Kenneth Hall Langley, born 1935 in Fort Collins, Colorado, died at Hospice of the Fisher Home March 14. After a rural Eastern Washington upbringing, and two years at Washington State University, Pullman, he launched his study of physics in 1955 with his first journey east of Nebraska to attend MIT in Boston. There, at a Methodist social group, he met his future wife Joan Pannier. Graduation from MIT in 1958 was followed by a PhD from UC, Berkeley. Ken and Joan were married June 27, 1959. Daughter Christine arrived in 1964.
In the fall of 1966, Joan 8 months pregnant with son Mark, they camped across Canada in their new Corvair to Amherst, joining the growing physics department at UMass. This move led to a 36 year academic career, as well as deep and abiding friendships. He was proud to be part of numerous publications, a gentle mentor to students, and founding partner of Langley Ford Instruments.
After his first whitewater canoeing trip in 1983, he was hooked. He became an enthusiastic canoeist, kayaker and rafter with the UMass Outing Club, Appalachian Mountain Club, and beyond. His recorder and piano-playing spanned the centuries from the early Renaissance to classical, ragtime and traditional music. He offered quiet caring to his co-adventurers and musicians. Like his father before him, he brought dedication and attention to the details of equipment and organizations, including care for his beloved church, First Congregational, Amherst.
His memory will continue to be dearly held by his wife Joan, children Mark (Ellen), their children Sebastian and Josephine; Christine (Claudia); brother Duane (Carole), and sister Margaret (John) Simmons, as well as a host of friends, relatives, colleagues and community.
A celebration of his life will be held at First Congregational Church, Amherst April 6, 3pm. Musicians begin playing at 2:45.
Gifts can be made to Not Bread Alone (community meal program at First Church), or Hospice of the Fisher Home.

Charles Curtis Harvey died peacefully at age 99, surrounded by family, at Cooley Dickinson Hospital on March 10, 2019. He was born on February 15th, 1920, in Clinton, MA, the son of Charles Weston Harvey and Myrtle (Peters) Harvey. Charles had been residing at The Center for Extended Care in Amherst for 14 months, and previously had been living independently in Bolton, Massachusetts in the home in which he and his wife had raised their family since 1953.
Charles was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army Air Corps. Hearing problems blocked him from active flight duty, so he served as a meteorology instructor, training pilots to read the weather in the years before weather radar or flight instrumentation. His interest in meteorology remained a lifelong passion that he shared with his family and many friends
Prior to his military service he attended the University of Toledo for one year, but returned home to Clinton, Mass. to support his mother after his father died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in 1939. It was at Toledo that he met fellow student and the love of his life, Leslie Marion Bemis. A yearbook from 1939 includes a picture of the Glee Club, with Charles in the back row focused not on the camera but on Leslie in the front. They were married in 1942, and Leslie, their infant daughter in tow, followed him around the country as he completed his military training and service. Charles and Leslie had been married for 70 years when she passed away in 2013 at the age of 92.
In addition to his wife, Charles was predeceased by his brother, Chester Hewitt Harvey, in 2017. He is survived and lovingly remembered by his daughter, Constance Wilkins, her husband, Adrian, and their son Peter, of Pelham; son Paul Harvey of West Roxbury, MA; son Bryan Harvey, his wife, Lynn Griesemer, and their son Sasha Harvey, of Amherst; grandson Allen Wilkins, wife Lisa Steele, and daughter Barbara Wilkins of Shrewsbury, MA; and niece Pamela Ballingham of Tucson, AZ.
Charles spent his entire professional career in the book manufacturing business, most of it at The Colonial Press in Clinton, Massachusetts, at the time one of the largest book printing plants in the world. Over the course of his career he rose through the organization, starting on the shop floor and eventually helping to lead the company through a difficult transition to digital typesetting and composition—in which it was a pioneer—during the 1970s and 1980s.
Although he had not been able to complete his formal education, he made sure that his children did. Charles was widely read and self-educated, and throughout his life demonstrated curiosity, deep thoughtfulness, and great wisdom. He was a person whose opinions were sought and cherished.
Charles was an enthusiastic bowler, golfer, and skier for many years. His passion, however, was tennis, which he played regularly until he started to slow down at age 90. He also gave generously to his community, serving as clerk of his church, town library trustee, and member of the board of assessors in Bolton. His blood type—O negative—made him a universal donor, and it was not uncommon for the phone to ring in the night asking him to come over to the hospital in the next town to help with some crisis. To his children, he (and their mother) made responsibility to the community seem the most natural thing in the world, and they have followed his wonderful example in many ways.
An interment and memorial service will be held in the Bolton area at a later date.

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.