Charles Verne Parham Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA on June 30, 1945 to Charles Verne Parham and Jane Adair Parham. He had 2 siblings, Lamar and Mary Jane.

Charlie graduated Westminster schools in Atlanta in 1963. Several summers were spent at Camp Keewadin in Ontario, spending weeks portaging canoes through the northern Ontario wilderness. He would often tell of how he and his fellow campers used to hop on a swimming moose, and ride them across the lake! One summer, he worked at Disneyland, and kept the title of “Ride Operator in Fantasy Land” on his resume for life.

After the Atlanta Temple Bombing in 1958, Charlie developed a lifelong passion in support of civil rights, and met with Martin Luther King over dinner through his connections with the community.

Charlie attended Williams College in 1963, majoring in English literature, graduating with Honors in 1967. He was awarded a Rockefeller Brothers Theological Fellowship, attended Harvard Divinity School for one year, and later entered a graduate Education program at UMass. He spent his life working in Education: a summer teaching English in Hong Kong, 3 years working with rural teachers in the Peace Corps in the Philippines, and in the S. Hadley “Quest” program for gifted students.
Charlie met the love of his life in 1984 when he came to teach a word processing workshop at a school where Roxy was the English teacher. They married in 1986, and had two sons, Michael and Taylor. He taught his family how to appreciate learning, nature, and community. Charlie had an innate trust in people, and extended himself in ways that brought people together. He was an endless well of wisdom, curiosity, stories, and jokes.
In 1989, Charlie joined the Smith College Campus School as Curriculum Coordinator, where he worked to inspire both students and teachers. For the next 20 years he was involved in all aspects of the school, from assemblies to crossing guard.

Charlie played tennis on several local USTA teams, and was a member at the Amherst Golf Club, where he won several championships. He had an avid love for learning, literature, gardening, travel, cooking food, and wine. His retired years were spent auditing courses at the local colleges, and participating in the “Five College Learning in Retirement” program. He also was an active member of the Amherst Garden Club, planning their monthly outings and speakers. Charlie and Roxy were members of a book club that started in 1984, and after more than 250 books, Charlie could always recall names and plots from any of them.
Charlie passed away after a short illness on March 27. Donations in his memory will be used to purchase materials to build and donate toys to local pre-schools. Donations can be made to “Charlie’s Toys”- a division of “The Bogin Playscape Project”- c/o The Collaborative (97 Hawley St, Northampton MA 01060).

There will be a “Celebration of his Life” on June 30, 4:30 PM, at the Red Barn at Hampshire College.

Richard W. Sears passed away peacefully on March 27, 2019. He was born in Pittsfield February 3, 1930, the son of Fred and Eveline (Litchfield) Sears, grew up in Worthington, Northampton, and Amherst, and was a graduate of Amherst High School. After serving his country in the US Army Signal Corps in Germany he studied electrical engineering at the University of Massachusetts, class of 1958, and was a longtime employee of Northeast Utilities in various capacities until his retirement in 1992.

Having been an avid fisherman in his youth he always found time for outdoor activities and was proud of his carefully tended yard and garden, remaining busy and vigorous until declining health obliged him to move to the Elaine Center in Hadley, where he resided for the last few months of his life. His wife Jean (Stewart) Sears predeceased him in 1979. Richard is survived by his son David Sears of Amherst, with whom he lived for many years, as well as sisters Jane Vondell of Andover and Nancy Fellers of Brewster, along with several nieces and nephews, plus the many friends and neighbors who routinely joined him for morning coffee at Atkins or in the stands at UMass basketball and football games.

There will be no calling hours. A memorial service will be scheduled at the convenience of the family. Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst is in charge of arrangements.

Edward Scudder Belt passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, March 23, 2019 after a brief battle with lung cancer. Ed was born August 4, 1933, to Emma Willard Keyes Belt and Charles Banks Belt of Glen Cove and Southampton, Long Island, New York.
Ed attended Friends Academy, NY and The Portsmouth Priory School, RI. He received an undergraduate degree from Williams College in 1955. In 1957 he received his MS in Paleontology from Harvard, completing his PhD in Geology at Yale in 1963. Ed’s outlook on life was one of determination, hard work, camaraderie, friendship and hope.
Ed started his career as Assistant Professor of Geology at Villanova University, PA. In 1966, Ed came to Amherst College where he taught Sedimentology, Invertebrate Paleontology and Geomorphology. From 1999 until his retirement in 2002, Ed was the S.A. Hitchcock Professor of Mineralogy and Geology. Ed was known to say, “I am teaching what I want to teach, where I want to teach it.” Ed’s dedication to education reached many students who benefitted from his fatherly and professional guidance through their time at Amherst College and beyond, starting life-long family friendships.
From 1987-2002, Ed was Director of the Pratt Museum of Natural History at Amherst College. Here he was able to combine his passion for teaching, archiving, and story-telling. This allowed him to mentor students in museum ‘field work.’ In his retirement, Ed assisted in the museum’s move into the new Beneski Geology Museum. Ed was a prolific researcher in the field of Geology and his work was published in a variety of scientific journals.
One of Ed’s personal interests was building ship models. This culminated in a replica of “The Fair American” Schooner. His attention to detail and accuracy led him to solving a structural mystery, and his article was published in “Ship Modeling” magazine.
At the age of 60, Ed pursued tennis lessons with Art Carrington of Bay Road Tennis Club. He became an enthusiastic player and it became the family sport. He played regularly until last September.
In 2013, Ed recorded a collection of songs with local international folk musician, Annie Patterson. These were songs he sang on family trips. His daughters and some grandchildren accompany him on the CD.
Ed’s love of history evolved from Geology to his family ancestry. He produced a number of films and books, one of which he was working on the morning of his last day with collaborator and film-maker, Rawn Fulton, of Searchlight Films.
Ed was a devoted son, brother, uncle, husband, father, grandfather, and friend. His commitment to his family was unconditional. Ed was known to say, “The best decision I ever made was marrying your mother!” Emily was Ed’s partner, his rudder, his rock, and his salve. She brought him laughter, conversation and diversity. Together they raised four daughters: Emily, Anne, Aggie, and Kilty. As a family they camped, hiked, explored and formed bonds that have carried them through life.
One of the cornerstones of Ed’s life was his deep spiritual faith in God and the Roman Catholic Church. From Portsmouth Priory School to renewing his vows with Emily for their 50th wedding anniversary, he always relied on his faith to inspire and guide his life.
Ed is pre-deceased by his parents, Charles Banks Belt and Emma Willard (Keyes) Belt of New York; and his older brother Charles Banks Belt, Jr., of St. Louis, MO. He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Emily Hillen (Macsherry) Belt; his daughters Emily Hillen Belt of San Diego, CA; Anne Banks Belt Ye (Jiuming Ye) of Amherst, MA; Aggie Keyes Belt (Stanley Poreda) of Southborough, MA; and Catherine Kilty Belt-Vahle (Peter Vahle) of San Francisco, CA. Six grandchildren: Nashua and Machias Poreda, Kieran and Jasmina Vahle, and Devan and Derek Ye; his brother, John Hewlett Keyes Belt (Mary Jane) of Glen Cove, NY; sister-in-law, Louise McKeon Belt of Wildwood, MO; cousin Zoë Van Wyck de Ropp; and many nieces and nephews.
Calling hours are today, Thursday March 28, from 4-7pm at the Belt Family home, 116 Alpine Drive, Amherst. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held, Friday, at 10 am at Saint Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church, Amherst, MA, followed by a reception at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, Hadley, MA. 

Amherst – Lester N Cunningham, 90, died peacefully at home on Sunday March 24, 2019.

He leaves his wife of nearly 70 years, Dorothy (Kolasinski) Cunningham; his son, Gary and his wife Roxanne (Martin); Daughter Gail and her husband Robert Hammel, Daughter Jayne and her husband Henry Walas; and daughter Lynn and her husband David Hayes. He is also survived by his sister Bonnie and her husband Edward Wroblewski along with eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Lester, also known as Jack, was born in California but spent the majority of his life in Cushman. He was the son of John and Doris (Harlow) Cunningham. He graduated from Amherst High School in 1946 and went on to have a career at Western Mass Electric and Northeast Utilities retiring after 42 years of service.

There will be a private family service and burial.

Howard Mentin passed away on March 22, 2019. He was born to Shirley and David Mentin on October 14, 1947 in the Bronx. He grew up in Queens and attended Pace College where he graduated with a business degree. He met Ellen in 1973 and they married six months later. Their daughter Emily was born in 1982 and they all moved to Amherst in 1983. Howard began working in record shops with his father in NYC, which ignited his lifelong love for music. He was a businessman in various capacities throughout his 35 years in Amherst. As a second career he worked in the Amherst schools with students with special needs.

Howard was a special human being. He was kind, generous, and an exceptional listener. He was truly loved by all who came to know him.

Howard is mourned by many but especially his wife Ellen of 45 years, his daughter Emily, her husband Dwayne, and their son Zion. He leaves behind his sister Nina Mentin and her husband Steven Palatt and their children Jesse Hofrichter and Simone Polanen, Isaac and Kristen Palatt and their children Nolan and Rosie, and Brooke and Ru Karunanande.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday, March 26th at 10:00am at the Jewish Community of Amherst, with burial to follow at the JCA Cemetery. The family will be sitting shiva from 4-7pm on Wednesday, March 27th at the Mentin’s home. Donations can be made to the Jewish Community of Amherst.

Thomas Hazen died on March 13, 2019 at the age of 67. He is survived by his sister and her husband, Nancy and Paul Krawczynski, his daughter Melinda Hazen, her spouse Erik Bielanski, and their two daughters Viviana and Mirabel, his daughter Layla and her husband Chris, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Tom was born in Northampton on February 13, 1952 to Edward and Barbara Hazen. He was the youngest of three, with two older sisters, Linda and Nancy. He graduated from Northampton High School in 1970, appreciated by his classmates for his athleticism and humor.

At the age of seven, Tom was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. It was a diagnosis that would shape his life in profound and lasting ways. Tom and his family received diabetes education from the Joslin Diabetes Center, and became connected with Camp Joslin, in Oxford, MA – a summer camp exclusively for children with diabetes. Tom attended Camp Joslin and kept returning, year after year, first as a camper, and later as a counselor. He returned there in his memories, too, as an older man.

Tom grew up in the farming communities of the Pioneer Valley, instilling in him a deep love of the land and animals. He worked as a dairy farmer on his family’s farm, and on many farms in Western Massachusetts. Some of his fondest memories were of his Kentfield’s milk route.

Tom loved music and gardening. He was part old Yankee and part hopeful radical. One of his favorite quotes is attributed to Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Donations can be made in memory of Thomas Hazen, to Camp Joslin, care of the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, Inc. at PO Box 356, North Oxford, MA 01537-0356.

Sarah “Sally” Lawall, 84, died peacefully at home on March 21, 2019. The eldest daughter of Nancy Vincent Nesbit and John Nesbit, Sally was born in Newton, MA, and grew up in Wellesley Hills, MA. She attended Oberlin College, where she majored in French, studied piano at the conservatory, and met her husband-to-be, Gilbert, with whom she came to share 61 years of marriage. After graduation, she pursued a doctoral degree in Comparative Literature at Yale University under the direction of René Wellek, during which time she spent a year in Paris. She received her PhD from Yale in 1961.

The couple moved to Amherst, MA in 1965, where Sally became a distinguished professor of comparative literature and French at the University of Massachusetts. To scholars, Sally is best known for her essays on literary criticism and modern poetry. Professors across the country recognize Sally for her editing of The Norton Anthology of World Literature, a carefully curated collection widely used in universities, accompanied by comprehensive instructor’s guides to which Sally contributed. She published books and many articles on poetry and literary criticism, including Critics of Consciousness: The Existential Structures of Literature and Reading World Literature: Theory, History, Practice with essays by various authors. She served in posts in the American Comparative Literature Association, the Modern Language Association, and the Inter-national Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations.

Possessed of a longstanding interest in different cultures, she traveled with family members to Canada and Mexico, throughout Europe, and to visit her son in Mali during his time in the Peace Corps. Throughout her life, she enjoyed vacationing with her family in New Hampshire, gardening, bird watching, berry picking, and swimming, and she was a strong advocate for conservation and wildlife preservation. Plants of all kinds thrived under her care, including summer vegetables and the extensive collection of houseplants that she maintained throughout the year. In Sally’s retirement, a trusty Yorkshire terrier was a devoted companion.

At home, she excelled at cooking and baking, skills that she passed on to her children. A prolific letter writer, she was admired for the time she invested in writing regularly to both older and younger generations in the family. She was a devotee of classical music, as well as a great fan of mysteries and science fiction. Her wry sense of humor startled the uninitiated, but became a trademark for those who knew her well. She will be especially remembered for her kindness and generosity.

Sally is survived by her loving husband Gilbert, her dearly beloved sons John and Peter, five grandchildren, four great grandchildren, her sister Kate Nesbit, and her niece Kim Marchwick. She was predeceased by her sister Judy.

The family will have a private memorial ceremony. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Dakin Humane Society, P.O. Box 6307, Springfield, MA 01101

Amherst – On Saturday, March 16, 2019, Bill Venman took the outstretched hand of his beloved wife, Sally, and left this life with a smile on his face, finally at peace. As he moves on to conduct his next celestial opera, he leaves behind a legacy of inspiration, unbounded creativity, wry humor and an “anything-can-get-done-with-duct-tape-and-ingenuity” attitude. He touched countless lives as a mentor, musician, committed curmudgeon, conductor, friend and fellow conspirator.

Bill was born on June 27th, 1931 to parents Erma and John Venman. He grew up in Bridgeport, CT and attended Oberlin Conservatory, studying French horn. He took a three-year break from college to enlist in the Army, where he served in Germany as a member of the 7th Army Symphony Orchestra, touring and performing throughout the country. On July 1, 1955, he married the love of his life, Sally (Sarah Katherine) Grant and moved to Muskegon, MI where he taught music. After earning his EdD at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1962, he “temporarily” moved the family to Amherst for a job in the Provost’s office at UMass. Fifty-seven years later, and a career that spanned founding the Continuing Education Division at UMass to roles in educational technology and serving on the boards of the First Congregational Church, ACTV, and the Amherst Ballet, Bill stills calls Amherst home.

Practicing his belief that work should never get in the way of life, Bill cultivated his love of music. He performed with many local groups including the Pioneer Valley Symphony, Amherst Brass Band, and the Amherst Oompah Band, wielded the baton for the Amherst Community Band, encouraged his children to sing and learn multiple instruments, and celebrated winter solstice by directing music for Welcome Yule! But the pinnacle of his musical career began in 1975 when he and Sally founded the Valley Light Opera. The opera not only filled the community’s need for more patter songs and topsy-turvy plot lines, it became a second family to Bill and Sally and a source of great pride and never-ending tales.

Not to limit his enthusiasm to one avocation, Bill transformed the innocent gift of a Lionel train set into a passion that eventually took over half the basement. With a desire to spread the joy, he joined the Amherst Railway Society and helped start the annual Railroad Hobby Show at the Eastern States Exposition. He spent many hours gleefully building scale models and playing with (sorry, “operating”) trains with similarly-minded hobbyists and mesmerized grandchildren.

Bill’s passing leaves an endless fermata in the hearts of those who knew him. His final years were eased and supported by his caregiver and youngest daughter, Diana, who brought joy to his life and made enjoying the comforts of home possible. He was predeceased by his parents and his wife of 55 years, Sally. He is survived by his five children: Tom, of Brookline, MA and his wife, Kathy Harris; Susan, of Saxtons River, VT and her husband, Guy Payne; Peter and his wife, Alison Donta-Venman, of Hadley; Patty and her husband, John Devine, of Whately; and Diana and her partner, Dale Kotapish, of Amherst. Bill’s 14 grandchildren, in whom he took great delight, are Michael and Elizabeth, Tom and Kathy’s children; Claire, Juliana, Miriam, Ruth and Hannah, Sue’s children; Athena, Killian, Griffin, Aurora and Grant, Peter and Alison’s children; and Meghan and Caitlynn, Patty and John’s children. Also, his three brothers, Jim and his wife, Jan of Midland, MI; Pete and his wife, Carol of Mesa, AZ; and Bob of Middlebury, VT, along with many nieces and nephews and their children.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held on Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 98 North Maple Street in Hadley. Reverend Marianne MacCullah will be officiating. Friends may call from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m., Friday, March 22 at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to the Valley Light Opera, https://www.vlo.org.

Anna Rosa DeAngelis, originally of East Boston, passed away peacefully on Thursday afternoon, surrounded by her loving family. Anna was born in East Boston on November 6, 1928, to Rosa Adinolfi Schena and Anthony Schena. She was married to the late Salvatore DeAngelis. Anna and Salvatore raised their three children in Amherst. Anna will be remembered by friends and family for the tolerance, kindness and love she willingly bestowed on family members, neighbors and others with whom she crossed paths.
Those left to cherish her memory include her loving children, Mary, Patricia and Michael DeAngelis; her daughter in law, Rosa DeAngelis; her grandsons, James and Christopher; her brother Anthony and his wife Carol, her sister, Mary, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, neighbors and friends.
The family will hold a private memorial service for friends and family in Amherst later this spring. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ASPCA. 

Mary A. Steigner, 88, died at The Arbors in Amherst on Sunday, March 17, 2019. Mary was born in Sandusky, Ohio, to Elmer and Elizabeth (Ramsay) Steigner on February 16, 1931, their only child. Soon thereafter, the Steigners moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, where both parents taught in the public schools, which Mary attended and then graduated from Hannah Moore Academy, and Goucher College with a degree in physiology and bacteriology. She worked in these fields at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore Bureau of Sewers, Baltimore Biological Lab, and the National Institutes of Health.
Mary then earned a Masters Degree in Experimental Psychology at Howard University – one of a handful of white students. She moved to western Massachusetts in 1962 and was a faithful member of Grace Church, Amherst from then on. She also joined The Society of The Companions of The Holy Cross. For more than fifty years, Mary volunteered every summer at Adelynrood, the Society’s retreat house. She earned a Masters Degree in Library Science at Simmons and worked in the Worcester and Springfield Public Libraries, and UMass Medical School Library.
In 1967, Mary spent several weeks in Florence, Italy, with librarians from around the world cleaning and repairing the thousands of books damaged in the November 1966 flood.
Mary earned a Doctorate in Library Administration from Simmons and was Librarian for ten years each at New England College of Optometry and Franklin Institute both in Boston.
Mary was a flotilla commander in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. She enjoyed camping, hiking, rock climbing, scuba diving and reading. She spent seven months renting a moped camping in England and Wales.
A funeral for Mary will be held at Grace Church, Amherst, on Saturday, March 23 at 11 am, reception following.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Grace Church, 14 Boltwood Ave, Amherst, MA 01002.