Ana Dolores Grist, age 93, passed away on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 after struggling to recover from hip surgery after a fall. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina to the late Enrique D’Almonte and Ana Prieu on February 17, 1927.

She grew up in Argentina and spent much of her youth in the town of Adrogué and had a passion for education, reading and for keeping things organized. She received a Masters of Library Science degree from University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. She later worked as a librarian at the Museum of History in Buenos Aires and as a Professor at the University in the School of Library Science in literature and philosophy.

She spoke often of her family and friends who she missed dearly after she moved to the United States around the age of 33, to take a job with the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. Amid the cherry blossoms and at a work outing to a Washington Senators baseball game, escorted by a gentleman from the National Park Service, she met her late husband, John Grist, Jr. She went on to start a family that she never really expected. She and her family moved from Arlington, VA, to Little Neck, NY and eventually settled in Amherst, MA, where she raised her children with that same focus on education and care.

She returned to work as a librarian at the Clark School for the Deaf in Northampton, MA and visited her family in Argentina when she could. She enjoyed trips to Wells and the coast of Maine and loved the ocean. She enjoyed gardening, flowers, birds, and just being outside in the sun. After retiring, she enjoyed her condo life and left an impression with everyone she met, whether it was the manager at CVS or the people she met at the hospice store in Amherst where she volunteered into her late eighties. She eventually moved to Salem, NH to be in assisted living when she turned 90. She continued to charm people with her collection of gestures and faces and her Spanish accent that never left her. She will always be remembered by people for looking lovely and being put together in an elegant way whether she was going to the grocery store or walking down the hall. She will be dearly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.

Ana is survived by her daughter, Cecilia Lund and husband Tom, her sons, Alex Grist and Paul Grist and wife Heidi, and the grandchildren she cherished: Danielle, Christopher, Dianne, Jacob, Julia, Alee and Alexander, and step grandsons, Brayden and Keagan, and all her loving family members in Argentina.

“Lamento muchísimo la partida a la casa del Padre de Tía Chiche, abrazo de corazón a corazón a toda la familia Grist- D’Almonte”

There will be a private family service at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst, MA on Friday, June 26th, followed by a public graveside service at the North Amherst Cemetery at 1PM. As a reminder, please wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines at the cemetery. For anyone wishing to honor her memory, please send flower donations to the Douglass Funeral home, Amherst MA for the service or make a donation to the Fisher Home Hospice shop or the library of your choice.

John (Jack) E. Dunn, 73, of Amherst, passed away on June 10, 2020. He was born on December 15, 1946 in Malden, Massachusetts to Bernice (Allen) and William Dunn. After earning his Bachelor’s Degree from Northeastern University, Jack started his career as a journalist for a local Boston paper. Jack was a lifelong avid musician and lover of music, especially dixieland jazz. He was the drummer in multiple bands over the course of his life; most recently, the South End Jazz Band. Jack’s love of music is what originally brought him to Western Massachusetts when he decided, with his beloved brother Bill, to purchase and convert a lackluster Sunderland restaurant into what became one of Western Massachusetts’ most iconic musical venues of the 70’s and 80’s – the Rusty Nail. Jack was just 26 when he bought the Nail, and successfully ran the premier blues club for 13 years. The Nail booked national acts such as John Lee Hooker, James Brown, The Ramones, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Nail was also committed to promoting local Western Massachusetts talent such as Fat, Clean Living, and NRBQ. One of Jack’s most memorable moments was booking his musical idol, Buddy Rich. The Nail is also where Jack met his wife of 44 years, Joan (Lloyd). Together, they welcomed their two daughters, of whom Jack was immensely proud. His devotion to family ultimately led Jack away from the Nail and into a 30 year career as an investment broker, with his longest tenure held at A.G. Edwards in Springfield. When Jack retired in 2011, he purchased an RV and enjoyed taking trips with his family to new places in the U.S. Jack was a dedicated father and “poppy,” and enjoyed doing anything that involved spending time with his children and grandchild. Jack leaves behind his wife, Joan; his two daughters and their partners, Allison Dunn and John Nidzgorski and Lindsay and Jared Thomas; and granddaughter Hannah Quesenberry.
There are no calling hours. There will be a private burial at Saint Columba cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island. The family will hold a memorial celebration later this year. In lieu of flowers, it is suggested memorial contributions be made to the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road, Amherst, MA 01002. To send a message of condolence or to share a memory, please visit www.douglassfuneral.com.

James Lawrence Pratt Jr. of Belchertown died May 31, 2020 at the age of 57. Jimmy worked with his father, the late James Pratt Sr., at James’ car dealership College Town Auto Sales. He was a skilled mechanic and car enthusiast like his father. He always enjoyed his morning coffee break and spending time with the family pets. Jimmy was raised Catholic and it was an important part of his identity.
He is survived by his brothers Michael and Vincent, and his three sons Clayton, Michael, and James Pratt III. Jimmy was close to both of his parents who predeceased him. He is likely reuniting with them now.
Friends are invited for a gathering of remembrance on Sunday June 7th, 3:00PM at 1131 Federal St, Belchertown.

Hilda Otaño-Benítez, 91, formerly of Amherst, passed away peacefully at her home in Agawam on May 25, 2020.
She was born Hilda Otaño Lugo on April 19, 1929, in Ciego de Avila, Havana, Cuba to Crescencio and Estefania Otaño Lugo.
She graduated from the University of Havana in Cuba and worked as an attorney there. She was especially proud of her work on behalf of workers’ rights.
She attended Boston University, where she graduated with a Masters of Arts degree in Romance Languages.
She was employed by Amherst College as a senior lecturer and language program director in the Spanish department. She retired from Amherst College in 2008.
Hilda was married to Antonio Benitez-Rojo, a world-renowned novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. He is widely regarded as the most significant Cuban author of his generation.
Antonio was denied permission by the Cuban government to travel with Hilda to the United States with their two children to obtain treatment for their daughter’s illness in 1967.
Hilda traveled alone with the children and stayed in the United States with them while Antonio remained in Cuba. She did not see him again until 1980, when he joined her in the United States from Paris, where he had traveled with a delegation from Cuba.
Hilda was predeceased by her husband, her son, Jorge Benitez-Rojo, and her daughter, Maria Benitez-Rojo. She was also predeceased by her parents, her sister, Elsa Maria Otaño Lugo, and brother, Rigoberto Otaño Lugo.
Hilda leaves nephews and nieces who, despite the distance between them, loved her and remained concerned for her welfare throughout her life. She leaves her niece, Gladys Otano, of Florida, Elsa Perez Otano, of Cuba, and Rigoberto, Roberto, Reinaldo, and Raul Otana Laffitte, of Cuba.
Her nieces and nephews composed this tribute to their aunt:
Para nuestra Tía
con todo el amor de sus sobrinos.
Mujer en traje de Batallas!
Luchadora como pocas. Mujer llena de valentía, de extrema inteligencia natural y gran tenacidad, que pudiste sortear con resignación y paciencia las duras circunstancias que te deparó la vida y aún así siempre tuviste amor para repartir y espacio para brindarnos una hermosa sonrisa.
Descansa en Paz guerrera, junto a tus hijos y esposo. Al fin juntos otra vez!
Funeral arrangements are with Douglas Funeral Home. The burial service will be private with a memorial Mass and service to be scheduled at St. Brigid’s Church in Hadley at a later date.

Hilda Otaño-Benítez, 91, formerly of Amherst, passed away peacefully at her home in Agawam on May 25, 2020.
She was born Hilda Otaño Lugo on April 19, 1929, in Ciego de Avila, Havana, Cuba to Crescencio and Estefania Otaño Lugo.
She graduated from the University of Havana in Cuba and worked as an attorney there. She was especially proud of her work on behalf of workers’ rights.
She attended Boston University, where she graduated with a Masters of Arts degree in Romance Languages.
She was employed by Amherst College as a senior lecturer and language program director in the Spanish department. She retired from Amherst College in 2008.
Hilda was married to Antonio Benitez-Rojo, a world-renowned novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. He is widely regarded as the most significant Cuban author of his generation.
Antonio was denied permission by the Cuban government to travel with Hilda to the United States with their two children to obtain treatment for their daughter’s illness in 1967.
Hilda traveled alone with the children and stayed in the United States with them while Antonio remained in Cuba. She did not see him again until 1980, when he joined her in the United States from Paris, where he had traveled with a delegation from Cuba.
Hilda was predeceased by her husband, her son, Jorge Benitez-Rojo, and her daughter, Maria Benitez-Rojo. She was also predeceased by her parents, her sister, Elsa Maria Otaño Lugo, and brother, Rigoberto Otaño Lugo.
Hilda leaves nephews and nieces who, despite the distance between them, loved her and remained concerned for her welfare throughout her life. She leaves her niece, Gladys Otano, of Florida, Elsa Perez Otano, of Cuba, and Rigoberto, Roberto, Reinaldo, and Raul Otana Laffitte, of Cuba.
Her nieces and nephews composed this tribute to their aunt:
Para nuestra Tía
con todo el amor de sus sobrinos.
Mujer en traje de Batallas!
Luchadora como pocas. Mujer llena de valentía, de extrema inteligencia natural y gran tenacidad, que pudiste sortear con resignación y paciencia las duras circunstancias que te deparó la vida y aún así siempre tuviste amor para repartir y espacio para brindarnos una hermosa sonrisa.
Descansa en Paz guerrera, junto a tus hijos y esposo. Al fin juntos otra vez!
Funeral arrangements are with Douglas Funeral Home. The burial service will be private with a memorial Mass and service to be scheduled at St. Brigid’s Church in Hadley at a later date.

Eillen M. Doubleday, passed away Monday, May 25th at the age of 88. She was a lifelong resident of Pelham. Along with her ex-husband Robert, they raised four children, Robert, of Shutesbury, Jo-Ann, of Cumberland, R.I., and Thomas and Scott of Pelham. She also leaves behind nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. She will be missed. Donations in her name can be made to the American Cancer Society.

On Thursday May 14 th, Juan Ramon Lizardi, loving husband, father, father-in-law, grandpa, stepfather, uncle, and great grandpa, passed away peacefully after a long battle with many medical issues.
Juan was born on Valentine’s Day, 1942 in Caguas, Puerto Rico. A military veteran, he spent most of his adult life working at Hamilton Standard. He retired in 2004 to spend time with his beloved wife Judy, enjoying their home and garden in Pelham, riding their motorcycles and being with their families.
Cancer and family tragedy derailed those plans, but Juan never showed his pain. To his family he was a pillar of strength and comfort. He meant the world to those he left behind. We will miss his stories, his deep voice, his home-made hot sauce, his warm smile, and his hugs.
Juan was preceded in death by his two oldest sons, Luis and Dario. He is survived by his wife Judy, sons John and Jason, daughter Anita, stepdaughters Jennifer and Betsy, and a large extended family who loved him dearly.
Funeral services will be announced to friends and family soon. Messages for the memorial to be held later in the year should be sent to jrl214memorial@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers or cards, we ask that you make a donation in Juan’s name to Hospice Care & Palliative Care of Massachusetts https://www.hospicefed.org/donations/?DONATIONS=2024017

Stephen “Skippy” Janse, 73, a long time Amherst resident, died May 5, 2020 at home with his family by at side. He was a proud veteran of the United States Navy. Skippy was known best in Amherst for his long career as a postal carrier. He is survived by his beloved wife Nancy, sons Douglas and John and his beloved dogs. His family would like to thank the hospice nurses from Cooley Dickinson VNA and Hospice for their compassionate care.
Memorial register book at www.douglassfuneral.com

Mary F. Fitzpatrick, a legendary public high school teacher who introduced thousands of Massachusetts students to the fundamentals of mathematics, died on May 23, 2020 at her home in Amherst. She was 98 years old.
“Mrs. Fitzpatrick,” as she was always known to her students, traveled an unlikely road to her career as a mathematics educator. She was born on February 12, 1922, in New Bedford, to Martin Callahan, an Irish immigrant who came to the United States as a boy of 10, and Mary (Bowen) Callahan. Although her parents had very limited educations, her father, who worked in the textile mills of Fall River, displayed a remarkable aptitude for numbers. As their only child, Mary demonstrated similar talent, and her parents encouraged her to pursue higher education. She was one of only four female Mathematics majors in Massachusetts State College’s (now the University of Massachusetts) Class of 1943. She always remembered where she came from and would wear a pale green carnation pinned to her lapel on St. Patrick’s Day, in tribute to her Irish origins, and the close-knit, working-class immigrant community in which she was raised.
She met her future husband, Robert Alan Fitzpatrick, in college. Although they hoped to marry upon graduation, World War II intervened. Fitzpatrick was deployed to Europe in 1944 shortly before D-Day. Mary returned to New Bedford and taught Mathematics at Fairhaven High School. She had grown up next to the ocean, and ever after loved being near the sea. On Friday October 13, 1944, she married then Lieutenant JG Fitzpatrick in a small ceremony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, when Fitzpatrick was briefly home on liberty. Because her father had died that fall, custom dictated, as she would later explain to her children, that she wear a black dress to her wedding. They raised six children in a marriage that lasted over thirty years, ending only with her husband’s sudden death in 1975.
The Fitzpatricks settled in Amherst in 1949 after Robert accepted an appointment as professor at the University of Massachusetts. Mary returned to work shortly after the birth of their third child in 1952, as research assistant to a chemistry professor at Amherst College. In 1958, she began teaching Mathematics at Hopkins Academy in Hadley. Every spring she often brought home freshly cut asparagus from her students who worked their parents’ farms. She loved teaching in Hadley, where she earned a reputation as a rigorous but fair-minded instructor, who was remembered, and stopped in the grocery store decades later, by her former students in whom she took a great interest. Her Hopkins’ colleagues, drawn to her dry sense of humor, became lasting friends. She joined the faculty at Amherst Regional High School in 1970, teaching Algebra, Geometry and Calculus. She had her youngest daughter as a student, and tutored her children and their friends at her dining room table. In an academic town, full of professorial parents wanting the best instruction for their children, she was a sought-after teacher, and honored with the Robert Frost Chair for her outstanding teaching skills. Known for her impeccable taste, one former student, now a science writer for the New York Times, recently described her “enduring memory” of Mrs. Fitzpatrick, who always looked “as if she just stepped out of the beauty salon.” But, most of all, it was her clarity and forthrightness that impressed this Geometry student. “She made us love math. It’s not that she made it fun. But she made math interesting, even eye opening.” By the time Mary retired in 1987, she had taught math to the children of some of her first students.
Unlike many married women of her generation in Amherst, Mary Fitzpatrick was ahead of her time in combining work and family. Despite her many teaching responsibilities, she was a devoted mother, who understood and appreciated the differences among her six children, meeting them where they were throughout their lives. She adored, and is adored by, her three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, as she never lost her delight in young people or her instinctive, yet kind desire to help them improve themselves. Mary’s razor-sharp intellect endured to the end of her life. She tutored her grandchildren in Calculus when she was in her late 80s and completed the New York Times crossword puzzle, daily, in ballpoint pen, until the last weeks of her life. Her longevity inspired not only her children but also their many friends, comforting them as the years went on with her vivid, warm, enduring presence, and reminding them of their own parents already gone. Her continuously growing family meant the world to her, and she not just welcomed but expected them to migrate to the family home to spend the holidays together in Amherst. Attendance was usually perfect as all were drawn by their wish to spend time, share apple pie with coffee ice cream, and play a fiercely competitive round of dominoes with “Mom,” “Nana,” or “Big Nana.”
She leaves five children, Maureen of Amherst, Robert of Holyoke and his wife Evie, Ellen of Newtonville, Mary of South Boston, Frances of Amherst, three grandchildren, Ryan Taft of Billerica, Brigid and Robert Wright, both of Boston, and four great-grandchildren, John, Gianna, Giselle, and Casey, as well her son in law, Jeffrey J. Wright of Needham. Her youngest daughter, Jean, predeceased her in 2018.
Mary’s family wishes to express their deep gratitude to Kathy Wiater, Regina Rumplik and Karen Hill of the Cooley Dickinson Hospital VNA and to Drs. Marianna Marguglio and Victoria Noble.
A service will be scheduled in the late summer, with the date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, her family suggests donations to the Lown Cardiovascular Group, where Mary long received exemplary care from Dr. Shmuel Ravid, Helene Glaser, R.N. and their colleagues, at 830 Boylston Street, Suite 205, Chestnut Hill, MA. 02467 (www.lowngroup.org)
Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Stephanie Renee Wentworth passed away unexpectedly on May 14, 2020. Stephanie was born on June 6, 1971 on her parent’s third wedding anniversary. Stephanie grew up in Belchertown and graduated from Belchertown High School in 1989. She went on to college and graduated from North Adams State College in 1993. Stephanie worked for several medical practices including Kaiser Permanente, Wing Memorial and the time of her death, Hampden County Pediatrics.
Stephanie loved vacationing in Florida with her sons and sharing the Disney experience with them.
Stephanie will be missed by all who knew her including Patrick Moynihan and their two sons Jacob and Tyler Moynihan, her parents Arthur and Linda Wentworth, her favorite brother Jeffrey and sister-in-law Mimi Wentworth, and her Jacque, Jenks, O’Brien and Wentworth aunts, uncles and cousins.
Stephanie’s family and friends will celebrate her life at a later date.
Douglas Funeral Service, Amherst, MA is in charge of Stephanie’s final arrangements.