Wanda Witort Kokurewicz December 23, 1929 – September 18, 2014

 

Amherst, Wanda Witort Kokurewicz died peacefully at the Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst after a long illness on September 18. She was 84 years old.

Wanda was born in Warsaw, Poland in Dec. 23, 1929. Wanda lived through World War II in Poland. She was most proud of her service in the Polish Underground Army and was a courier during the Warsaw Uprising in August – September of 1944. She escaped Poland to England where she was re-united with family and the Polish community there. In London she met and married the love of her life, Jerzy Kokurewicz. There they had their first child, Jerzy. Soon they immigrated to the United States and had their daughter Annette  Kokurewicz (Cycon.)

Wanda and Jerzy recived their bachelor and masters degrees and had successful careers as fine artists, exhibiting with Salvador Dali and throughout New York City and Connecticut. They also became public school art teachers. Wanda taught for over 25 years.

They moved to New Salem MA where they helped raise their two granddaughters with their daughter Annette and son-in-law Dean. They also continued a successful pottery business, Garnki Pottery. These were the happiest years of their lives.

Wanda is survived by her husband of 63 years, Jerzy, son Jerzy and his wife Amita Schmidt of Maui, HI, her daughter Annette Cycon and son-in-law Dean Cycon of Leverett, MA. The lights of her life were her two granddaughters, Sarah (23) and Aliya (20.)  She gave them constant love and introduced them to the world of music, ballet, art and culture. She lives on in them.  

Wanda is also survived by her cousin Jurek Gorzkowski, his wife Anita and their children and grandchildren.

A memorial mass will be held at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel at the Newman Center, Umass at 10:30 am Wed September 24^th followed by a celebration of her life at the Cycon home.

Donations can be made in her honor to Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1165 N Pleasant St Amherst MA. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Arthur Daniel Goodhind

SHUTESBURY – We write with sadness the passing of our dad peacefully at home, Arthur, the last of 13 siblings, born March 2, 1930 in Pittsfield, the son of Henrietta and Murray.

Arthur leaves his loving wife of 60 years Barbara Farrick Goodhind, his four sons John and wife Elaine, Athur Jr. and friend Suzanne, Peter and wife Laurel, Paul and wife Evelynn, his grandchildren Arthur III, Mark, Jason, Tessa, Joshua, Jordan, Evan, his great grandchildren Eric and Graham.

Arthur Served proudly in the US Army during the Korean War, enlisted Dec. 1948 discharged Feb. 1950, called back to duty in Oct. 1950 discharged Aug. 1951 with rank of PFC.

A quiet and caring man, his passion in life was cooking, a well-respected chef in fine dining in many well-known restaurants in the Pioneer Valley during the 1950s and 60s.

His hobby of some 70 years was building balsa wood airplanes. More than 60+ planes are displayed in his Shutesbury home.

Arthur is predeceased by his 12 siblings Luella, Malcom, Murray, Dorothy, John, Edward, Richard, Virginia, Charlotte, Gilbert, Lorena, and Albert.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 10:00am at Douglass Funeral Service in Amherst. Burial will follow at West Cemetery in Shutesbury. Calling hours will be Monday from 4:00–7:00pm at Douglass Funeral Service.

Memorial gifts may be left in Dad’s memory to the Shutesbury Fire Dept. Obituary and Memorial Register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Amherst, Zella Harrington of Amherst has died peacefully in her home after a lengthy battle with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. She was supported by devoted caregivers, family, and friends.  

Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, on July 17, 1945, Zella was predeceased by her parents, Lawrence Harrington and Zella Borst Harrington of Caldwell, New Jersey, and by her son Anson J. Tripp of Amherst. Her marriage to Jeffrey Tripp ended in divorce, when she resumed her maiden name.  

Zella was a graduate of James Caldwell High School and Penn State University, where she majored in Home Economics and was a member of Alpha Phi sorority. She received a master’s degree in Education from Cornell.  

Zella began her lengthy teaching career in Parsippany, New Jersey, but moved to Massachusetts in 1970 and worked for a time covering local government for the Daily Hampshire Gazette before obtaining a teaching position at Greenfield High School. She taught home economics and related subjects for many years at Holyoke High School and later at Amherst Regional Middle School and High School.  

A lifelong member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Zella was also active in the Amherst League of Women Voters and served several terms as a Town Meeting member. For many years she was on the board of the Little Red Schoolhouse in Amherst.  

Travel, the French language, gardening, sewing, quilting, and family history were at the center of Zella’s interests, and her lifelong love of music began when she was a camper and later a counselor at summer camps in New Jersey, New York, and Vermont. She loved sailing and canoeing in the Adirondacks and spending time at the Jersey Shore, where her late parents lived for many years.  

Zella is survived by her sons Peter Tripp of Oakland, California, and Michael Tripp of Berkeley, California; by her sister, Mimi Harrington of Dedham, Massachusetts; and by her nephews Nathaniel and William Harrington of Dedham.  

In lieu of flowers gifts may be made to the Anson Tripp Memorial Scholarship Fund, care of Florence Savings Bank, or to the Alzheimer’s Association Z Team.  

Funeral services will be held at Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst at 3:30PM on Tuesday, September 23. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

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

Doris {Griswold} Findlay

1923 – 2014

 

 

Agawam, MA., Doris Findlay (Griswold) formerly of Little Falls and Toms River, NJ died on September 14, 2014 in Agawam, MA.  Born May 24, 1923 in S. Paterson,  NJ., she is predeceased by her parents Rose and George Griswold and her brother Roy. She is survived by her two daughters, Marilyn Findlay of Bernardsvillle, NJ and Marjorie Farnan of Longmeadow, MA.  She was also the loving Grammy of Maura (Dunn) Lima and her husband Yolexis, Robert Dunn and Aileen Dunn all of NJ.  She is also survived by her newborn great grandson Elliot Lima as well as several nieces and nephews. Private services and burial will be held at Laurel Grove Cemetery, Totowa, NJ.  Douglas Funeral home in Amherst Ma, is managing arrangements. Memorial gifts may be made to Baystate VNA Hospice in Springfield, MA. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

JOHN J. HANLEY

 

WARREN, John J. Hanley, 65, Owner and Director of La Rosa Funeral Home

in Holyoke, died Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014 at The Lahey Clinic in

Burlington. He was born in Springfield, Mar. 16, 1949, son of the late

John T. Hanley, Jr. and Catherine Hogan Hanley. John dedicated his life

for the last 20 years to the families he served.  He is survived by his

wife Debra (Allen) Hanley; a son John T., one brother James T.; a

sister Jane Greene, and three grandchildren, Lillian, Lyric, and Jack.

He was predeceased by his Son Aaron. Funeral services will be Saturday

at 10:00 AM at The Douglass Funeral Service, in Amherst. Calling hours

will be Friday from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at The Douglass Funeral Service. The

family invites friends to join them Saturday at 12:15pm at St. Anne’s

Cemetery, Arnold Rd., in Sturbridge for the Rites of Committal. 

Obituary and Memorial Register at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

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

Amherst, 79, Barbara Lee Sutherland (Hardgrow) departed this life surrounded by loving family on Sunday, September 7, 2014, at Cooley-Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her death was of natural causes. She was born on January 8, 1935, in Cincinnati, Ohio to Harold Davis and Mabel E. Hardgrow. She was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved husband Sylvester L. Sutherland. She leaves to cherish her memory, her sister, Constance Ford, and her brother, Gary Hardgrow (Cynthia Rene) both of Ohio. She’s survived by her loving children (Donna Hancock, Douglas Kearse, Ruth Sampson (Raymond), Anthony Dunson, Eric Dunson (Thala), Kristy Sutherland, Stephanie Dunson (Amy Cheng), Lisa Johnson (Greg), and Tracy Sutherland); sixteen grandchildren; numerous great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews; three “grand dogs,” and one “great grand dog.” She will be deeply missed by Barbara Cole, Nancy Pagano, Janice Lewis, Barbara Jo McDaniel her extended San Diego family, and other dear friends, family, and neighbors to numerable to list.

A retired LPN and piano teacher, Barbara relocated to Amherst MA from Greenfield OH in 2004, to be near daughters living in the area, but soon made the Pioneer Valley very much her own home. She loved Amherst and very quickly made her mark as one of the town’s most visible and active citizens. She was an avid volunteer and a constant presence in the Bangs Community Senior Center; she was the current upstanding President of the Senior Center’s Senior Travel Club, has served on the Board of Directors of Highland Valley Elder Services, was a current member of the Senior Center’s Council on Aging since 2004, was a current and long-standing member of the Nutrition Site Council of Highland Valley, conducted blood pressure screenings, and has been a receptionist for the Senior Center since 2005. She was also a very active member of the Goodwin Memorial AME Zion Church in Amherst, where she served as the church pianist and member of the choir; she was a current member of the Amherst Area Gospel Choir.

Barbara will be remembered by anyone who met her for her radiant smile and contagious laughter, which made her the light of any room she entered. She loved her family and friends, travel, good food, music, football, her church, and the richness and variety of her life in Amherst. She will be deeply, deeply missed.

There will be services in both Massachusetts and Ohio. In Amherst, services will be held today, Wednesday September 10th at Goodwin Memorial AME Zion Church at 6pm followed by a reception at the Bangs Senior Center.  In Ohio, services will be held in Greenfield (Ohio), at Shorter Chapel AME Church on Saturday, September 13th at 10:30am.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Arthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 96280 Washington, DC 20077 (http://www.arthritis.org). Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Swanzey, NH – Steven C. Farnham died at his home Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014, in Swanzey, NH. He was born in Providence, RI, on June 6, 1960, the son of David and Lindy Farnham.

Steven grew up in Hadley, working on local farms and graduating in 1978 from Hopkins Academy, where he was a varsity soccer and baseball player. After attending Cushing Academy for one year, he enrolled at Keene State College, graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering.

While at Keene, Steven played four years of soccer and was a proud member of the 1981 team that had a record of 20-0-5. They were the top-seeded team in the NAIA New England Tournament, and Steven scored the winning goal in sudden-death overtime to send the team to Nationals, where they came in third place. As a member of this team, Steven was inducted into the Keene State Hall of Fame.  

Also while at Keene, Steven was a brother and president of the Alpha Pi Tau fraternity.

After graduating from college, Steven was a salesman at various companies, including John Deere, Reed Screenall, Bomag, and most recently Champlain Valley Equipment in Middlebury, VT. He was a member of the Amherst Golf Club and two-time Steam Boat Tournament champion. He was also active in coaching soccer, returning to Hopkins to coach the varsity boys team for one year and then in the Amherst Youth Soccer Program in which he coached his two beloved children. In addition to soccer and golf, Steve loved ice skating and carpentry. He will be remembered as a sweet, outgoing guy with a big heart and infectious laugh.

Steven is predeceased by his mother, Veronika “Lindy” Farnham of Hadley. He will be missed by his two cherished children, Jack and Grace Farnham, and their mother Tracy Farnham of Belchertown; his father, David G. Farnham of Hadley; his older brother, David F. Farnham, and wife Jacqueline Waldman-Corbat and daughter Olga of Amherst; and his younger brother, Michael Farnham, and wife Sally and children Caleb and Mary Kate of Hadley.

Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst will handle arrangements. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in the family plot in Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Peoples Bank for the benefit of Hopkins Academy Boys and Girls Soccer Programs. PeoplesBank c/o Steven Farnham, 5 South Maple Street, Hadley, MA 01035.

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

 

Amherst, Mary F. (Cronk) Walker, 93, died peacefully August 30, 2014 at the Center for Extended Care of Amherst. 

Mary was born in Fairfax, Missouri, May 31, 1921, the fourth of fourteen children to the late Arthur and Marie (Friend) Cronk.

They moved to Glencoe, Oklahoma when she was young.  Having lived through the Great Depression and dust bowl in very difficult conditions, she never forgot what it was like to be poor and hungry.  In her late teens she worked as a mother’s helper and cleaned houses in Oklahoma City while studying to become a beautician.  There, she met Pvt. John Walker, during World War II.  She joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1943.  John and Mary had a military wedding at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky on August 4, 1943.  Mary was honorably discharged from the WAC in 1944 and moved to Massachusetts to live with John’s family while he continued his military service.  They moved to Amherst in 1946 and bought their home in Pelham in 1950.

Mary was a caring, giving person who hosted Fresh Air children, college students, and fund raisers to build the Pelham Public Library at her home.  She enjoyed many activities such as traveling, crafts, cooking (especially apple and blueberry pies), square dancing, and later in life volunteer reader in Pelham Elementary school.  She was a Cub Scout den mother when her children were young.  Mary was very actively involved and the longest member in the United Wesley Methodist Church. 

Mary was predeceased by her husband, John of 60 years in 2003, her son-in-law, Morris Dwight and 12 of her siblings. 

Mary leaves behind her children, Elizabeth Dwight, Robert, Charles (Carol Kramer), Margaret MacDonald (William), and Daniel (Rebecca).  She had six grandchildren, James, Michael, Jenny, Steven, Amanda, Hayleigh, Cole and seven great grandchildren.

A graveside service will be Saturday, September 6, 2014, at 11:00 AM, at the North Valley Cemetery on North Valley Road, Pelham, Massachusetts, a memorial service and reception will follow at 1:00 PM at the United Wesley Methodist Church at 98 Maple Street, Hadley, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Pelham Library, Pelham Historical Society or the United Wesley Methodist Church.

The family of Mary Walker wishes to thank the Center for Extended Care of Amherst staff for the loving care provided to Mary.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

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

 

Amherst, Mary F. (Cronk) Walker, 93, died peacefully August 30, 2014 at the Center for Extended Care of Amherst. 

Mary was born in Fairfax, Missouri, May 31, 1921, the fourth of fourteen children to the late Arthur and Marie (Friend) Cronk.

They moved to Glencoe, Oklahoma when she was young.  Having lived through the Great Depression and dust bowl in very difficult conditions, she never forgot what it was like to be poor and hungry.  In her late teens she worked as a mother’s helper and cleaned houses in Oklahoma City while studying to become a beautician.  There, she met Pvt. John Walker, during World War II.  She joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1943.  John and Mary had a military wedding at Camp Breckinridge, Kentucky on August 4, 1943.  Mary was honorably discharged from the WAC in 1944 and moved to Massachusetts to live with John’s family while he continued his military service.  They moved to Amherst in 1946 and bought their home in Pelham in 1950.

Mary was a caring, giving person who hosted Fresh Air children, college students, and fund raisers to build the Pelham Public Library at her home.  She enjoyed many activities such as traveling, crafts, cooking (especially apple and blueberry pies), square dancing, and later in life volunteer reader in Pelham Elementary school.  She was a Cub Scout den mother when her children were young.  Mary was very actively involved and the longest member in the United Wesley Methodist Church. 

Mary was predeceased by her husband, John of 60 years in 2003, her son-in-law, Morris Dwight and 12 of her siblings. 

Mary leaves behind her children, Elizabeth Dwight, Robert, Charles (Carol Kramer), Margaret MacDonald (William), and Daniel (Rebecca).  She had six grandchildren, James, Michael, Jenny, Steven, Amanda, Hayleigh, Cole and seven great grandchildren.

A graveside service will be Saturday, September 6, 2014, at 11:00 AM, at the North Valley Cemetery on North Valley Road, Pelham, Massachusetts, a memorial service and reception will follow at 1:00 PM at the United Wesley Methodist Church at 98 Maple Street, Hadley, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Pelham Library, Pelham Historical Society or the United Wesley Methodist Church.

The family of Mary Walker wishes to thank the Center for Extended Care of Amherst staff for the loving care provided to Mary.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

 

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

Amherst – Ann D. (Childs) LaSalle, 85 beloved wife of the late Edwin LaSalle for 64 years, died peacefully Saturday August 23, 2014, at the Center for Extended Care in Amherst.  Born in Northampton on April 22^nd 1929, she was the daughter of the late Herbert L. and Cecelia E. (Dragon) Childs.

Ann grew up on King Street in Northampton and attended Northampton High School. After completing school she worked at Pro Brush in Florence where she met her future husband Ed. They were married April 4^th 1949. They lived on Pomeroy Terrace in Northampton and purchased their home in Amherst in 1955.

While Ann was predominately a homemaker raising her two children, she also took in laundry and ironing from Amherst Laundromat. She later went on to become a manager at Almy’s Department Store in Hadley. After the closing of Almy’s, Ann would finish out her career as the manager of the University Store at UMass.

In their retirement Ann and Ed enjoyed traveling and loved dancing at the Gables and later at the Whale Inn. Ann also took pride working in her gardens and decorating for holidays at her Chestnut Street home.

Ann was the last survivor in a family of thirteen children. She was predeceased by Eleanor M. Childs, Ruth E. Green, Helen E. Peloquin, Herbert Childs, Robert Childs, George M. Childs, Richard L. Childs, Harry E. Childs, Donald E. Childs, John B. Childs and two infant sisters that died at birth. 

She is survived by her son David and his partner Wayne Johnson of Provincetown. She was predeceased by her daughter Linda.

The family wishes to offer special thanks to Gwen Lehan and Lesley Crouse for their continued love and support, also many thanks to the staff at Center for Extended Care.

Funeral services will be Thursday, August 28, at 10:00 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Burial will follow in North Hadley Cemetery. A calling hour will precede the service from 9-10 a.m. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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