Amherst, Elizabeth “Betty” Holden, 81, of Amherst, wife of Herbert Holden, died Monday January 9, 2017 with her loved ones by her side.  She was born in Turner Falls to the late Peter and Mary Bergiel.  She worked in a variety of jobs over the years and was most recently employed as the administrative assistant to the Provost of UMASS.  Betty loved spending time out in her garden tending to her many flowers and watching the birds.  Her favorite was the cardinal.  She also loved relaxing with her family at the beach.  One thing is certain, her children were her priority, whether it was working in the school system so she would be home after school or driving them to their many commitments.  She would do anything for them.  Betty is survived by her sisters Agnes Dobez of Turner Falls, and Irene Russell of Hadley, and her three sons Jeff and his wife Shawnie of Kodiak, Alaska, Chris and his wife Kristin of Middletown, Connecticut, and Paul of Northampton, three grandchildren Michael and his wife Amanda, Jeffery and his wife Josette and Lindsey as well as many nieces and nephews.  She was predeceased by her siblings Blanch Guilbault, Edward, Charlie and Raymond Bergiel.  The family would like to thank all the caregivers that were so amazing, especially Dr. and Mrs. Baecher and the staff at the Cooley Dickenson Hospital ICU.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St Brigid’s Roman Catholic Church in Amherst.

Calling hours will be Friday January 13, 2017 from 8:30 – 9:30 AM at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00 AM at St. Brigid’s Church, Amherst. Burial will follow in North Amherst Cemetery.

Amherst, The Reverend John M. Balcom, of Amherst, passed away Jan. 3rd, 2017 at the age of 98, after a long illness. Born in Boston, Mass. on Nov. 16, 1918, to Rubric G. and Helena Grace (Sabean) Balcom, he grew up in Quincy, Mass., where he was a member of Christ Church and active in the YMCA. He was a graduate of Quincy High School, Mass. State College (UMASS Amherst) , the Episcopal Theological Seminary (EDS) , and Harvard Divinity School. In College he was active in many Christian organizations and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

He was ordained in Dec. 1942, and held parishes in Walpole and Norwood, and served in The Coast Guard Auxilliary. He visited Alaska in the summer of 1942, and helped build a new Church.  He returned to Alaska in 1944 as a Missionary for the Diocese of Alaska, serving in Ft. Yukon, Nenana, Tanacross and Fairbanks, Alaska, also visiting small villages along the Yukon and Tanana Rivers, as well as US Air Bases along the Alaskan Highway. He had a special relationship with the Athabascan Chief, John Healy in Healy Lake. He only returned to Massachusetts to marry his wife, Jeanne, in Amherst and visit Cape Cod, before taking up pastoral duties in Fairbanks until 1947.

During his long priesthood in the Diocese of Massachusetts, he served parishes in Holbrook, Chelmsford and Newton Highlands (St. Paul’s ) until his retirement in 1982. While in Newton, he was Protestant Chaplain at Boston University, UMass Boston, President of the Newton Council of Churches, Mayor’s Chaplain, and Fire and Police Chaplain and was given the Key to the City of Newton for his Service. He was also President of the Newton Rotary Club and active in the Masonic Lodges, as well as Order of the Eastern Star Organizations in both Newton and Amherst, and Royal Arch. He also was Monarch of the Mahded Grotto in Dedham, Mass. When retired to Amherst, he became a member of the Pelham Historical Society, Amherst Rotary Club, Wesleyan Methodist Church and Grace Episcopal Church.

John, also, made a “pulpit exchange” with his family, to a parish in Hook, Surrey, England from 1955-56. He and his family travelled extensively throughout Europe, the Mediteranian, Israel and Egypt, the United Kingdom, Iceland, the Caribbean, and visited all 50 United States. He leaves many friends in Germany and the UK.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Jeanne Lindsey Balcom, his children; Dianne Balcom Manning and her husband Brian Manning, son John L. Balcom and his wife Marie Mandelow Balcom, and daughter Adrianne Balcom.  He leaves his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Lindsey Melchior and spouse Theron with daughters Camille and June Melchior, of Baltimore,MD; Jonathan Balcom and wife Sung, children Henry and Louisa of Wash. DC; and Benjamin Balcom Onthank of Natick, Mass.

Calling hours are at the Douglass Funeral Home, 87 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, Mass., Sunday, Jan. 8th, 2-4 pm. Funeral Service will be at the Grace Episcopal Church, Boltwood Ave., Amherst, Mass., Monday, Jan. 9th at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, Mass. or Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst, Mass.

Amherst, MA, Martha Maria Victoria Corbat-Schmitt, 96, passed away on Saturday, December 31, 2016 at home in Amherst surrounded by her family. She was born on December 21, 1920 in Basel, Switzerland to Gustav and Marie Schmitt.

Martha moved to Amherst August 3, 2015 to be with her daughter and family and has enjoyed a wonderful year and a half.

Martha married Roland Fernand Corbat in 1948. They were happily married for 50 years.  Roland also died in Amherst in 1998.

Martha loved to travel between the two continents and having her family visit often in Basel. She adored the Coast of Maine, Grand Canyon, Florida and on the European side travels to France, Italy, Spain. She had an active social life in Basel and loved her city until it became too difficult for her to “go to town” by herself.

Martha was preceded in death by her three brothers, Gustav, Ernst and Hans Schmitt as well as her sister in laws, Liselotte Schmitt, Heidi Schmitt and Simone Schmitt.

Martha is survived by her daughter, Jacqueline D. Waldman of Amherst, her son in law David F. Farnham of Amherst, and her granddaughter, Olga M. Farnham of Amherst as well as her niece Evelyne Renz-Schmitt of Basel and nephew Dieter Schmitt of Basel.

She will be buried in a private ceremony at Wildwood Cemetery.

The family would like to thank the Hospice of the Fisher Home for their support.

Hadley, Dorothy May Kneeland, 94, passed away peacefully on January 1, 2017 at Baystate Medical Center.

Born in Haydenville, MA to Walenty and Mary Algustoski, she married Rufus “Bud” Kneeland on October 13, 1951. She worked as a Supervisor of Payroll at Pro Brush and later as a Financial Aid Analyst for the UMASS Financial Aid Office. She was an avid golfer and accomplished quilt-maker. She was a member of Northampton CC, Amherst Golf Club, and Hickory Ridge Golf Club.

Predeceased by brothers Jack, Benny, and Kenneth and sisters Stacia, Vicky, and Lottie, Dorothy leaves behind to cherish her memory, two brothers, Tom Toski and Bob Toski. She is survived by her three children, Martha Reeder of Andover, MA, Mark Kneeland of Mechanicsville, VA, and Paul Kneeland of Wilmington, MA, as well as grandchildren Kyle, Corey, Kelsey, and Matthew.

Calling hours will be Saturday, January 7, 2017 from 9:30 to 11:00am at the Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst. A funeral service will follow at 11:00am at the funeral home. Private burial will be at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Dorothy’s name to the Bud Kneeland Scholarship Fund at Hopkins Academy, C/O Hopkins Academy Trustees, P.O. Box 658, Hadley, MA 01035.

 Nancy L. Hobart (Fabian) age 68, of Newport, VT, passed away peacefully after battling a long-term illness on December 31, 2016 surrounded by the love of her family.  She was born in Northampton, MA the daughter of Carl A. Fabian and Henrietta Fabian (DeTeau) and a longtime resident of Amherst, MA.  She was a graduate of Amherst Regional High School Class of 1966 and continued her education at Cardinal Cushing College.  She was a long time employee of Blair Cutting and Smith Insurance Agency. Nancy had a love for animals, along with her husband, and together they rescued many and invited them into their home.  She also loved gardening, golf, and tennis, and had a wonderful smile that could light up any room.  She is survived by her husband A. James Hobart, her two children Mark A. Aldrich and his wife Kelly and Michelle F. Aldrich and her wife Lynne, her brother Carl A. Fabian Jr. and his wife Janie, one niece and two nephews.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Dakin Humane Society, dakinhumane.org, in memory of Nancy.

Calling hours will be Tuesday, January 10, 2017 from 10:00 – 11:00 AM at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. A memorial service will follow at 11:00 AM at the funeral home, with burial following in N. Amherst Cemetery.

Robert A. Potash, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Robert A. Potash, Emeritus Professor of Latin American History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, passed away on December 30, 2016 at age 95. Funeral services will be at the Jewish Community of Amherst on Monday January 2 at 10:30.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 2, 1921, the son of Philip and Sarah (Simes) Potash, Robert was educated in Boston’s elementary schools and graduated from the Boston Latin School. He graduated first in his class in June 1938, and entered Harvard College where he majored in history, with Latin America as his special area of interest.  Elected to Phi Beta Kappa, he graduated magna cum laude in June 1942. A summons from the Cambridge Draft Board led to his withdrawal from Harvard graduate school and to his induction into the Army at Fort Devens, Mass. on October 17, 1942.

            After basic training in the medical corps at Camp Pickett, Virginia, he was accepted into the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) in May 1943. In May 1944, he was assigned to the Military Intelligence Training Center at Camp Ritchie, Maryland, and in January, 1945 he was activated for overseas service with the 41st Japanese Order of Battle Team, a unit that was scheduled to join the Headquarters of the Tenth Army in Oahu that was preparing for the invasion of Okinawa. However, their troopship arrived after the main battle was over. As part of the force preparing now for the assault on the Japanese mainland, Potash was saved from harm when the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki helped persuade the Japanese emperor to ask for peace. After the Japanese surrender, Potash remained on Okinawa as a member of the Tenth Army Intelligence section, helping to secure the surrender of the small Japanese garrison on the island of Kume Shima and the repatriation of Japanese prisoners from the Ryukyu Islands. He was discharged from the Army at Fort Devens on February 18, 1946, with the rank of Master Sergeant.

            Rob met the love of his life, Jeanne Feinstein of St. Louis, Missouri, in November 1943 when she was a sophomore at the University of Illinois. They began their remarkable 70 year marriage on June 9, 1946. They settled in Cambridge in September 1946, where he resumed his graduate studies in history at Harvard. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on a nineteenth-century industrial development bank known as the “Banco de Avio de Mexico”. Published in Mexico in 1959 by the Fondo de Cultura Económica, the book came to be viewed by later generations of Mexican economic historians as a classic work in their field.

            He spent most of his academic career at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, beginning as an instructor in 1950 and retiring in 1986 as the Haring Professor of Latin American History. Over the years he had served as head of the History Department, chair of the Committee on Latin American Studies, and director of the University Argentine Program. From 1955 to 1957 he worked in the U.S. State Department’s Latin American Research and Intelligence Division where he served as Argentine analyst in the unstable period that followed the military coup that ousted Juan Perón. After resuming his academic post, he embarked on a scholarly study of the role of the military in Argentine politics that established his reputation as an international authority on that country’s military. The three volumes of his Army and Politics in Argentina, although intended for academic readers, became best sellers in that country in their Spanish translation.

            An active participant in both the Conference on Latin American History (CLAH) and the New England Council of Latin American Studies (NECLAS), he also served on the editorial boards of the American Historical Review and the Hispanic American Historical Review. In the 1980’s, he developed a collaborative project with Mexican historians at El Colegio de Mexico to create a useful computerized guide to the documents in the Notarial Archive of Mexico City. Initiated at the University of Massachusetts Computing Center, the project was taken over and continued by El Colegio de Mexico; it is still serving the needs of researchers.

In the late 1990’s, he was appointed by the Foreign Minister of Argentina to the Commission of Enquiry into Nazi Activities in Argentina in the decade after WWII.  Known as CEANA, it sponsored a series of studies including one that he prepared on the employment of German technicians by the Argentine Army. He was elected as a Corresponding Member by both the Mexican Academy of History and the National Academy of History of Argentina.

            In 1997, he and his wife, Jeanne, moved from their Amherst home of almost 40 years to the Applewood Retirement Community on whose board of directors she had served during its planning phase. In 2002, he was invited to join the Board of Directors of Loomis Communities, the non-profit operator of Applewood, where he served for the next eight years. 

At Applewood, he continued to keep a close watch on developments in Argentina by reading the Buenos Aires newspapers, in part to be able to handle many requests for comment from Argentine journalists. He happily remained a resource for many graduate students from the U.S. and other countries on their Argentine-related projects.

In his retirement, with the encouragement of his younger daughter, he composed a more personal memoir for the benefit of his grandchildren. Looking Back at My First Eighty Years: A Mostly Professional Memoir was published in 2008. An Argentine edition in Spanish translation is forthcoming.

            Robert Potash was predeceased by his devoted daughter Ellen Potash Arrick in 2005.  He is survived by his loving wife of 70 years and by his devoted daughter Janet Potash of Alexandria, Virginia and Applewood; by son-in-law Martin Arrick and his wife, Linda Arrick of Oakland, California, and five grandchildren:  Daniel, Graham and Alexander Arrick and Emma and Remy Bernstein.

Gifts in his memory may be made to the Department of History of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Jewish Community of Amherst, the Applewood Retirement Community Reserve Fund or the Amherst Survival Center.  No flowers, please.

Amherst, Mr. William (Bill) Anthony Tucker, age 95, of Amherst MA, passed away on December 25, 2016 after a short illness at Cooley Dickinson Hospital. He was born on February 26, 1921 in West Warwick RI to Evelyn Lamothe Tucker and William Henry Tucker, Jr. He is predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Evelyn Delmonico Tucker.  He leaves two daughters and sons-in-law, Gail and Jim Benson of Troutman NC and Joan and Louis Gallinaro of Amherst MA, five grandchildren, Christopher Benson, Nicholas Benson, Abigail Benson Bogdon, Andrew Gallinaro and Liz Gallinaro, five great grand-children and many nieces and nephews.

Before moving to The Arbors of Amherst in 2004, Bill was a longtime resident of Moosup, CT. A photographer and owner of Tucker’s Studio, he was an active member of All Hallows Church and the Plainfield Rotary Club. He was the photographer for the Miss Plainfield Pagent for many years and helped on numerous pancake breakfasts for both Plainfield Rotary and All Hallows Church.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 10:30 am at St. Brigid’s Church in Amherst. Calling hour will precede the funeral  from 9:00-10:00 am on Wednesday at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst.

Burial will be Thursday morning 11:00 am at All Hallows Cemetery in Moosup, CT.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Amherst Survival Center.

Pelham, Diane Fish (nee Johnson), 54, passed away unexpectedly at her home surrounded by her loving husband and children on December 25, 2016.  She lived in Pelham for most of her life, with time spent in Virginia and in Lowell, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Ludlow High School, Springfield Technical Community College, and Bay Path University. She worked as a physical therapy assistant doing pediatric and geriatric care for most of her career. She was an avid traveler and enjoyed camping, trips to the beach, and spending time in the mountains. She is survived by her husband of 30 years, John Fish, and her children, Brent and Laurel Fish, both of Pelham. She also leaves her brothers Ken Johnson of Pelham, Lawrence Johnson of Orange, Russell Johnson of Montague, her sister Sharon Eleau of Palmer, two stepsisters and many cousins. She was predeceased by her parents, Alden Johnson and Marilyn Whitcomb.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to offset costs of the funeral and medical expenses. https://www.gofundme.com/diane-fish-memorial-fund?ssid=854559620&pos=1

Leverett, Maxine Tillotson of Leverett, MA passed away December 23, 2016 at her home.

She was born to Roscoe Mikels and Tessie (Brown) Mikels September 23, 1929 in Shawswick, Indiana. She was predeceased by her siblings William Mikels, Mary Ralph and Betty Morrison.

Maxine graduated from Shawswick High School and Indiana Business College with an associates degree in business. She was employed by Crane Naval Depot for numerous years.

Maxine married Jesse (Tilly) Tillotson January 22, 1971. The two of them owned and operated JM Property Management in Hadley, MA. They sold the business in 2008 and retired to Cookeville, TN. Tilly passed away January 19, 2011. Maxine had returned to Leverett earlier this year to be near friends and family.

She was a member of the Cloverleaf Square Dance Club and Baystate Travelers. She enjoyed her square dance family, traveling in the RV, genealogy and playing euchre.

She is survived by her daughter Phetney Cleveland and son in law Joe Cleveland of Leverett, MA. A special friend Sharon Byrd of Bainbridge, IN. Too many to list nieces and nephews.  And, her favorite buddy, the beloved family black lab Eli.

Burial will be at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, MA with her husband. A celebration of life will take place at a later date to be announced.