, Elizabeth Tyler and husband William of Hadley, and Laurie Blanchard and husband Daniel of Southborough; his 20 grandchildren, Michael, Danette, Bridget, Socorro, and Teresa, children of Kathryn; Kimberly, Jason, Sarah, Paula, and Patrick, children of Paul; Ksusha and Marina, children of Teresa; Salvatore, son of William; Ross, Sage, and Grace, children of Marita; John and Kathryn, children of Elizabeth; and Georgieanna and Annabel, children of Laurie; and four great-grandchildren, Emili, Sophia, Jonathan, and Leonardo, from the Finn family; his sister Angela Haverly of Denville, New Jersey (age 106),  sister-in-law Marita Stratton of Lee (age 102), sister-in-law Judy Dick of Bradenton, Florida; and sister-in-law Marilyn Dick of Austin, Texas. He was predeceased by his wife Norma, brothers Dante, Luigi, Carlo, John, sisters Lena Hart, Ines Angell, and son-in-law John Michael Finn.

A private mass and burial will be held. A memorial service to be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorial donations to St. Brigid’s Church, 122 North Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01004, or to Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, 45 Round Hill Road, Northampton, MA 01060, www.ClarkeSchools.org.

Emma Weaver of 77 Enfield Road, Pelham, MA passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family after a short illness on July 23rd 2020.

Emma was born in Pelham on January 2, 1924. She was the daughter of the late George W. Burrows and Rose R. Burrows.

She was a 1941 graduate of Amherst High School. She worked at New England Telephone/Telegraph Company and retired from the University of Massachusetts in 1977.

She was also an active member of the former United Church of Pelham.

Emma was pre-deceased by her husband Lester R. Weaver, her son Robert L. Weaver, and her siblings Avis Weaver, Ruth Weaver, Rosamund Wills, Francena Bradley and Maurice Burrows.

Emma is survived by her daughter Lorraine R. Lynch of Pelham, son Michael J. Weaver of Pelham, her sister Everil Motuzas of Chicopee, 9 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.

There will be a private viewing for the family at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst, MA.

A public graveside service will be held at the Quabbin Memorial Park Cemetery in Ware, MA on Monday August 3, 2020 at 11:00AM. Masks and the practice of social distancing should be observed.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice

for their support and compassionate care.  It made this journey much easier.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in honor of Emma Weaver can be sent to:

Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice

PO Box 329

Northampton, MA 01061-0329

Muriel I. (Lafond) Gross, 95 of Shutesbury passed away peacefully at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Greenfield, Massachusetts on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Muriel was born on April 4, 1925, in Huntington Massachusetts to Agnes Frances (Sanderson) Lafond and Charles Ernest Lafond. She graduated from Huntington High School.

She married her husband Robert C. Gross, Sr. in 1944. They moved to Shutesbury Massachusetts in 1947 a wonderful small town that she would call home for the rest of her life.

Muriel did her part to support the war effort during World War II, which included working at the Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. 

After moving to Shutesbury, she worked briefly at the Shutesbury Post Office and worked at Dalton’s Diner in Amherst as a cook and waitress for 12 years.  She worked as the cafeteria manager at the Shutesbury Elementary school lovingly preparing lunches from scratch starting in 1963 until her retirement in 1985.  After enjoying retirement for many years, she worked part-time as a support staff person for National Evaluations Systems (NES) in Amherst (now Pearson).

Muriel cared for her town and community.  She had deep roots as a volunteer and was honored on September 25, 2010 for her many years of service to the town of Shutesbury.  Her volunteerism spans decades. She worked with the Shutesbury Police Department when situations involved women and children. She also worked closely with the Shutesbury Fire Department. She was one of several women trained to drive fire trucks to calls when needed to help the volunteer firefighters respond to calls more swiftly. She served on the committee for Shutesbury’s Bicentennial celebration.  She was a member of the Community Club for many years working on civic projects.  Muriel helped make the town’s annual Christmas celebration a success by making sure every child received a gift. She was involved with monthly suppers at the Shutesbury Athletic Club.  After her retirement, she managed the Senior Center lunch program and was a member of the Shutesbury Council on Aging for several decades.  

Muriel was an avid Red Sox fan, enjoyed knitting and crocheting, playing cards on a pitch league, bus trips, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

She is survived by her daughter Judith Makepeace, her son Robert C. Gross, Jr. and his wife April Gross, of Topsfield, Maine. She was predeceased by her husband, Robert.

She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jessica Makepeace, of Shutesbury, Melissa Makepeace-O’Neil and her husband Christopher O’Neil of Shutesbury, Tamra Harriman and her husband Jeffrey Harriman of Topsfield, Maine, and Robert A. Gross and his wife Shelly Gross of Mapleton, Maine.

She also leaves behind her great-grandchildren, Aubrie, RJ, Cole, Seth, Trevor and Travis. Also, a great-great-granddaughter on the way and many nieces and nephews. She leaves her beloved parakeet Pretty Bird.

Muriel predeceased by her siblings Chester Lafond, Charles Lafond, and William Lafond, Blanche Pero, Viola (Kondek) Clark, Gail Judecki, and Frances Bostic. Also son-in-law Reginald Makepeace.

A burial service and celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Shutesbury Firefighter’s Association, PO Box 295, Shutesbury, MA 01072 or LifePath, 101 Munson Street Suite 201, Greenfield, MA 01301

Etta M. Walsh, a journalist, author, public relations practitioner, university lecturer, wife and mother died at the Charlene Manor Extended Care facility in Greenfield on July 28 after a two year long battle with breast cancer.

She was born in Central Falls, Rhode Island to the late Martin and Henrietta (Hapenny) Walsh, and graduated from Central Falls High School. Etta took advantage of the open enrollment policy at Rhode Island Junior College and then continued to the University of Rhode Island where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She then earned a masters degree in journalism at Boston University.

Her career in journalism centered on coverage of local news. Over the decades, Etta always seemed to find “great news towns” where she could find interesting stories that delighted her and her readers. Actually, it was Etta’s intelligence, openness and enthusiasm that found the stories no matter where she was assigned. She worked as a reporter for the Milford Daily News, the former Middlesex News of Framingham, the Springfield Republican and most recently for the Daily Hampshire Gazette. She also was a copyeditor for a few years at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Etta was a member of the adjunct faculty at the Northeastern University School of Journalism in Boston.

After retiring from journalism, Etta began a new chapter in her life as a volunteer at the Amherst Senior Center where she gained a new circle of friends and also became the president of the Friends of the Amherst Senior Center. She became an enthusiastic advocate for senior affairs in the Pioneer Valley. Also during her retirement years, Etta dedicated herself to writing four historical romance novels which await publication. Etta also enjoyed travel and spent vacation time in Dublin, Ireland, Paris, France and Quebec City, Canada.

Etta is survived by husband Dennis C. Vandal, a photographer and photojournalist, and a daughter, Tabitha Marie Vandal.  A brother, Martin Walsh, predeceased her three months ago.

The funeral will be private. In lieu of flowers, any memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Amherst Senior Center, P.O. Box 933, Amherst, MA 01004-0933

On Monday, July 20, 2020, Faith Peak, 93, passed away peacefully at the Elaine Center in Hadley. She lived most of her life in Cambridge and Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Daughter of W. Burton and Marguerite Webster, Faith was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, David C. Peak. She is survived by her daughter Sarah Page and her husband Chris of Belchertown, and daughter Joy Harju and her husband Andrew and beloved grandson Blake of Wellesley.

Faith graduated from Brimmer and May School and attended Wheelock College. Before marriage, she worked at Harvard University and later supported her husband in managing Howard F. Peak and Sons Roofing.  Faith was also an administrative assistant in the guidance department at Cambridge, Rindge and Latin School. After settling in Hyannis in 1974, she worked for many years at Cape Cod Candies. 

She is remembered for her friendly and enthusiastic spirit, her thoughtfulness, and love of flower gardening and singing. She performed with the Handel and Hayden chorus in her younger years and enjoyed attending Boston Symphony concerts into her 80s.  While in Cambridge, she was a member of the Skating Club of Boston performing with her family in Ice Chips.  On the Cape, she was a member of the Hyannis Yacht Club where her family enjoyed boating and swimming.

Faith was a strong believer in prayer and the power of love.  As a young woman, she was a member of The First Church of Christ Scientist in Cambridge and in Natick later in life. While raising her family, she was active in the First Parish in Cambridge and in the First Baptist Church of Hyannis and its Women’s Fellowship.

A private memorial service will be held at Oak Grove cemetery in Hyannis. Memorial gifts may be made to: the Boston Symphony, https://www.bso.org/Forms/Donation  or the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, https://masshort.org/support/donate/.