!!!DUE TO THE WEATHER, CALLING HOURS FOR DAVID ARE CANCELLED TONIGHT, THE FAMILY WILL RECEIVE VISTORS FROM 10 – 11 AM FRIDAY, BEFORE THE SERVICE!!!

Pelham David A. Bray, 54, a long time Pelham resident, died unexpectedly at home on December 26, 2017. He was born July 20, 1963 to the late Waldo and Phyllis {Pelis} Bray. David was a 1981 graduate of Amherst Regional High School and received his Associates degree from Holyoke Community College in 1983. David was a long time local employee for various local restaurants and food service industry alike.

He is survived by his brother, Donald and his wife Nancy, several Aunts, Uncles and Cousins.

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

Calling hours will be held Friday, January 5, 2018 from 10 – 11 AM at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst funeral services will immediately follow at 11:00 am at the Douglass Funeral Service, with burial following at Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst.

Surrounded by friends and family, Dr. James Ralph—a long-time resident of Amherst–died peacefully on December 21, 2017 at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.   He was 84 years old.

Dr. Ralph was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, on March 23, 1933, to Richard and Alice [Walwood] Ralph.  His family then moved to Bennington, Vermont, where he was raised with two sisters (Claire and Brenda) and two brothers (Richard and David).   For his entire life, he enjoyed the outdoors, especially the backcountry in Vermont and the rest of New England.

In 1950, he matriculated at Middlebury College, where he joined the Chi Psi fraternity.  After graduating in 1954, he entered Yale Medical School.  He received his M.D. in 1959.  He then held an internship and residency at Akron General Hospital in Ohio.  From 1961 to 1963, he was stationed at Shaw Air Force base in Sumter, South Carolina, as a captain in the United States Air Force.

Dr. Ralph moved with his growing family—he had married Edith Aeschliman in 1958— to the Pioneer Valley in 1963.  He was a physician at the University of Massachusetts Health Services until his retirement in 1997.   He served as assistant medical director of the health services for twenty-six years.   In 1991, he was the recipient of a Chancellor’s Citation Award for meritorious service to the University of Massachusetts.  For many years he was a member of the executive board of the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Sports were always an important part of his life.  He played on a number of varsity teams for Bennington High School.  Despite suffering injuries, he received accolades for his performance in football during his senior year.  Later, he became a physician for many of the athletic teams at the University of Massachusetts, including the men’s and women’s basketball squads and the football team.  In 2000, he was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame.

Nothing was more important to him than his family.   He loved taking family vacations, especially camping trips  (which included a lot of fishing) across the country and Canada.

Dr. Ralph was known for his caring nature, for his generosity with his time and talent, for his warm sense of humor, for his steadiness in times of stress, and for always putting people first.

He leaves behind his beloved wife of 59 years, Edith, and four sons and their families (and seven grandchildren):  Jim Jr. and Ophelia Eglene (Owen and Chloé) of Weybridge, Vermont; Lee and Stacy (Julia, Olivia, and Spencer) of San Diego, California; Jon and Patricia Gibson (Jessie and Jack) of Manhattan Beach, California; David and Marsha of St. Augustine, Florida.   He will be lovingly remembered by his sister Brenda and her husband Dr. Abraham Madkour of Manchester Center, Vermont, his brother David W. Ralph of Hercules, California; many nieces and nephews and extended family living throughout the country and the world.

The Ralph family wishes to extend a special thank you to the intensive care unit at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital, the VNA staff, and especially Dr. Ralph’s caretakers over the past year—Robin Alix, Michael Buckowski, and David Brown.

A funeral mass, which will be celebrated by Father John Smegal, will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 13^th, at St. Brigid’s Church in Amherst (Dr. Ralph was a devout, lifelong Catholic), with a burial at Wildwood Cemetery.  Arrangements are under the care of the Douglass Funeral Services, 87 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA.  A reception, a celebration of his life, will follow at the Marriott Center on the 11^th floor of University of Massachusetts Campus Center in Amherst. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Brigid’s Parish, 122 N. Pleasant Street, P.O. Box 424, Amherst, MA 01004, and the University of Massachusetts Athletics Department. 200 Commonwealth Avenue, Amherst, MA 01003.

Dracut, Mary Byrne Fawkner Chase of Dracut, MA died peacefully on Thursday, December 21, 2017 at Sawtelle Family Hospice House at the age of 67. Ms. Chase was born in Springfield, MA, on January 25, 1950. Her father was Charles Hibbard Fawkner and her mother was Margaret Mary Byrne Fawkner. Ms. Chase was raised in South Amherst from the time she was three. As a young woman she was known for her love of music and her talent for singing and playing the guitar. She loved to read and talk about anything and everything. She also enjoyed vacations with her family on Cape Cod.

In 1979, Mary joined the Navy attaining the rank of Yeoman. She was among the first women to serve on an aircraft carrier. In 1993, where was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier CV-67 John F. Kennedy. She and four women slept in the Mass Casualty section of the Medical Department because at that time the US Navy did not have rooms for women. She served in the Naval Reserves stationed at South Weymouth Naval Air Station through 1996. She was a licensed private pilot and treasured the times she was able to fly. Later in life, she also was an avid bird watcher and photographer, with particular love of birds of prey: peregrine falcons, eagles and owls. She also loved cats and dogs and would always say hello to any that came her way. Her lifelong love of travel and adventure took her across the country and abroad to Mexico and Canada and Europe, with some of her favorite trips being those she took alone to England and Germany. She was a clever, kind, and gracious woman with a strong spirit. She was always ready to learn something new and never stopped being curious about the world around her. Anyone who knew her knew her as a loving and open-hearted person and she will be greatly missed by all.

 Ms. Chase is survived by her children, Robert Paul Chase of Malden, MA, and Diana Chase Devereaux of Carrboro, NC. She is predeceased by her brother James Whitefield Fawkner and survived by two of her siblings, Katherine Elinor Bowes of Mexico City and Charles Roosa Fawkner, of Millbury, MA.

 Private funeral services for family members Friday, December 29th at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, MA. Burial will follow in the South Amherst Cemetery. A reception will follow at 2:00 PM at the Lord Jeffrey Hotel, 30 Boltwood Ave. Amherst, MA.

Merike Mand Poldvee, 81, passed away suddenly at a nursing home in Agawam, MA, on December 17, after having been ill for several years.  She was born in Tallinn, Estonia in 1936 and lived through the Nazi and Russian occupations of her homeland during the Second World War.  In September of 1944 she escaped with her family from Estonia, sailing across the Baltic Sea to freedom in Sweden.  After living in Stockholm for two years, the Mand family immigrated to the United States in 1946, settling in Rockport, MA, where her father, the Rev. Dr. Ewald Mand, became pastor of The First Baptist Church. In 1954 her father accepted a call from the First Baptist Church of Amherst to become its pastor, a post he held until his retirement. 

Merike attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 5-year nursing school and graduated with a bachelor of science degree and an RN.  Her career as a nurse spanned her lifetime and she worked in hospitals in Boston, MA, and Toronto, Canada.  Merike also was a nursing instructor at Cooley Dickenson Hospital, when it had a nursing school.  Later she became a Visiting Nurse for the Hadley and Amherst area until her retirement.

Merike is survived by her daughter, Esther Poldvee, of Haverhill, MA, and by her brother Elmet Mand of Glastonbury, CT, and her sister Tahti Mand Carter of Point Pleasant, NJ.

A Memorial Service will be held at The First Baptist Church of Amherst on Friday, December 29, 2017, at 11:00 a.m.

Amherst, Eunice Julia {Keyes} Hannigan, of Amherst, MA, died on December 18, 2017, at Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst. She was born October 16, 1917, in Pelham, MA, to the late Pearl and Julia Keyes. She attended primary schools in Pelham, and graduated from Hopkins Academy in Hadley, and from Cosmetology Academy in Springfield. Eunice worked as a hairdresser in local beauty salons. For many years she also worked for the town of Amherst as a census taker, deputy warden at the polls, and as a teachers’ aide at Crocker Farm School in Amherst.

Eunice was a member of the South Amherst Congregational Church, where she sang in the choir and participated in many church activities. She was also a member of the Pelham Historical Society, the Hadley Historical Society, and the Thursday Club of South Amherst.

Eunice was predeceased by her husband of 53 years, Thomas J. Hannigan, her four brothers and her sister. She leaves five children; Jim Hannigan of Turners Falls, Patricia Correia of Edgartown, Susan Serve of Florida, Timothy Hannigan of Belchertown and Samuel Hannigan and wife Tammy of Amherst. She is also survived by five grandchildren, four great grandsons and many nieces, nephews and friends.

There will be no services. Donations in her name may be made to: Stavros, PO Box 2130, Amherst, MA 01002 or a charity of one’s choice.

HADLEY: Jeffrey R Wood of Hadley, MA and Naples, FL died peacefully on December 18, 2017 with his wife by his side. He was born September 21, 1942 in Huntington, Long Island to Donald and Lily Wood. 

Jeff graduated from the University of New Hampshire. After graduation he went to Laos with the Agency for International Development where he taught English. He then worked for the state of New Hampshire Public Health Department conducting a state-wide vaccination program until he moved to Springfield to work for the American Lung Association. 

In 1973 Jeff bought a small cottage on Leverett Road, Amherst where he began his new career as a real estate developer. Jeff took his property in Amherst and reclaimed the land into a working farm. He built his own swimming pond on the property and hayed all the fields. He dismantled an old barn in Hatfield and moved all the timber to Amherst where he used it to build a long time home on Leverett Rd. Jeff bought and rehab properties for the rental market in many surrounding communities in Western Mass. Additionally he bought a home in Florida where he developed real estate on Captiva and in Naples. 

In the early 1980’s he became involved the Cambodian refugee Settlement Program. He converted a section of his home into an apartment for a refugee family. He also fostered Ho Un through is high school years. 

Jeff enjoyed traveling-spending time in Costa Rica, the Caribbean, and Canada where he especially enjoyed Prince Edward Island with his brother Robin and the Canadian Rockies. He was an avid boater and enjoyed spending time on the water. 

Jeff was predeceased by his parents Donald and Lily Wood and his brother Donald. 

Jeff leaves his wife Nancy of Hadley, MA, and his brother Robin (Eileen) of Sydney, ME. He also leaves his foster son Ho Un of Springfield, his step children Heather (Tim) Scott Naples Fl, Eric (Erica) Bishop of West Springfield, Brian (Jennifer) of Kennebunk ME, grand children Sara and Holly Scott, Zachary and Tanner Bishop, and Eron Bishop. He leaves his brother-in-law Joseph (Amy) Bacis of Easthampton and his sister-in-law Ellen (Ron) Mercer of Chicopee, and many nieces and nephews. 

A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 5, 2018 at 11:00 at Grace Church, Amherst.

Donations may be made to Hospice of the Fisher Home or Kestrel Land Trust.

Eugene Martin Saul of South Hadley, MA, formerly of Granby, MA, passed on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at the age of 81. 

Eugene was born to Raefield Florence Sherwood and Robert Baird Saul on May 8, 1936 in Yonkers, NY. He grew up in Yonkers as the youngest of three boys, and spent summer days exploring and fishing in the Berkshires with his brothers. He studied engineering and graduated from University of Wisconsin and married the love of his life, Alice Marie Gazin, of Lowville, NY in 1959. After working at Corning Glass in New York, Eugene and his family moved to Granby, MA, to take employment at Kollmorgen Glass in Northhampton. In 1967, Gene decided to change careers and he became a stockbroker at Shearson Hammill. He retired after 43 years as a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley in Springfield, where he enjoyed his work and had many good friends. Gene held a deep appreciation for the outdoors, exercise and healthy food. He was an avid hiker and cyclist who looked forward to getting out to hike on the trails of the Pioneer Valley and the White Mountains; at the age of 60 he biked to the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. 

His sense of humor and genuine kindheartedness will be missed by many, especially his family; his daughter Allyson Saul LaBrie and her daughters Courtney and Katelyn; and his daughter Kim Saul with her husband Jim Schantz, their daughters, Magin, Gwen and Torey, and their husbands and children. He was preceded in death by his wife Alice in 1992.

An outdoor enthusiast and nature lover, Eugene’s ashes will be placed with Alice, and on the top of his favorite mountain on a sunny day in the spring.

The family is grateful for the condolences, but declines flowers. Some of the charities Eugene donated to included UNICEF, American Cancer Society and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Amherst, Howard A Peelle died of cancer December 15th at home, in Hospice care, surrounded by his four children and his wife.  He was born February 9, 1944 in Schenectady, NY to Gertrude E and Robert B Peelle, Sr.  Howard (Hap) grew up in Roslyn, Long Island, attended Friends Academy, Roslyn public schools and Stony Brook School (1961).  He was the eldest of 3 boys and 3 girls.  He received his BS in Engineering from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania (1965).  Hap met his wife of 50 years, Carolyn, when they were new teachers (Math/English) at Oakwood School, a Quaker boarding school in Poughkeepsie, NY.  Hap’s football team, loyal to this day, matched him up with the new English teacher, ‘Miss Curtiss.’  After they married, the newlyweds lived a year in Chicago, during one of the most tumultuous years of the nation’s history—1968.

Hap was recruited to a special doctoral program in education at UMass, Amherst under charismatic Dean Dwight Allen. The School grew exponentially, and Carolyn joined the doctoral program as well.  In 1971-72 they graduated, had their first child, and built their first house together in Shutesbury.

As Professor in the College of Education department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, Dr. Peelle pioneered in mathematics education and computer science education, designed and led new doctoral programs in Instructional Applications of Computers in the 70s and Math & Science Education in the 80s.  He was also Visiting Professor at MIT, Tokyo Institute of Technology, University of Hawai’i, University of California at Santa Cruz, and Hampshire College.  He published 4 books and 100+ articles while teaching courses such as Understanding Math Anxiety, Teaching Mathematical Problem Solving, Exploring Math & Science Teaching, and Teaching Mathematics with Computing.  In 1994 he received a national award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology.

His international honors included: Fulbright Scholar Award for Lecturing and Research in Malaysia (2003), Fulbright Senior Specialist for Curriculum Assessment at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (2008), Delegate to the World Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary (2011) and in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2013).  Throughout his tenure at UMass, Dr. Peelle served as Faculty Senator and on councils: Commonwealth Honors College, Status of Women, and International Studies.

Exercise and playing racquet sports were an essential part of Hap’s life. In tennis he competed and often won New England senior tournaments in Men’s and Mixed Doubles (with Carolyn).  They were a perfect match for a match.  When he took up racquetball he became Mass. State champion in his age brackets—40s and 50s—10 times and was ranked nationally as high as #3.  Hap once organized a marathon weekend of racquet sports competition in Ping-Pong, tennis, racquetball, and badminton.  He loved to play backgammon, bridge and Go, and wrote a book on How to Solve Rubik’s Cube.

Hap is survived by his wonderful family: brothers RB (Susie) and Paul (Diana); sisters Elaine (Brian), Sallie (Alan), and Nancy (Robb); sister in law, Cornelia McDade and brother in law, John Curtiss (Sue Ellen); many nieces and nephews; his four children, Juliet (Nelson), Jessi, Caleb, and Mariah (Daniel) plus seven adored grandchildren.  He requested cremation with no burial.

An appreciation of his life will be held at Amherst South Church, on Saturday January 6^th at 2 pm.  The family has requested that gifts in Hap’s memory be sent to Amherst South Church, or to the Massachusetts General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

Ware, Martin A. Joy of Ware passed peacefully on Monday, December 11, 2017. Marty was born in Holyoke, the son of William and Gertrude (Davis) Joy. Marty graduated from Amherst High School and the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass. After graduation, Marty spent time building golf courses before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. Upon leaving the corps, Marty was employed for 30 years as a lineman for ATT. Marty’s first time on hooks, he fell 40 feet from the top of a pole. When his supervisor asked how he got down so fast, he replied, “How the hell do you think? I fell!!” He never fell again! Upon retiring from ATT, Marty spent two years bartending full time for his dear friend Chick Delano at Delano’s restaurant in Amherst. Marty was then employed by Valley Transporter for 18 years, where he made many friends of fellow employees and customers alike who would often specifically request him to be their driver.

Marty is survived by his wife of 28 years, Shannon (Whittemore) Joy, his two sisters, Susan and Jim Holland and Martha and Rob Burke all of Virginia, and his brother Peter and Bobbie Joy of Hadley. Marty was predeceased by his brothers William Joy of Nebraska and Paul Joy of Virginia. Marty also leaves many dear nieces and nephews. It was never a party until Uncle Marty showed up. He also leaves a daughter, Kristy, and two grandsons, Sean and Noah, of CT.

Marty loved his Red Sox, Patriots, horse racing, playing cards, and anything else he could place a wager on. He would often go to extremes to win a bet and usually did.

Marty’s funeral and burial are private. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to any USMC service related organization, or animal rescue organization, or perform a random act of kindness.

Marty was one of the nicest, kind, loving, and giving men you could ever hope to meet.

Amherst, MA–Mary M. Scriver died Dec. 10 in Amherst, MA. Born Nov. 7, 1922 in Elmira, NY, the daughter of William and Irene Ozard, she lived most of her life in Wappingers Falls, NY. 

She was the deeply loved wife of Arthur J. “Mike” Scriver for almost 75 years. She was the mother of Tom (Diana) Scriver and Janice (Jack) Lohr, grandmother of Chris (Joyce) Scriver and Geoff (Jessica) Scriver, Rebeca (Nick) Denny, Mike Lohr (Lydia Tembo), Sarah (Paul) Wyka, and Dan (Taryn) Lohr, and great-grandmother of Natalie, Cecilia and Owen Scriver; Benson and Landry Lohr; and Ellie and Kate Wyka. 

She will be dearly missed for her sharp wit and intense affections. She was dedicated to the mission of the First Presbyterian Church of Wappingers Falls, where she was honored last month as a 60-year member, and to the Rural and Migrant Ministry. 

An informal memorial service is planned for noon on Sat., Dec. 16, at the First Presbyterian Church of Wappingers Falls. 

In lieu of flowers, donations to the mission fund of the church (2568 South Ave, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590) or Rural and Migrant Ministry (PO BOX 4757, Poughkeepsie, NY 12602) would be appreciated.