Amherst, Marjorie F. (Leddy) Robert died Saturday, July 4, 2015 at the age of 98. 

Born in Springfield, MA in December 1916 to the late Edward J. Leddy and Alena F. (Kibbe) Leddy, she grew up in Hampden, moving to Springfield and subsequently to Amherst, where she spent her married life and retirement. 

Her early career, before she became a wife and mother, included work in the Hampden Town Offices, in the President’s Office at American International College, and at Kellogg’s, a Springfield-based mail order company. In the 1960s and 1970s she held several management positions with Allen’s Alley, a group of gift shops in Western Massachusetts. 

In her retirement years she took considerable pleasure in painting, primarily landscapes and still life compositions. While doing so she enjoyed the company of a painting group sponsored by the Amherst Senior Center, and from within that group she made several close friendships. 

She was predeceased by her husband, Hubert E. Robert, and her brother, Edward K. Leddy, as well as her first husband, Paul Favreau. 

She leaves two sons, Hubert E. Robert of Amherst, Edward P. Robert of Lebanon NH; a daughter, Suzanne E. Robert of Andover; two nieces, Janet Fuller of Hayesville, NC and Judith Larson of Greenfield; and two nephews, Robert Tuthill and Richard Tuthill. 

There are no calling hours. Interment at the Old Cemetery, Chapin Road, Hampden will be Monday July 13, 2015 at 11:00 am. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Dakin Humane Society, P.O. Box 6307, Springfield MA 01101-6307. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Amherst, James Holcomb Clark, 89, died at his home on June 30, 2015, with his daughters at his bedside. 

Jim was born in Hinsdale, Illinois. After serving in the U.S. Army Cavalry during WWII, he graduated from Columbia School of Journalism, then the Episcopal Divinity School. He was minister at Grace Episcopal Church from 1961 to 1994, where he baptized, married, and gave solace to many. He was active in the community and nationwide, helping to start The Common School in Amherst, supporting Amherst’s weekly silent anti-Vietnam War vigils, and by marching with Dr. Martin Luther King. He loved to golf, drive his Morgan Plus 4, and play with his Labradors.  

Trib, his wife of 62 years, predeceased him in 2010.  He is survived by his daughters Kimberlee Clark, of South Amherst, Massachusetts, and Amanda Taylor and husband Steve Taylor, of Idyllwild, California; his granddaughter Helen Taylor, her husband Dr. Matt Reimert, and their daughter Annabel, of Santa Cruz, California. 

His Memorial Service will be at All Saints Episcopal Church, 7 Woodbridge St., South Hadley on Saturday, July 25, at 10:30 a.m.  There will be a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Dakin Humane Society or All Saints Episcopal Church. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

He was born Nov. 5, 1922, in Boston. His parents Sibyl (Bingham) and Robert Winternitz moved to Nutley, New Jersey, when Walter was five. He spent much of his childhood in Nutley, attending public school until his parents moved to an apartment on Washington Square in Greenwnich Village. He spent his high school years at boarding school.

In the fall of 1941 Walter began to attend Harvard, but his studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served in the Philippines. At the end of the war, Walter returned to complete his undergraduate education at Harvard where he decided to enroll in R.O.T.C. program. Her was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army, but soon chose to enter the U.S. Air Force. His most notable experiences took place again in the Philippines where he was assigned to intelligence gathering during the Korean Conflict. He sought out and interviewed mariners from neutral nations. Walter spent three years in the Philippines in which he was able to renew family ties with Filipino relatives. He pursued graduate work at the University of the Philippines, eventually obtaining his masters’ degree in political science during the period of great optimism which surrounded the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay. Her remained in the U.S. Air Force until 1967. Westover Air Base in Chicopee, was his last assignment, and he soon began a new civilian life in Amherst.

In 1968, he married Janet Copeland with whom he remained for the rest of his life. He worked for the Real Estate Agency of Mike Skibiski in Sunderland, and then later he worked for the Ketchen family in Belchertown. He was a life long member of the Episcopal Church until he chose to attend South Congregational Church to be with his wife and two sons.

He is survived by his wife Janet and his sons Robert and Andrew.

A memorial service is planned in the near future.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

AMHERST – Charles Moran III, 78, professor emeritus of English, died at home June 21 from the effects of acute myeloid leukemia. His wife, son and daughter were with him.

Son of the late Charles Moran Jr. and Josephine (Taylor) Moran, he was born Nov. 6, 1936, in New York City and was raised there and in Rye, NY. After graduating from St. George’s School in Newport, RI in 1954, and from Princeton University in 1958, he taught English at St. George’s and then at the Choate School in Wallingford, CT, before receiving his PhD in English from Brown University in 1967. That year he joined the English Department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Arriving at UMass as a specialist in 18^th century British literature, he found his true calling in teaching writing to UMass students and tutoring in New York and Springfield. In 1979 and 1981 he directed two federally funded Institutes for the Teaching of Writing for primary and secondary school teachers, which led to a decade of work in Massachusetts high schools and creation of the teacher-directed UMass/Amherst Writing Project, now the Western Massachusetts Writing Project, which he directed from 1994 to 2003. In 1982 he helped develop and then directed the on-going University Writing Program, which administers writing classes for all first-year students and for all third-year students in their majors. After retiring from UMass in 2005, he continued working with graduate students until this past winter. A dedicated supporter of the university and its mission, he also co-chaired the UMass Rising campaign committee for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

Among his professional honors were the UMass Distinguished Teacher award for 1981-82, the University President’s Award for Public Service in 1998, the 1999 Outstanding Teacher award from the Massachusetts Council of Teachers of English, and the 2003 Outstanding Technology Innovator award from the national Committee on Computers in Composition and Communication.

His publications include six co-authored or co-edited books and many, many articles in professional journals.

He involved himself in civic and musical activities, as well. Living in Pelham for 26 years, he was Pelham Town Moderator and later a Finance Committee member. After moving back to Amherst in 1999, he served as a Town Meeting member, a nine-year member of the Public Works Committee, and co-chair of the Transportation Plan Task Force. With his wife Kay he was a 30-year member of Da Camera Singers.

Until his recent illness he was always physically active, racing small sailboats as a youth and later crewing on larger boats, including in two trans-Atlantic races. At Princeton, where he rowed, he was captain of the lightweight crew; as a graduate student at Brown University he coached the freshman crew. One of the original members of the Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club in 1972, he participated in many road races and ran a number of marathons, including two Boston Marathons. In his early 60s he switched to cycling, joining the Northampton Cycling Club and the Northeast Masters Cycling Association.  He competed in the 2011 National Senior Olympics cycling events in Houston, placed second in his age group in the NMCA 2013 and 2014 Championship Series, and completed NCC’s Mount Greylock Hill Climb several times, most recently in September 2014.

Until automobiles became computerized he changed the oil and tuned up his own cars and meticulously maintained any other equipment he or any family members used, from boat rigging to antique clocks, bicycles to chainsaws, lawnmowers to snow blowers. He spent hours daily in his garden every spring, summer and fall.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Kay (Johnson) Moran; son Seth C. Moran and wife Elisa Wells and their children, Shannon and Sarah Wells-Moran of Camas, WA; daughter Amy L. Moran and husband Peter Marko and their son, William Moran-Marko of Kailua, HI; brother David T. Moran Sr. of Longmont, CO, and nephews David Jr. and Montgomery Moran; a half-sister, Martha (Moran) Bird of Vermont; a half-brother, Amadee Moran of Utah; a cousin, Mary Lee (Fahnestock) Leggett of New York City; and his mother-in-law, Virginia L. Johnson of Amherst.

A celebration of his life will be held at a later date. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Moran-Herrington Graduate Fellowship in Composition and Rhetoric, c/o Lucia Miller, College of Humanities & Fine Arts, Dickinson Hall 104, 155 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA 01003.

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Amherst, Agnes Marie (Graves) Lewison, 84, a long-time resident of Amherst, died peacefully on Sunday, June 14, 2015. Daughter of the late Anna Marie (Ready) Graves and William Claude Graves, sister of the late William F. Graves, she was born March 28, 1931, in Washington D.C. Aggie was deeply loved by all who knew her. She leaves behind her husband of 61 years, Walter R. Lewison (Hank), of Amherst, MA, her sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Wes Branch, of Palm Harbor, FL, sister-in-law Rose Marie Graves of Elizabethton, TN, her daughters, Maureen of Manson, WA, Eileen of Arlington, VA, her sons, Richard of Amherst, MA, Mark of West Hollywood, CA, John of Whitefish, MT, Thomas of Ware, MA, and Eric of Belchertown, MA, as well as her daughters-in-law Paulette and Kathleen, sons-in-law John and Leandro, and 7 grandchildren, Nathaniel, Maia, Charlotte, Steven, Michael, William and Tess, and many nieces and nephews.  Aggie was a graduate of Notre Dame Academy in Washington, D.C.  She worked both for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Union of United Mine Workers (UMW). 

Aggie and Hank met in Washington, D.C. and were married on January 16, 1954.  They lived in numerous locations including Rhode Island, Virginia, California, and the Washington, D.C. area before settling in Amherst, MA in August 1968. 

Aggie was a fiery intellectual who could argue both sides of any point, a champion of the underdog, a true wit and artist to the core; she was absolutely beautiful inside and out.  She was a best friend, a trusted confidant and a savior to the disenfranchised. Above all, she was the most wonderful mother anyone could ever want and will be missed forever. 

To celebrate Aggie’s life, a Memorial mass will be said in her honor at 10:00 am on Friday, July 10, 2015, at St. Brigid’s Catholic Church (Address: 122 N Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01004; Immediately followed by a reception at The Amherst Women’s Club (Address: 35 Triangle St, Amherst, MA 01002; Phone: (413) 253-7027). 

Questions and condolences may be directed to: richard.lewison@gmail.com

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Amherst, Jolayne Johnson Hinkel died peacefully at home on the morning of Friday, June 12th at the age of 89. Jolayne was a professor, activist, concert marimbist, singer, author, entrepreneur, and lover of life. She taught English and World Literature at Holyoke Community College and Casper College in Wyoming, and was on the National and New England Board of the UN World Federalists. She was also an active member of League of Women Voters, Service League, and the Symphony Guild.

Jolayne devoted her life to working for human rights, peace, and the environment, and was always an advocate for the “underserved”. Early on she gathered signatures to found the United Nations, was involved in the civil rights movement, and later worked on the campaigns to ban landmines and to establish an International Criminal Court.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jolayne’s home was filled with music and community engagement. Her father, Hansel, was a professional singer and pianist, bank president and civic leader – her mother Opal was also a gifted singer as well as a women’s leader in the community.

She leaves behind four children, Nancy Abdalla, Kate Maiolatesi, Lyna Hinkel and David Hinkel; three grandchildren, Joran Florian Moses, Laida Maiolatesi and Graciella Maiolatesi; and two great grandchildren, Chazz and Logan Moses – all for whom she was their guiding light and fiercest advocate. Her brother, Robert Hansel Johnson, her four beloved nephews – James, Jeff, Doug and Steve – and their families also survive her.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday July 4th at 1:00pm at First Congregational Church

165 Main Street, Amherst. Reception to follow.

Donations in her memory may be made online or by check payable to Holyoke Community College Foundation for the Jolayne Hinkel Scholarship Fund. HCC Foundation, 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01040

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Amherst, Barbara (Julian) Carpenter, 86, of Amherst died peacefully Tuesday, June 16^th after a brief illness.

Born in Pelham on April 24, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Arthur Nelson and Helen (Gaskell) Julian. She attended the Amherst public schools and graduated from Amherst High School in 1946.  She also attended the University of Massachusetts and Northampton Commercial College.

While the majority of her life was dedicated to caring for her family, Barbara worked for several years at the Mark’s Meadow School library, retiring in 1994. Earlier she worked at the University of Massachusetts as manager of the Book Store and as secretary in the Electrical Engineering Dept. She was a member of South Congregational Church and The Amherst Women’s Club, and took advantage of numerous volunteer opportunities

She and her husband, Allan C. Carpenter, spent their entire 66 years of married life at their home in Amherst. Besides her husband, she is survived by two sons, David Carpenter of Groton, MA, Stephen Carpenter and his wife Maria of Berlin, CT, two daughters, Nancy Watts and her husband James of East Sandwich, MA, Ann Misuraca and husband Michael of San Diego, CA. three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.  She also leaves her sister, Virginia Pierce, of Amherst. Two brothers and two sisters died earlier.

Barbara will be remembered as a beloved wife, loving mother, friend, mentor and a blessing to all who knew her. She loved gardening and reading and had an enviable sense of humor. She spent her life reaching out to help others and will be missed by her large sphere of influence.

Calling hours will be Friday, June 26^th from 4-6 pm at Douglass Funeral Services in Amherst. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, June 27^th at 11:00 am at South Congregational Church, in Amherst.  Burial will be private at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1165 North Pleasant St. Amherst, MA 01002 and Crafty Ladies c/o South Congregational Church, 1066 South East Street, Amherst, MA  01002. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Amherst, Kriebel, Sylvia Bell, A Montessori teacher and peace and justice activist, died after a long battle with Parkinson’s on June 16, 2015 in Amherst. She was born on March 22, 1928 in Philadelphia PA. She is survived by her daughter Leslie of Stow MA and her son David of Gloucester MA. She was predeceased by her oldest son, Nathan who died in 1970. 

Ms. Kriebel was raised in Philadelphia and from an early age was active in peace and civil rights activities. She first demonstrated her lifelong commitment to social justice in 1957 when, as a young mother she moved with her former husband John and three small children into Concord Park, one of the nation’s first intentionally integrated housing developments, in Bucks County PA. 

Ms. Kriebel was a devoted educator, lifeling learner, and nature enthusiast. She received her training as a Montessori teacher at The Association Montessori International/USA in Philadelphia in the 1970s, and later earned an advanced degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  In 1976 she moved to Florence, MA and founded The Children’s House, a Montessori pre-school, which she ran for its first ten years. The expanded school continues to grow and thrive to this day. 

She was an ardent believer in the strength of community and was a founding member of Pioneer Valley Cohousing, to which she dedicated countless hours and where she leaves many dear friends. Among her numerous activities, Ms. Kriebel was a tireless member of the Women in Black who stood vigil for peace every Friday for more than four years in downtown Amherst. 

Ms. Kriebel was affiliated with both Quaker meetings and Unitarian fellowships at different times and for the last 20 years was active in Mt. Toby Friends Meeting. A memorial service will be held at the meetinghouse, 194 Long Plain Rd, Leverett MA on September 26, 2015 at 2:00 pm. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1165 N Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002. 

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Northfield- Francis H Fisher, 91, of 10 Captain Beers Plain Road, died Tuesday surrounded by his family.  He was born November 16, 1923 in Northfield the son of the late Hermon and Harriet (Williams) Fisher.  He grew up in Northfield and attended Northfield schools.  He was married to Shirley (Sawin) Fisher his wife of 51 years, who predeceased him October 1999.  He worked as an auto mechanic for Spencer Ford and later worked for Millers Falls Tools for 30 years until retirement.  He enjoyed haying or working his land on “Northfield Mountain” especially riding his tractor.  Splitting and stacking wood, fixing and tinkering with cars, mowers and any small engines all while listening to Traditional Country Music. He is survived by his 3 daughters, Norma Fisher and Mathew Snow of Northfield, Ellen Roberts and her husband Richard Roberts of North Leverett and Linda Lawson and Richard Wittig of Clinton, Arkansas.  8 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.  His sisters Eleanor Williamson, of Florida and Anna Plantinga of Florida and Russell Fisher of Virginia, several nieces, nephews and cousins.  He was predeceased by his sisters Olive Stone, Eva Smith and brother Robert Fisher.  The family would like to thank Hospice of Franklin County for the care and support they provided.  A celebration of life will be Friday June 12, at 11:00 AM at the Grace Church, in Turners Falls, MA. 

Donations in Francis’ memory can be made to Hospice of Franklin County 329 Conway St. #2 Greenfield, MA 01301 

Arrangements are under the direction of Douglass Funeral Service, 87 N. Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA.; web www.douglassfuneral.com

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.

Amherst, Gene McIlvaine Koehler died peacefully Friday, May 29, 2015, at the New England Health Center in Sunderland, MA. She was anticipating her return to her beloved home at 54 Hills Road in Amherst, a home she had shared for over half a century with her husband, Stanley Koehler, who predeceased her on October 7, 2010. 

She was born in Pittsburgh, PA on February 15, 1925 to John Jamison and Geneva Montgomery McIlvaine. The daughter of a Presbyterian minister, she spent her childhood in New Castle, PA. She graduated from Muskingum College in New Concord, OH with a Bachelor of Arts in French. She was also a Master’s candidate at Columbia University in New York City. A teacher by profession, Gene taught at the Spence School for Girls in Manhattan for several years and was a teacher in the Amherst Regional Public School System for 24 years, where she taught fourth and fifth grade at Wildwood Elementary School as well as English at the Amherst Regional Junior High School. Gene had a knack for engaging the interest of middle school learners, capturing their imaginations and inspiring a love of learning with her passion for Greek mythology. She retired from teaching in 1994. 

Gene and Stan married on June 16, 1951 and settled in Amherst to raise their family. As devoted as they were to their home and neighborhood, they were also world travelers, having spent time together and with their family in Europe on multiple occasions, including a year in Kent, England, two separate years in Freiburg, Germany, and four months in Tolo, Greece. Wherever they traveled, Gene and Stan immersed themselves in the traditions and customs of that country, creating lifelong friendships and bonds that transcended language and culture. Lovers of antiquity, Gene and Stan shared their passion by conducting guided tours of the Peloponnese. Many of their friends and family members were beneficiaries of their extensive knowledge of and infectious enthusiasm for the language, art, culture, and history of ancient Greece. 

Gene was a member of the First Congregational Church in Amherst, MA since the early 1950s. A lover of literature and the arts, she had a fine intellect, a keen sense for the English language, an easy wit and sense of humor, an astute knowledge of history, and a passion for current events. Her interests aligned with her activities, as up until recently she remained active in her Bible study group, traveler’s group, and poetry group, and was a docent at the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies. A steadfast supporter of husband Stan’s poetry, she was his most ardent editor and critic as well as his most loyal reader. 

Gene was warm, kind, gracious, attentive, and ever hospitable to visitors and guests. She was a proud and devoted grandmother to thirteen grandchildren and two grandchildren by marriage. She will be long remembered by her family for not just her loving nature, but her gift for storytelling. 

In addition to her grandchildren, she is survived by her five children, Margaret DeGregorio, Raymond Koehler, Geneva Yelle, Jamison Koehler, and Mary Anne Brush and their spouses. 

Calling hours will be at the Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst on Friday, June 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. The service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Amherst, at 10 a.m., Saturday, June 6, followed by a reception at the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies. There will be a burial preceding the service at 9 a.m. at Wildwood Cemetery on Strong Street. 

Memorial gifts in honor of Gene may be made to the First Congregational Church, 165 Main Street, Amherst, MA 01002 or the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies, P.O. Box 2300, Amherst, MA 01004. Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

Service details, Social networking, Memorial Guestbook and Slideshow are available here.