Martha Buskey “Ruby James”, age 95, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday, March 15th at the Elaine Center, a senior care facility in Hadley, Massachusetts. Born in 1923 to Carrie Kennerly and Aaron Buskey, Martha grew up in a large extended family in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She was the middle child of three children, and enjoyed singing gospel in churches and on the radio weekly as a child.

Her faith in God and her lifelong passion for music and her mastery of the Bible and her astounding ability to recite any and every scripture remained an essential part to her nurturing character and followed her wherever she went. Leaving Orangeburg as a young adult, Martha began working as a housekeeper and eventually a cook. Her incredible culinary skills are remembered to this day.

Martha later relocated to Amherst, Massachusetts, where she quickly became a cherished figure within the town for her continuous spread of love and kindness to all around her. Martha had a particularly large impact in the community of the Village Park Apartments. Her beautiful garden became the catalyst of a vital change in policy that allowed residents to have gardens outside of their homes.She later founded a daycare program, and even today, many Village Park residents remember the time they spent in her care.

Martha Buskey was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, who opened her heart to all, even those outside of the family. Her contagious laughter filled many rooms and brought smiles to countless faces, and she never stopped teaching the importance of love, caring for others, and faith. In death “Ms. Ruby” has arrived in the place she’d always wanted to be: alongside God.

Martha lives on in the hearts of her three children Fred Preston, Patricia Hardnett, and Eric James; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held at Douglas Services in Amherst, today, Tuesday, March 19th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm and will be followed with a service from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

Barbara Jean Van Noord died on Wednesday, March 6, 2019, in her home in Amherst, MA. She was a victim of cancer. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 21, 1947, she was one of four siblings in a devoted Christian Reformed family of Dutch heritage. Her parents were Gelmer A. Van Noord, M.D., and Cornelia (Kelly) Van Wyk. Her siblings are Robert Van Noord, Ellen Nast, and Mary Ellens. After graduating from South Christian High School in Cutlerville, Michigan, Barbara attended Calvin College and the University of Michigan, where she received a BA in English literature. She took graduate courses at the University, where she received three Hopwood awards for creative writing, an unusual distinction. Years later, she achieved a Masters in Social Work at Smith College. Barbara’s education, her personal charm and intellectual brilliance, and her tender spirit, were combined in a life of service to her family, her friends, and her psychiatric clients.

She became a talented psychiatric social worker in Amherst, leading and creating several departments during her career. She was a founding member of the Feminist Counseling Collective, a groundbreaking group of women who challenged the prevailing practice within psychiatric analysis. A well published poet of wide regard, her book, The Three Hands of God, presents a powerful analysis of the human condition set within vibrant and shifting nature imagery. In addition, she composed many Christmas poems which originally were written as holiday cards. These cards, and many others, included also her original photographs, digitally manipulated on the computer. They provided a seasonal delight for her family and friends. These cards and others, widely sought by friends and family, together with her poetry, provide testament to her striking imagination, her theological acumen, and a distinctive sense of humor. In addition, Barbara composed a series of poems known as Mary Midrash, a blending of Jewish biblical analysis with inventive stories concerning the Virgin Mary. These are read annually in several churches around the USA and have been published in secular and Catholic journals. She has also authored a delightful memoir, as yet unpublished, of her early years in the setting of Pine Rest Christian Hospital, a 600 bed Christian psychiatric institution headed at that time by her father, a psychiatrist. Pine Rest, which flourishes still, was a trend setting psychiatric institute whose humane and open approach to its patients was at the time unusual.

Barbara was a strong woman who radiated kindness and trust. She was a generous friend and lived a life filled with creative works, gardening, and time with her talented children and grandchildren. She was devoted to her husband and children, who miss her sorely. She led a distinctive spiritual life, and was proud of her Dutch heritage, to which she, with humor, ascribed her self-styled “stubbornness,” as she termed it.

Barbara’s beloved husband, Stephen Gottlieb, lives in Amherst. Barbara’s daughter, Kelly (Bosma) Rhodes, lives in Silver Spring, MD, with her husband Blaise Rhodes, and their three children, Erin, Anna, and Sam. Steve’s daughter, Allie Holly-Gottlieb, lives in San Francisco, CA, with her husband Edward Sidawi, and their two sons, Theo and Milo. Both Kelly and Allie spent precious time with Barbara during her final weeks.

Our family wishes to thank the nurses, physicians, and other staff at Mass General Cancer Center, the VNA, and Hospice, all of the Cooley Dickinson Hospital, for their superb and highly integrated care for both Barbara and Steve during the past 4 months.

Nancy J. Cavanaugh died on March 9, 2019 at Care One in Northampton. She was born in Holyoke on July 3, 1937 to the late William and Ethel Jubinville. Nancy Graduated from Holyoke High School in 1954 and then attended the Cooley Dickinson School of Nursing, graduating in 1957. In the same year, she married her husband, Philip J. Cavanaugh, Sr. Nancy spent the next 40 years working as a nurse in the Amherst-Northampton area, but even though she was a long-time Amherst resident, her heart never left Smith’s Ferry, Holyoke.

Nancy always looked forward to her annual family trips to Cape Cod. She also enjoyed writing, drawing, painting, and playing the piano – which she did for her entire life.
Nancy leaves behind her sons, David of Amherst, Glenn of Hadley, and Brian of Amherst, her daughter-in-law Charlotte Cavanaugh, her granddaughter Charity Robinson and husband Donald, her great grandchildren Ava and Trevor, and several nieces and nephews. Nancy is predeceased by her husband Philip Sr., in 2005, son, Philip Jr., in 2018 her brothers, William Jubinville and Robert Jubinville, Sr., and her sister, Ethel Sears.

Calling hours will be Thursday, March 14, 2019 from 4-7pm at the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, March 15, at 10:00am at St. Brigid’s Church in Amherst, with burial to follow at St. Brigid’s Cemetery in Hadley.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.

Irene Carnahan (Honey), 86 of Ware passed away peacefully Monday, March 4 at Baystate Hospital in Springfield with her loving family by her side.

Irene was a hairdresser in her younger years. She later retired from Monson Developmental Center. Honey always started her day having breakfast at Crystal’s with her very special friend Donald School from Springfield and friends Kenny and Roy.

Always available for family and friends to give a ride or do a favor, she loved to be out and about. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Honey leaves to cherish her memory, her daughter Sandy Renaud of Ware and her companion Barry Roberts of Amherst; two grandchildren Dan Polak and his wife Jen of Ware and Amy Mitchell of Amherst and two great-grandchildren Emma Polak and Michael Polak who were the Sunshine of her life. Also known as “Auntie Rene” she leaves her niece Allison Lattanzio of Westborough, nephews J. Peter Posk of Maine and Michael Posk of Mansfield and their families. Honey also leaves Donna Pilkington of East Douglas and her family. Donna was like a daughter, best friend and so much more.

A graveside gathering at Gethsemane Cemetery in Athol will be held on Friday, March 22nd at 11:00 AM. A luncheon will follow at Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield, MA

Gail Poreda (Hutchinson), age 62, of South Hadley passed away on March 3, 2019 at Baystate Medical Center with her beloved family by her side. Gail is survived by her husband, James Poreda of Holyoke, whom she married in 1976. Gail and Jim lived a full life together raising their four children: James Poreda, Daniel Poreda, Paul Poreda, and Lucille Speckels, all of South Hadley. Gail was blessed with twelve grandchildren whom she cherished deeply and brought her great pride and joy. Gail is also survived by her siblings April, Merry, and Ernie Hutchinson of New York.

A celebration of life will be held at the earliest convenience of the family. The family is grateful for the condolences, but declines flowers and donations.

Sandra Mullin passed away on March 1, 2019. She was born Sandra Carole Willmering to Theodore and Marcella Willmering in St. Louis, Missouri in 1936, and was educated at high schools run by the Sisters of Loretto. She received her undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders at St. Louis University. She married William Mullin in 1961 and they lived in Dayton and Minneapolis before moving to Amherst in 1967, where Bill became a faculty member in Physics at UMass. Sandra received her Master’s degree at UMass and was a speech and language pathologist for many years in the Granby school system. Sandra excelled in her work with special-education school children and was their strong advocate.
Sandra and Bill have three children, Paul, Christopher, and Carole Mullin and seven grandchildren. Spending time with them was one of the joys of her life. Sandra loved to travel; she and Bill spent time in many countries, including sabbaticals in England and France. One trip was to a language school in Tours trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to learn to speak French. They loved to travel in the Southwest US. A favorite annual end-of summer expedition was with a group of eight friends always to a different inn in New England.
Sandra was an active volunteer in Amherst. She led a Cub Scout den and a 4H group. She served in Town Meeting for 17 years. She was a board member of the League of Women Voters. She served on the building committee for the renovation of the Crocker Farm School, on the Amherst Cultural Council, on the Amherst Advisory Committee for Children’s Services, and on the Committee for Regionalization of Elementary Schools in Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury. For many years Sandra ran the fund-raising Beds for Books Program for the Friends of the Jones Library. She chaired the Amherst Leisure Services and Recreation Commissions during the interesting period when purchase of the Cherry Hill Golf Course was under consideration. She also volunteered for the Amherst Survival Center. Sandra was interested in local history and at the time of the Amherst 250th anniversary in 2009 published a book entitled “The Streets and Families of Amherst, Massachusetts,” which outlined the history of the families after whom many of the streets were named.
She was also an adventurous gourmet cook.
She is survived by Bill, Paul Mullin and wife Erin Cashman, Christopher and Molly Mullin, Carole Mullin and husband, David Derrer, brother Michael Willmering and seven grandchildren, Kevin, Rachel, Simon, Grace, Calley, Braedon, and Skylar. Her parents and older brother, James Willmering, predeceased her.
We are very grateful to the staff at the Atrium at Cardinal Drive, a memory-care facility in Agawam, for their expertise and loving care of Sandra during the last 15 months. We welcome donations to the Amherst Survival Center in her memory.

Ray Girardin, Actor, took his final bow on Feb. 28, 2019 in Amherst, MA after a mercifully short battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Ray is survived by his wife of 57 years, Marlene, his son Michael of Vancouver, Canada, his beloved baby sister Nancy Benjamin and her husband Gary of Newton, NH, and brother-in-law Norton Juster, also of Amherst.

Ray was predeceased by his son Donny, sister-in-law Jeanne Juster, and younger brothers Allen and Ronald Girardin.

In addition to his immediate family, Ray leaves behind a cousin, Patty Maynard of Northampton as well as numerous nieces and nephews, with a special acknowledgement to Emily Juster and her daughter Tori, who not only adore Ray and Marlene, but who’ve also been steadfast neighbors who never fail to lend a cheerful helping hand whenever needed.

Raymond George Girardin was born Jan. 23, 1935 in Wakefield, MA, and graduated from Wakefield HS, followed by a 2-year stint in the Marine Corps. Upon his honorable discharge, Ray attended and graduated from Boston University’s renowned Theater Department. While at B.U., Ray appeared in numerous campus productions, while spending summers performing in countless stock theaters.

After graduation, Ray moved to New York to further his acting career and within a year he gave what is surely the greatest performance of his life by meeting and somehow convincing the beautiful and vivacious Marlene to be his wife. The young newlyweds soon set out for Hollywood, where after a few sparse years of guest appearances on various television series, Ray landed a role that thrust him into living rooms and Soap Opera magazines everywhere…that of the ne’er-do-well Howie Dawson on General Hospital.

Ray relished that part for seven years before deciding to pursue other opportunities, and subsequently accumulated a vast and impressive list of appearances. In television, a few of his credits include Law and Order, multiple episodes of The Rockford Files, Murder, She Wrote, Remington Steele and many others. On the comedy front, Ray’s appearances included The Bob Newhart Show, Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, and was a series regular on The Flip Wilson Show.

On the big screen, Ray had featured roles in films including Dad (with Jack Lemmon) Love Affair (Warren Beatty), Loverboy (Patrick Dempsey), as well as co-starring in the films Gospa with Martin Sheen, and in the burgeoning cult favorite Hollywood Man, which he wrote with his friend and co-star, William Smith.

Ray was an “actor’s actor” and a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity for over 50 years. And though he weaned himself from performing after relocating back to the East Coast, he found great joy and a good deal of praise for mentoring and nurturing a new generation of young actors as the director of a slate of successful plays at the Academy Theater at Orleans on Cape Cod.

So “Bravo!” Ray, on a life well-lived and thoroughly enjoyed. And while you’re no longer with us in the flesh, your large and buoyant spirit lives on and will continue to bring smiles to your family and friends on both coasts whenever we think of our “Big Play Ray.”

If you would like to make a donation in Ray’s name, please go to www.actorsfund.org

LEVERETT – Debhra Jane Brazeau passed away after a long illness on February 20, 2019, at her home in Leverett, MA. with the support of Cooley Dickinson VNA and Hospice. Debhra was born to Georgia Madeline (Johnson) O’Lari and Edward Philips O’Lari on May 5, 1952 in Athol, MA. She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Richard P. Brazeau and their sons Trace E. Brazeau and Neil E. Brazeau of Leverett.

Serving as a special needs paraprofessional at Leverett Elementary School and Sunday school teacher at Leverett Congregational Church, Debhra dedicated her life to helping special children of all abilities achieve their dreams. Her loving and nurturing nature will always be remembered by those whose lives she touched.

Our family is grateful to all those that sent cards, prayers, and meals during this stressful time. Debhra has been laid to rest at the Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst, MA. A memorial service in her honor will be held at the Leverett Congregational Church on Saturday, March 16 at 11am. All are invited. In lieu of flowers, Debhra requested that donations be made to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts or Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst.

Richard (Dick) Bergquist died Sunday, February 24, 2019 at home in Amherst.
Dick was born in Orange, Massachusetts on June 27, 1932, the second of four sons of Elinor and Carl Bergquist. He was married to Sonya (Anderson) Bergquist for almost 65 years. Dick attended Bates College in Maine for 2 years, playing both baseball and football. He then served 2 years in the Army during the Korean War, before attending and graduating from the University of Massachusetts, where he also played both sports. Following graduate school at the University of Maryland, Dick returned to UMass to coach baseball for 27 of his 32 years there. After retiring from UMass in 1992 he worked for several years as the Executive Director of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). Throughout Dick’s career he actively worked to promote international baseball, serving in several roles with USA Baseball, including the Olympics and Pan Am games.

Dick and Sonya enjoyed many wonderful years of retirement together, traveling extensively and wintering at The Villages in Florida. Always a lover of the outdoors, he enjoyed golfing, working in his garden, and spending time at the lake house with family and grandchildren.

In addition to his wife Sonya, Dick is survived by four children, Erica Bergquist of Amherst, Carl Bergquist and his wife Barbara of Ellicott City, Maryland, Craig Bergquist of Huntsville, Alabama, and Andrea Cajolet and her husband Marc of Westford, Massachusetts, and seven grandchildren, Eric, Peter, and Diana Cajolet, and Jenna, Andrew, Matthew and Hannah Bergquist.

Calling hours will be held Sunday, March 3rd from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst, Massachusetts. The funeral will take place Monday, March 4th at 11 a.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Amherst.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to VNA/Hospice of Cooley Dickenson Hospital.

Hughia Claudette Magnus (Anderson), age 69, passed away on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Born July 17, 1949 in Washington, D. C. she was the beloved daughter of Hugh Claude Anderson (deceased) and Annye Clara Anderson.

Hughia is survived by her mother Mrs. Anderson; sister Sheila De’Nise Anderson and her son Eric Keith Anderson; sons and their wives Barry and Kerry Boyd and their children Dallan, Quintin and Kordell; Darian Boyd; and Jason and Rabiya Magnus and their children Maya and Zayna.

Hughia was a citizen of the world, loving daughter, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother who had the utmost integrity. She spent the last three years of her life pursuing her love of travel, and deepening the relationships most important to her. She loved all animals, volunteered to the needy, was an intellect, life-long learner, and had a passion for science. She inspired people to be their best possible selves without judgement and with the utmost respect. An active member of the Baha’i community in Amherst, she contributed so much of herself. Hughia loved foods and cultures from around the world. Her grandchildren adored her. Frequent visits with her granddaughters, playing and watching movies, brought her incredible joy and happiness. She supported her grandchildren in their educational pursuits.

Please join our family in celebrating her life Tuesday morning, February 26, 2019, at 10:00 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, 87 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA. The celebration will be followed by a burial ceremony at 11:00 a.m. at Wildwood Cemetery, 70 Strong Street, Amherst, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Not Bread Alone, chd.org.