Joanne L. Sheremeta passed away on February 12, 2019 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA. She was born January 12, 1974 in Saratoga Springs, New York to Lynford and Mary Sheremeta. She leaves her mother, Mary Strong and step-father Mark Strong, her father who lives in Arizona, a brother Matt Sheremeta who resides in California, sons Peter and Justin, and her partner Craig Rainaud. Joanne was a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend who will be truly missed.

Joanne graduated Magna cum Laude from Western New England College with a B.S. She was currently working as Assistant Manager at a local store in Hadley. She worked in the health care field for a number of years and had a penchant for working with the geriatric population. She was an avid pet lover, active in the Animal Rights Movement and championed the MSPCA. Joanne enjoyed spending time at the Quabbin Reservior and hiking at Mount Summit in Hadley. She enjoyed vacationing with family in Gloucester and Rockport, MA where her wry sense of humor was enjoyed by those that knew her. She had a bubbly personality, a big heart, and would help anyone in need.

A calling hour will be held from 5:00-6:00pm on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst. A memorial service will follow at 6:00pm at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to Joyful Animal Rescue in Amherst, MA. https://joyfulpetsanimalrescue.org

Robert C. Follette, Jr. died on February 12, 2019, at Wingate at South Hadley, MA, his residence for the last three years. He was born June 9, 1925 in Jamaica, VT, to Robert C. and Muriel (Grout) Follett of Townshend, VT. His father, a dairy farmer, was invited to the University of Connecticut to consult on farming practices. The family went to Watertown, CT, where Robert graduated from high school in 1943. Soon after, the family returned to Vermont and began farming in North Springfield, VT.

Music and drama were interests he pursued throughout his life. Robert enjoyed being part of productions at the Playhouse in Weston, VT. He chose to attend the New England Conservatory in Boston, but determined that he would like to have a more lucrative career. He left the Conservatory and farming behind. On a visit to Chebeague Island, Maine, he decided, on a whim, to invest in Island View, a seasonal inn. With his partner, Alexander Morton, they entertained many summer guests over 15 years. In 1964, they sold the Inn and joined the staff at Amherst College where they worked for 25 years.

Robert was a long-time resident of Belchertown, MA. During that time Robert enjoyed singing with the Hampshire Choral Society and the Pioneer Valley Chorus and Orchestra.

Robert was an outgoing, delightful, very kind, and generous person with a fine sense of humor and a hearty laugh. His many visitors in recent years are an indication of the joy he brought to so many. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Jean Willard, of North Springfield, VT, and his partner, Alexander Morton. He is survived by two nieces, two nephews, and several loyal, thoughtful friends. Robert appreciated the people who supported him throughout his life and in recent years. His family is grateful for the kindness of his closest friends and for the caring support provided by the Staff at Wingate at South Hadley in recent years.

Arrangements are in the care of the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst, MA. As Robert requested, a private memorial service will be held later at the family’s discretion. Memorial donations may be made to The Weston Playhouse, C/O Director of Development, Weston Playhouse, 703 Main St., Weston, VT, 05161, or at www.WestonPlayhouse.org.

Robert C. Follette, Jr. died on February 12, 2019, at Wingate at South Hadley, MA, his residence for the last three years. He was born June 9, 1925 in Jamaica, VT, to Robert C. and Muriel (Grout) Follett of Townshend, VT. His father, a dairy farmer, was invited to the University of Connecticut to consult on farming practices. The family went to Watertown, CT, where Robert graduated from high school in 1943. Soon after, the family returned to Vermont and began farming in North Springfield, VT.

Music and drama were interests he pursued throughout his life. Robert enjoyed being part of productions at the Playhouse in Weston, VT. He chose to attend the New England Conservatory in Boston, but determined that he would like to have a more lucrative career. He left the Conservatory and farming behind. On a visit to Chebeague Island, Maine, he decided, on a whim, to invest in Island View, a seasonal inn. With his partner, Alexander Morton, they entertained many summer guests over 15 years. In 1964, they sold the Inn and joined the staff at Amherst College where they worked for 25 years.

Robert was a long-time resident of Belchertown, MA. During that time Robert enjoyed singing with the Hampshire Choral Society and the Pioneer Valley Chorus and Orchestra.

Robert was an outgoing, delightful, very kind, and generous person with a fine sense of humor and a hearty laugh. His many visitors in recent years are an indication of the joy he brought to so many. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Jean Willard, of North Springfield, VT, and his partner, Alexander Morton. He is survived by two nieces, two nephews, and several loyal, thoughtful friends. Robert appreciated the people who supported him throughout his life and in recent years. His family is grateful for the kindness of his closest friends and for the caring support provided by the Staff at Wingate at South Hadley in recent years.

Arrangements are in the care of the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst, MA. As Robert requested, a private memorial service will be held later at the family’s discretion. Memorial donations may be made to The Weston Playhouse, ℅ Director of Development, Weston Playhouse, 703 Main St., Weston, VT, 05161, or at www.WestonPlayhouse.org.

Edwin John Knihnicki beloved husband and father died on February 9, 2019 surrounding by family. He leaves behind his wife Pauline Belliveau, two sons, Edwin and Robert, three daughters, Christine O’Connell, Laura Felton and Leslie Rigali, 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He also leaves behind his sister Florence Droy. He worked at Newell Printing in Amherst. Edwin loved golfing and belonged to Amherst Golf Course. A memorial service will be held this spring. 

William McCall Vickery of Amherst died February 4, 2019, after a brief illness and hospitalization in Boston. He was 83 years old.

Born in Savannah, Georgia, the son of William and Bertha McCall Vickery, Bill grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He graduated from Amherst College (Economic cum laude) in 1957 and the Harvard Business School in 1959. After a stint in the US Army at Ft. Devens, MA, Bill quickly rose through the ranks of management at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, a New York advertising agency. At the time of his retirement in 1987, he was vice chairman of the board and chairman of DFS International.

In 1988 Bill returned to his alma mater and began a second career at Amherst College until his retirement there in 2008. Bringing his business acumen, sharp insights and passion for Amherst, he served in a number of capacities including Director of Development, Assistant Treasurer, Associate Director of Alumni Relations & Reunion Programs and Director of Special Projects.

A true son of Amherst, Bill has supported every aspect of the college over his lifetime – academics, student life, athletics, physical plant, the museums and more. He contributed to and supported dozens of funds and initiatives over the course of his 62 years as an alumnus. Bill was an active volunteer for his alma mater, serving as class agent, class president, member of the board and president of the New York Alumni Association, member and chairman of the executive committee of the Alumni Council and as chairman of the Alumni Fund. Amherst College awarded Bill the Medal for Eminent Service in 1979 and the Distinguished Service Award in 1983 and in 2001.

Beyond the college, Bill engaged in a number of community organizations including serving on the boards of the Huntington Porter Phelps Museum, United Way, the Loomis Communities and the Upper Orchard condominiums. For the past 15 years, he was deeply engaged with the Board of Governors of the Emily Dickinson Museum, where he was a founding member.

Among his affiliations, were memberships in the Harvard Club of New York, the Orchards Golf Club, the Amherst Club, and Amherst Rotary.

Bill is survived by his nieces, Catherine V. Cardew of Ridgewood, NJ, Virginia V. Braccia, of Wellesley, MA and nephew Thomas S. Vickery of New York, his sister-in-law Barbara K. Vickery of Ridgewood, NJ, ten grand nieces and nephews, and many devoted friends. He was predeceased by his brother Thomas N. Vickery in 2007.

At Bill’s expressed wish, no memorial service is planned. Gifts in his memory may be made to Amherst College, directed to the Emily Dickinson Museum or the Squash Athletic Program.

Chester “Chet” Penza, 94 of Amherst passed away February 2, 2019, at the Hospice of the Fisher Home with his loving family by his side. Chet was born at home in Sunderland to William and Mary Penza. He went to Elementary school in Sunderland and later graduated from Amherst Regional High School in the Class of 1943.
In his early years, Chet worked on his family farm and for the Goodyear farm in Sunderland as a horseman. But like most young men his age, two weeks after high school graduation was off to WWII. Chet was put into the Quarter Masters Outfit which was the Trucking and Transportation Division. Chet participated in the following campaigns; Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe in a 2-1/2 ton Army truck. He moved troops, equipment and supplies to the front lines, and at one time was part of the Red Ball Express. Chet was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant.
After returning from WWII, Chet worked for Levitt & Sons in Long Island, NY and then returned home to work for Warner Brothers Construction Company in Sunderland as a truck driver. He married the former Eileen Thompson on January 12, 1952.
Chet earned his Real Estate Brokers license in 1961 and worked for Pat Kamins Real Estate in Amherst and was also a Sunderland Assessor from 1962-1965. In 1965, Allen Torrey, the newly appointed Town manager, offered the full time position of Building Inspector to Chet. In 1970 with the consolidation of the town’s inspection services into a new department known as the department of Inspections Services, he was appointed Director of Inspection Services & Building Commissioner. Chet served this position for 30 years and retired in 1995. He also served as Secretary of The Amherst Planning Board, and served on many other Amherst committees.
He had been active in many local, regional and national Building Officials organizations. He served on the Board of Directors of the Mass. Building Commissioners and Inspectors Association, played a major role in organizing the Building Officials of Western Mass. (BOWM) and served as the groups President for the 1974-1975 term. From 1979-1981, he served as chairman of the New England Building Code Association. He also served as Chairman of the New England Educational Committee which sponsors the Municipal Building Officials Conference. He served as President of the Eastern States Building Officials Federation from 1975-1976. In 1983, he was elected a corporate member of the Underwriters Laboratories and after retirement served as a consultant for their Codes and Standards Division. He was honored to be BOCA (Building Officials & Code Administrators) President from 1983-1984 and represented BOCA at the World Organization of Building Officials in London, England.
In his retirement Chet enjoyed playing Golf at the Amherst Golf Course and was a member of The Legends!
Chet leaves behind his children, David Penza and his fiancé Christine Bordeaux, Lynn Penza, Alison Penza and her fiancé, Thomas Perron, Gary Penza, Eric Penza and his wife Michelle. He also leaves behind his beloved grandchildren Thomas, Samantha, Charlie, Danny & Christopher. He also leaves his sisters Lucille Henry of Greenfield and Irene Farrick of Whately. He was predeceased by his wife Eileen in 2012, and his brothers Stanley and Edward.
Chet was known for his devotion to his family and his career, his fairness and strong work ethic. A special thanks to the Arbors staff, all the private caregivers, and the Fisher Home for taking such wonderful care of him.
Calling Hours will be Sunday February 10, 2019 from 2-4:30 pm with a celebration of life at 4:30. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Fisher Home or the Amherst Boys & Girls Club.

Josephus Richards, a longtime resident of Amherst, died on Sunday February 3, 2019. Josephus was born on March 17, 1942 in Freetown, Sierra Leone to the late Josephus Vidal Thomas Richards and Patience Richards. As a young adult with a passion for education, Josephus moved to the United States in 1967 and enrolled in Northwestern University. Shortly thereafter, he met and subsequently fell in love with his wife Laura, at a Valentine’s Day party in Evanston, Illinois.

Josephus received his B.A. from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria in 1967 and a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History from Northwestern University in 1970. He moved to Amherst to work as a Professor in the W. E. B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts a year later. In his 37-year teaching career, Josephus also taught at the University of Lagos and the University of North Carolina. His fieldwork and research in African arts and the cultural institutions that propagate them led to numerous awards and his publications have been published in Germany, Canada, Israel, and here in the US. Additionally, he was a professional textile designer with his creations owned by clients all over the world and exhibited in museums in the US and Africa.

Always quick to provide sage advice, display his quick wit, or offer a warm smile to anyone in his path — Josephus would want to be remembered most for being a devoted husband for 49 years and a loving father. He is survived by his wife Laura Richards, his three sons, Femi and wife Nettie, Shola and wife Amber, and Doyin and wife Mariko, and seven grandchildren who will miss him dearly. His brothers Victor and Zach predeceased him, and he is survived by his sister Catherine, his brother Tunji, and his sisters-in-law Joy and Fola. Josephus also leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, friends, and former colleagues who were profoundly impacted by him.

As we mourn his passing, may we find strength in knowing that death is only a transition and the spirit lives forever. For those who have toiled long and hard, a respite from the rigors of life is well earned. We cannot afford to deny him the rest he so rightly deserves. It is up to us to keep his memory alive in ways that would immortalize the impact he made and continues to make in our lives.

Our family is grateful to the extraordinarily compassionate and dedicated caregivers and staff at Massachusetts General Hospital, Elaine Manor, and Fisher House Hospice who were a positive and comforting presence in his final days.

In keeping with his wishes, there will be a private funeral and burial service. However, Josephus was known for advising people to “celebrate life,” and in doing so, we will celebrate this great man and his legacy this summer in New York where he has a number of friends and family.

On February 1, 2019, Winthrop “Buzz” Foster departed this world from Pulmonary Fibrosis complications. He was born January 25, 1944 in Northampton, Mass. and attended public school. He later graduated from Umass Stockbridge School of Agriculture/ Hotel Restaurant Management. He was an Eagle Scout and Sergeant in the Army National Guard 1965-1970. Buzz married Nancy Catherine Schmidt on 11/27/1965. They shared 49 great years together, until her death in 2015. They lived in Easthampton and Shutesbury with their two kids. Buzz and Nancy moved to Edisto Island, SC in 2005. Buzz was the Vice President and General Manager of Elder Lumber Corporation; Owner of Branc Development Corp. with his long time friend, Barry Roberts.; Vice President and General Manager of O’Connor Lumber; Division Manager of COMPAK Component Manufacturing; Treasurer of Amherst Golf Club; and President of Hammocks Property Assoc., Edisto Island, SC. Buzz’s free-minded daughter Tracie pre-diseased her father in 2012. He leaves behind his devoted son David, daughter-in-law and co-pilot in mis-adventure, Kathy (Mireault). His grandchildren Nicholas and Christopher, to whom he loved to watch play hockey, and sister-in law Sandy Snyder. He was a member of the Amherst Golf Club, The Plantation Golf Course, Trinity Episcopal Church and The Edisto Island Yacht Club. His hobbies included watching the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins; flying his flight simulator; traveling and visiting his great friend and companion Lorraine Parent of Ludlow. Buzz also enjoyed a few adult beverages with his best buddies Ken O’Brien and Laird Summerlain. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Fisher House of Amherst. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday February 9, 2019 at 10:00 am at St. Brigid’s Church in Amherst. Additional services will be held at a later date in Edisto Island, SC.

Thomas Frederick Plaut was born in Leipzig, Germany in 1933. His family escaped Nazi Germany and arrived in the U.S. in 1935, settling in Mansfield, Ohio. He credited his Scoutmaster with helping him learn how to be an American. His family moved to Dayton, Ohio when he was 17 and he graduated from high school there. Due to a clerical error associated with the move, his transcript reported a 4.0 GPA and he was accepted to Yale University.

Although he struggled with anti-Semitism at Yale, he found a home on the cross-country team and made lifelong friends. He always said that studying history was the best preparation for being a pediatrician because he learned to piece together what was happening in a situation from synthesizing a variety of accounts (much like listening to a mother and a child describe a medical situation).

While in medical school at Columbia University, he studied tropical medicine for several months in Surinam. He wanted to be able to speak directly with the indigenous people, so he learned their language, Sranan Tongo. While in Surinam, he conversed with local people and served as interpreter on a ten-day canoe trip into the jungle. Alcoa hired him to teach engineers Sranan Tongo. While teaching this course, he learned that the local laborers were greatly underpaid. He decided to help them organize a union, which resulted in his being ordered to leave the country within 24 hours (which he did).

During his medical residency, Tom was institutionalized for several months in a psychiatric hospital. During that time he continued to live out his commitment to self-determination by starting an inmates’ newsletter and agitating for patient rights. Shortly after being released, Tom met Johanna Mautner in 1962 and they married in 1963. They moved to Whitesburg, Kentucky, a tiny coal mining town in Appalachia, because he wanted to practice medicine somewhere where he could make a real difference. Tom reveled in providing medical care in Whitesburg and later wrote many stories about his time there. These and many other stories can be found on his blog, drtomsjournal.com.

From 1967-1977, Tom worked in the South Bronx, following his passion for working where he was needed. At the MLK Jr. Community Health Center, one of the first community health centers in the country, Tom helped create a new model for health care delivery that included training community members to become health care workers. He wrote an essay about what it was like, as a doctor, to cede control to people with less formal training.

In 1977, Tom, Johanna and their two children moved to Amherst, Massachusetts, where Tom became a community pediatrician. Tom was known as “the jeans doctor,” a charismatic and down-to-earth pediatrician who loved to clown with his patients while still providing expert care.
His waiting room was filled with handouts he wrote to help parents improve their child’s health at home. Soon he found a new way to channel his enthusiasm for empowering patients and their families: asthma education. He devoted himself to this project for 30 years. Few things made him happier than realizing he could help someone improve their life through better asthma care.

Tom charted his own course, which involved writing and self-publishing several books on asthma. Much of the work he pioneered has become mainstream practice. His masterpiece, One Minute Asthma, sold over 2 million copies in English and Spanish. He took great pains to write this book at the 5th grade level so it would be accessible to as many people as possible.

Tom was always politically engaged and he and Johanna became a local force in progressive politics, frequently hosting phone banks in election season. Peace and justice issues, including military spending, women’s rights, and single payer health care, were key priorities. He frequently penned pithy letters to the editor on current political events.

Outside of politics and family, Tom’s key communities were the men’s group of the Jewish Community of Amherst (almost 30 years) and Amandla, a social justice chorus (17 years).

When Johanna became ill in 2011, Tom shifted his focus to caring for her. It was a challenging transition, but Tom was determined to do what was best for her, no matter the discomfort it brought him. Tom frequently said he only realized late in life how much she had done to support him throughout their marriage. He wrote her love poems before she died in 2015.

The brightest spot in Tom’s final years was connecting with his grandchildren, Max, Sarah and Reiko. He delighted in them and found different ways of connecting with each.

His life was truly feromic. He is survived by children Rebecca Plaut Mautner and David Mautner Plaut and their families; siblings Frank Plaut and Ruth Weinreb; sister-in-law Susan Hester; and his devoted friend and assistant, Swati Sharma.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Priorities Project, 351 Pleasant Street, Suite B #442, Northampton, MA 01060.

Funeral services will be Sunday February 3, 2019 at 2:00 pm at the Jewish Community of Amherst 742 Main St. Amherst, MA 01002. Burial will be Monday 10:00 am at the Jewish Community of Amherst Cemetery 221 Leverett Rd. Shutesbury, MA 01072

Dolores Joan (Kosloski) McCulloch, 70, of North Hatfield gently passed away in the early morning of Wednesday, January 30, 2019 after a short, but determined fight with ovarian cancer. The day before her passing she was surrounded by a constant stream of family and friends, but waited for the quiet of the wee hours to leave us. A notorious insomniac, we would like to think that she was dreaming of drinking a coffee and reading one of her true crime novels at the kitchen table as she passed.

Born August 8, 1948 to the late Stanley and Angelina (Battistoni) Kosloski, she grew up on farms in Leverett and Hadley and was a graduate of Hopkins Academy in Hadley. After graduation she went to work at UMass Dining Commons as a cook. It was while she was at UMass that she met Bill McCulloch. Bill and Dolores wed on October 19, 1974 and made their home first in Williamsburg, then in Ashfield where they raised their two children Rebecca & Eric.

After having Eric in 1979, she left UMass for several years and took other jobs including as a cook at the former Villa in Plainfield, as a Nurses Aide at the former Sunny Acres Nursing Home in Williamsburg, and briefly ran a small daycare out of her Ashfield home. Always a hard worker, she returned to UMass Dining Services in 1994, and continued to work there full-time until the spring of 2018; she would have continued working if her health had not intervened.

Simply known as “Sister” to her siblings and parents, she was “Mama” to her UMass family, and “Dee Dee” to most everyone else. With her wicked sense of humor she found joy in the people around her and showed it with bluster and teasing. If she harassed you she loved you, it was as simple as that, and her favorite sparring partner was her brother-in-law Dave.

Dee Dee enjoyed playing poker and gin-rummy with her family, and passed many hours in her last months playing with either her sister Barbara, or Eric. She liked to travel, taking road trips to Arkansas to visit family, and especially to Maine with her sister Barbara, and close friend Donna Stanley. Late in life she overcame her fear of flying expanded her love of travel beyond road trips. In 2014 she took the trip of a lifetime to Italy with her sisters Suzy and Barbara, and their cousin Joanne; and in 2017 she and Barbara went to Washington to visit their Aunt Dolores. What truly made her happy though, was spending time with her grandchildren Liam and Sage. Whether it was Sunday Brunch, a trip to Mystic Aquarium, a road trip to Santa Land, or just playing a game, she found endless joy in “her babies”.

In addition to her parents, Dee Dee was predeceased by her husband Bill in 2001, a brother Stanley, Jr in 1969, a sister Susan Zuraw in 2017, and two nephews Peter Rudzik in 1993, and Mathew Kosloski in 2005. She is survived by her children Rebecca Hillenbrand (Rick), Eric McCulloch, and grandchildren Liam and Sage Hillenbrand, all of Ashfield. She is also survived by her sister and best friend Barbara Kosloski of Hadley, brother Walter (Cindy) of Harwich, MA; brother Stephen (Mary) of Hadley, brother David of Hadley, and Sister Joyce Rudzik (Steve), of Athol, Brother-in-Law Bill Zuraw of Bernardston, her Aunt Dolores Young of Washington, and her Aunt Gladys Beaulieu of Amherst, Brother-in-law Dave McCulloch (Mary) of Goshen, and Sister-in-Law Ann McCulloch of Williamsburg. She also leaves her beloved nieces and nephews, cousins, friends and of course her extended family at UMass.

We would like to extend a special thank-you to her nieces Veronica Kosloski, and Sharon (McCulloch) Taylor who kept a close eye on Aunt Dee Dee when her health was declining. The family would also like to thank the staff at Elaine Center of Hadley, and Cooley Dickinson Hospital – especially those of the ICU and Mass General Cancer Center where she was a staff favorite and kept the nurses laughing. Your compassion and understanding made Dee Dee’s final months much easier on everyone.

As a final note – Did you know that she gave Patrick a sweater? It has a pirate on it!

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, or the Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst.

Calling Hours will be on Monday, February 4, 2019 from 4 – 7pm at Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 10am at Most Holy Redeemer in Hadley.

Burial will be at the convenience of the family later in the spring, as we all know how much Dee Dee hated the winter.