Joseph R. Leal, 101, passed away quietly at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, surrounded by his loving family, November 1. Born September 14, 1918 to Mary Rogers and Joaquin Leal, Dr. Leal was raised in New Bedford and graduated from the New Bedford Textile School (UMass Dartmouth). Although he was deferred, Dr. Leal joined the Army in 1943. Following basic training he was stationed in Amherst, MA where he met Mary Desmond. They were married in April 1944 while he was on a weekend pass from Ft. Detrick, MD where he was a Chemical Laboratory Assistant. Following his discharge from the Army in November, 1945, Dr. Leal graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a B.S. degree in Chemistry. He then attended Indiana University where he earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry. After graduation, Dr. Leal went to work for American Cyanamid Co in New Jersey as a research chemist. While in school, Dr. Leal had two sons, Joseph and Michael. Two daughters, Patricia and Victoria, were born while in New Jersey. While working for American Cyanamid, Dr. Leal transferred to Washington, D.C., where he was a contract specialist, and to Stamford, CT, where he was a laboratory supervisor. In 1967, Dr. Leal went to work for Celanese Research Company and moved to Maplewood, NJ. As a Senior Staff Associate with Celanese, Dr. Leal worked with the US Air Force and NASA in the development of nonflammable fabrics to protect pilots and astronauts. After retiring from Celanese, Dr. Leal worked as a consultant for Contract Administration, R & D Marketing and High Performance Materials and traveled. In 1997 Dr. and Mrs. Leal moved to South Hadley, MA to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Dr. Leal was predeceased by his son Joseph and his wife of 53 years, Mary. He is survived by his son Michael, daughters Patricia (Welch) and Victoria (Leal-Bushey), daughter-in-law, Jane Leal, 7 granddaughters, 3 great granddaughters and 2 great grandsons. The family wishes to express its gratitude to the staff of the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke for the respect and care provided in the past year.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday November 7, 2019, 11:30 am at St. Brigid’s Church, Amherst. Burial will follow in St. Brigid’s Cemetery, Hadley. Calling hours will be from 10:00 – 11:00am at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home.

Louis Dante Giovannetti, 80 of Ludlow, MA passed away peacefully Wednesday, October 30th at the Center for Extended Care in Amherst, MA surrounded by his loving family.

Louis was born in the Bronx, New York on December 9th, 1938 to Dante and Pasqualena (Lena) Giovannetti. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years and high school sweetheart Virginia (Pyrch) Giovannetti and his brother Arthur. He is also survived by his children, daughter Dina Aldrich and husband Timothy of Belchertown, MA, son Louis and wife Grace (Lombardo) of Redondo Beach, CA and their sons Lucio and Santino, his daughter Pamela and husband Robert Doiron of Charlton, MA and their daughters Fiona and Danielle and son Paul and his wife Jill (Chesler) of Golden, CO and their children Luca and Ella.

Long-time resident of Westchester County NY, Louis graduated from Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, NY in 1957. He proudly served his country as a member of the Air National Guard, then married the love of his life ‘Ginny’ on October 1st, 1961. He loved singing and began a career in entertainment, recording and making records while a member of the singing group The Velairs. After entertainment, Lou pursued a career in sales. He had a passion and knack for ‘closing the deal’. After many successful years as a sales executive, he retired in 2001 from Xerox Corporation.

Lou mostly enjoyed spending time with his family while boating in the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario, hunting and traveling to skeet shoots across the country. He enjoyed life everywhere he lived, including Bronxville, Hopewell Junction and Pittsford, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, Falmouth, MA, Redondo Beach, CA and most recently Ludlow, MA. Lou was a great conversationalist and friend to everyone he met. He will be remembered for many things, especially his storytelling, love of the Yankees, a full head of thick hair and his love of fine Italian food.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10AM on Wednesday, November 6th at St. Elizabeth Parish, 191 Hubbard St, Ludlow, MA. Burial will follow Wildwood Cemetery, 70 Strong Street, Amherst, MA 01002 at 12:30PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Lou’s name to the Friends of Ludlow Senior Center, 37 Chestnut Street, Ludlow, MA 01056.

Myrtle R. (Hiscock) Blanchard, 88, died the morning of October 25, 2019, surrounded by her family, after a period of declining health. Myrtle was a resident of Shutesbury, MA and formerly a resident of Bristol, NH and Leverett, MA. Born in Everett, MA on December 18, 1930, she was the eldest of five children to Harold and Susie (Ellsworth) Hiscock. After graduating from Everett High, she met and married her husband Robert J. Blanchard. Myrtle and Bob raised a family and were married 67 years, before his passing in March 2019.

Myrtle moved from Everett to the Pioneer Valley with Bob in 1955 where he attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. They settled in the area and took up careers at the University and raised a family in Leverett, MA. They spent their summers at Newfound Lake in Bristol, New Hampshire, eventually retiring there. Myrtle found her way back to the Pioneer Valley, moving to Shutesbury to be close to family.

Myrtle led an active and vibrant life. In addition to raising three children, she worked full time for thirty years at the University of Massachusetts. Her UMass career began as one of the first people to work in the new Engineering Library. She served on the Leverett and Amherst-Pelham regional school committees, from 1978-1986. Some of her favorite hobbies included gardening, watercolor painting, and baking Christmas cookies. She also had a keen interest in genealogy, and her family is grateful for the time she invested in documenting their history. She volunteered as secretary for the Newfound Lake Region Association, to support their mission to promote conservation and preservation of the region’s natural resources. In her later years, she volunteered at the Shutesbury Elementary School library, and faithfully attended the Arthritis Exercise classes every week at the Amherst Senior Center. And, of course, everyone knows what a die-hard Patriots fan she was!

Myrtle is survived by her daughter, Kerry Blanchard, her beloved granddaughter Katie Brown, and Kerry’s partner Joel Morris, and his children. She is also survived by her sisters Joan Gillespie and Marilyn Perez, sister-in-law Barbara Goodick, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband Bob, daughter Suzanne and son Robert Jr., her sisters Barbara and Susan, as well as many other close family and friends.

Funeral services and a celebration of Myrtle’s life will be on Friday, November 8, 2019, at 11:00am, at Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA. Immediately following the service please visit with the family in the church Parish Hall.

In place of flowers, Myrtle’s family requests donations to the fund to build a new library for Shutesbury (https://cutt.ly/Zenrc6P), or the Newfound Lake Region Association (newfoundlake.org).

Everett Makiah Cuffee, Son of Isheika M. Hackett and Everett E. Cuffee. He was born September 30, 1997 in Northampton Massachusetts. He was the first Grandchild of Henry and Ann Hackett as well as Lorraine Cuffee. He was also the first great grandchild of Henry and Christine Hackett.

Makiah Spent his childhood in Amherst and his teenage years in Northampton where he graduated. Known to friends as Everett but to family as Makiah, he was a loving, caring, kind, honest special individual with a somewhat sinister sense of humor; all children who met him were drawn to this gentle giant. He was very generous to the less fortunate and compassionate to all. He was a deeply feeling sensitive person who loved to have fun. Makiah was a prince, son, nephew, cousin, grandson and friend. He was one of a kind.

He leaves behind his sister Rayauna Hackett, Doug Wessel, Tom Ziniti (Guardian angels on earth). Uncles Henry Adam Hackett, Kenneth Cuffee and Andrew Carter. Aunts Jocelyn Cuffee, Marva Cuffee, Nikiah Cuffee, Jacqueline Otero, Hannah Spencer and Mahlet Gilliam. Cousins Alyciana Hackett, Nalaysha Feliciano, Ryu Hackett, Tattie, William and Jared Cuffee, as well as an extensive amount of extended family and friends.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, November 4, from 4-6pm at the First Baptist Church in Amherst with a service to follow from 6 -7 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Makiah’s family online at

https://www.facebook.com/donate/542073966555757/?fundraiser_source=external_url

Holyoke MA: Bertram Bandman, 89, died peacefully with his daughter Nancy at his side on Wednesday, October 23rd at 11:14 PM. He was a resident at Renaissance Manor on Cabot in Holyoke.

Bertram was born in Shanghai China, March 6, 1930, to Albert Bandmann and Edith Magnus, both of Hamburg, Germany, who had been living and managing a textile business there since 1927. He attended a British parochial elementary school in Shanghai where as budding philosopher, Bertram was constantly getting his ears pulled because he asked the nuns “why” about almost all matters.

Bertram and his mother Edith fled to Manila, Philippines when the Japanese invaded China in 1937. Soon after, Bertram was sent to live with an American family in Baguio for five years for his health. When the Japanese invaded in 1941-42, the home he was living in was bombed. A white boy mistaken for a member of the American family, Bertram spent a year and a half in a Japanese internment camp. When the war ended, he was reunited with his mother in Manila and worked at the U.S. Army officers’ mess washing dishes. At age 16, Bertram secured entry into the United States and graduated from Hebron Academy in Maine. He then moved to New York City to attend Columbia University. Bertram completed a bachelors’ and masters’ degrees and his Doctorate in Education in 1962.

During his years at Columbia, he resided at the International House and throughout school, Bertram worked as a server in the cafeteria. He met his future wife, Elsie Lucier when she criticized his undersized servings of broccoli. The first of many arguments, they fell in love over their discussions of politics, philosophy, education and health care with never a clear winner.

Bertram became a professor of philosophy at Long Island University at Brooklyn Center where he taught for forty years. The author of over sixty articles on philosophy and other disciplines such as education, health care, and critical inquiry, he wrote and published three books: The Place of Reason in Education, in 1967, Children’s Right to Freedom, Care and Enlightenment in 1999 and The Moral Development of Health Care Professionals in 2003. Bertram co-edited two books with Robert S. Guttchen entitled Philosophical Essays on Teaching and Philosophical Essays on Curriculum in 1969. Bertram co-authored three books with Elsie, a professor of psychiatric nursing: Bioethics and Human Rights in 1978, Critical Thinking in Nursing in 1988 with a second edition published in 1995 and Nursing Ethics In the Life Span in 1985 with a fourth edition published in 2002. He and Elsie frequently shared the podium at nursing and philosophy conventions and seminars speaking on issues of ethics and health care.

In 1985, Bertram and Elsie purchased their first home in Hatfield to be near their daughter Nancy. They enjoyed their weekend and summer visits while maintaining their employment in New York City. Bertram thoroughly enjoyed the bookstores, the college and local libraries and found himself often at The Raven for hours to the frustration of Elsie’s expectations of the day’s “to do” list.

After his retirement in 2003, Bertram participated in the Five College Learning in Retirement program and took turns facilitating and attending seminars. Bertram was a member of the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence for many years. In 2009, Bertram and Elsie moved to Applewood where they enjoyed the community’s lively activities. Bertram enjoyed classical music concerts, plays, day trips to museums, and academic lectures. At Elsie’s insistence, he accompanied her to the simulcast Metropolitan Operas at Cinemark in Hadley. He would promptly fall asleep within minutes of finishing his popcorn and Elsie would not hesitate to nudge him when his snoring disturbed the operatic arias.

In January 2017, Bertram lost Elsie, his partner of sixty-six years. Bertram moved from his beloved Applewood apartment to The Arbors in May 2018 and finally in August 2019 to Renaissance Manor on Cabot in Holyoke, a skilled nursing facility.

While at Renaissance Manor, Bertram received additional hospice services from the Holyoke VNA’s Hospice Life Care. The talented and concerned staff members prodded him to participate in activities; he played Bingo for the first time in his life and attended the daily news group, enjoying donuts Elsie would never have allowed. He seemed more content and happy to leave the management of his life to others.

With attentive care from the Renaissance nurses and CNA staff, Bertram’s last hours were comfortable and free from pain. As he took his last breaths, his daughter advised him to go find Elsie and to write another book together.

Bertram is survived by his daughter, Nancy Bandman-Boyle and her partner, Bill Ennen of Hadley, Massachusetts and by his grandson, Sam Boyle of North Adams, Massachusetts. He will be remembered by his long-time friends Pat and Seymour Itzkoff of Florida, and by Richard and Nan Lau, Owners of The Panda Garden Restaurant who always made him feel like a member of their family. Bertram will be missed at Applewood, The Arbors, and Renaissance Manor. The Douglass Funeral Home of Amherst MA has been entrusted with his arrangements. There will be a memorial service in the spring of 2020.

To honor the memory of Bertram, please consider taking some extra time at a dinner with friends and family to discuss an ethical issue, taking care to examine and think deeply about the dimensions of the matter without rushing to form a conclusion; Bertram’s belief was that we should all think more carefully. Donations in Bertram’s memory can be sent to the Holyoke VNA’s Hospice Life Care, 575 Beech Street, Holyoke, MA 01040.

R. Bruce Hoadley, husband, father, and a Professor Emeritus of Wood Science and Technology and a pioneer of the Building and Construction Technology program at the University of Massachusetts, died suddenly on October 15, 2019 at home in Leverett, Massachusetts. He was 86.

Robert Bruce Hoadley was born in 1933 in Waterbury, Connecticut, one of three children of W. Fremont and Esther A. Hoadley. He realized his fascination with the natural environment during his childhood and spent his early years in the woods studying, observing and recording what he saw. He attended Naugatuck High School, and enrolled at the University of Connecticut and later the Yale School of Forestry, earning a Ph.D (Doctor of Forestry).

He married his wife Barbara L. Hoadley and relocated to what would become their lifelong home outside of Amherst, MA where Bruce began an illustrious career in Wood Technology as a teacher, author and researcher. They have spent the last five decades between the area and a home that they built for their family on Cape Cod in the 1960’s.

Bruce’s international authority in the field of Wood Technology took root in prolific publication. His book Understanding Wood has been translated into other languages and remains as the primary reference source on wood. His other books on general wood identification and wood identification in antiques are held in similar esteem. As a grassroots contributing editor of Fine Woodworking Magazine, Bruce helped to grow the publication from its inception to a national publication.

Bruce served as a long-term consulting expert on the analysis and identification of wood in the collections of many renowned museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), the Getty Museum in Malibu, CA and the Collections of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC. His later work at Historic Deerfield included wood identification on period furniture.
Bruce’s professional passions also brought him to highly unusual assignments as an expert consultant to high-profile forensic cases. Working for decades alongside the world-renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee, Bruce’s findings and testimony contributed to the administration of justice in many nationally publicized criminal cases. He is credited with an extraordinary contribution to the science of forensics in the area of wood technology.
As an inventor and innovator, Bruce advised Buckminster Fuller on structural problems, contributed to the design of early prototypes for contemporary wind turbine blades and helped to develop many common modern wood adhesives and finishes. He held early patents on wire management devices that are in contemporary production and everyday use.
Throughout his career Bruce’s most intense professional focus was the teaching and mentorship of his students. This passion was rewarded with the prestigious Distinguished Teacher Award at the University of Massachusetts. His unique brand of humor and kindness, combined with a commandingly gentle demeanor and his pedagogical approach of “learning how to learn,” will be remembered profoundly by his students and his family.
While Bruce’s professional life was prolific, his ultimate focus was the extraordinary devotion, love and energy that he brought to his wife Barbara, their children and grandchildren. He and his wife Barbara enjoyed the Cape Cod vacation home that they built in North Eastham, where he spent over a half century raising a family and studying native habitat and ecology by hiking, bird watching, fly fishing, clamming, duck hunting and canoeing in his beloved Nauset Marsh. He had a private passion for fly tying, drawing, and wood carving of shore birds and duck decoys. In his later days he took great pleasure in completing abstract and expressive sculptural pieces.
Bruce is survived by his wife Barbara L. Hoadley, daughter Susan Hoadley and her spouse Corina Martinez of Cohasset, daughter Lindsay Hoadley of Belchertown, grandchildren Emma Bodamer, Andrew Hoadley, and Nicholas Hoadley, his sister Lucinda Brashares of Santa Rosa, CA, and of course his faithful canine companion Henry. He is predeceased by his brother Calvin Hoadley of Greensboro, NC.
A memorial scholarship fund has been established at the University of Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, donations are being graciously accepted for the Bruce Hoadley Building Construction & Technology Fund, which will be used for the benefit of scholarships in the field of Wood Technology for deserving students.
To donate to the R. Bruce Hoadley Building Construction & Technology Fund, make a check payable to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and note “Bruce Hoadley Memorial Fund” in the Memo line. Mail gift to:

R. Bruce Hoadley Memorial Fund
Records and Gift Processing
Memorial Hall
UMass Amherst
134 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003

For instructions to give to the fund online, please email Susanhoadley@gmail.com for a link to the fund through the UMass website.

Maria F. (Prato) Zraunig, 91, died at Charlene Manor, Greenfield, on Sunday October 27, 2019 following a period of declining health. She was born June 24, 1928 in Pozzuoli, Italy, the daughter of Edwardo and Lileratori Emilia Prato. After her parents died at an early age, she was raised in Tuscany by her grandparents. During World War II she met and married her husband Russell F. (Dutch) Zraunig, a U. S. soldier stationed in Italy. They were married for 39 years until his death in 1984.

During Dutch’s military career Maria lived in many homes in the United States and Europe, settling in Franklin County (Colrain, Shelburne Falls, Greenfield) until moving to New Port Richey, FL in 1979. In 2002 Maria returned to Massachusetts to be near family, settling in Amherst.

She leaves her four (4) children, Robert (Muriel) of Greenfield, Anna (Ronald) Patenaude of Bernardston, Russell Jr. (Joyce) of Turners Falls, and Michael (Leslie) of Greenfield. In addition she leaves (ten) 10 grandchildren, Matthew (Kelly) Zraunig of Greenfield, Mark (Kathryn) Zraunig of South Hadley, Tara Zraunig of Beverly, Lisa (Robert) Letourneau of Bernardston, Steven (Karin) Patenaude of Greenfield, Alan (Tara) Zraunig of Montague, Ryan (Emily) Zraunig of Northampton, Alicia (Eric) Toia of Sunderland, Leah Zraunig of South Grafton and Emily Zraunig of North Brunswick, NJ. Maria also leaves eight (8) great-grandchildren.

Services will be private and at the convenience of the family. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery. 

Donna Mae (Bush) Treloar died October 2nd, 2019 in Amherst, Massachusetts.
 

Donna was born in Kalamazoo on December 3rd, 1931. She graduated from Western Michigan University and taught English and Spanish in Kalamazoo for 28 years.
 

Dedicated to public service, Donna served on the board of many Kalamazoo city committees, for Planned Parenthood of Michigan, and for many other area organizations. Donna was passionate about politics and was viscerally aware of unfair biases. She was active in the Democratic Party, serving on numerous campaigns for national, state, and especially local candidates.
 

Donna was a passionate outdoors woman well into her later life. She hiked and camped many times on Isle Royale in Lake Superior, did trail maintenance in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for multiple seasons, went on numerous overnight canoe trips with her church group, and traveled widely, from China to Europe, Mexico, and Central America. She was an avid downhill skier into her 80s.
 

Donna’s unwavering and unconditional love was her greatest gift to her family and her many, many beloved friends. She leaves behind her devoted husband, Robert Treloar, her four children Valori Treloar, Vanessa Kehler, Yvonne Kielb, and Nathan Treloar, her children-in-law and in heart, Stan Mescon, Steven Kehler, Walter Kielb, Margaret Wiechman, and Margaret Jasinski Treloar, her 7 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild, as well as many loved extended family and friends.
 

Donations in Donna’s name may be made to the Kalamazoo Nature Center or to Camp Merrie Woode through the Girls Scouts Heart of Michigan.

Michael Peter Keedy, age 65, passed away Monday October 14th at home after a brief illness. He was a graduate of Amherst High School and was retired from UMass after 42 years of service. Michael had a passion for woodworking, the outdoors, and life.

He was pre-deceased by his parents Itala and Victor A. Keedy Sr. and his brother Victor Keedy Jr. He leaves his daughter Casey, brothers Blake of Hadley, William of Belchertown, and James of Ware, nephews Jeffery and James, niece Ashley, and many cousins. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

There will be no calling hours. There will be a graveside service on Friday, October 25th at 12:00pm at the St. Brigid’s Cemetery in Hadley with a reception to follow.

Kornell R. Nash, owner of Nash Dinosaur Tracks in Granby, MA, passed away on October 12th after a brief illness. He was the son of the late Carlton S. Nash and Phebe Wright Nash. Kornell was born in Holyoke, MA on August 16th, 1954 and was a life-long resident of Granby. Nash Dinosaur Tracks, started by his father in 1939, has been in existence for eighty years.

After graduating from Granby High School, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Business from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in Religious Studies from Wheaton College in Illinois.

He traveled extensively in the Midwest and to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Rome, Florence, and Venice. An active church-goer, he visited the Holy Land several times.

Kornell immensely enjoyed wintering at the home of a cousin, John D. Morgan, of Sarasota, Florida, where he spent most days exploring the beaches and playing golf. He also enjoyed visiting Vermont year-round.

He leaves behind two brothers, Charles and Carlton, as well as three nephews, a grand-niece, many cousins and friends.

There will be a private graveside service. A celebration of life will be held at a future date. Contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.