Thomas Quarles

AMHERST, Thomas Bliss Stillman Quarles, Sr. passed away peacefully on June 1, 2013 five days after his 90th birthday at the Center for Extended Care in Amherst, MA, where he had been for a short time.  Born in Plainfield, NJ in 1923 to Anita M. Stillman and Emmet A. Quarles, he was predeceased by two older brothers Francis Field and James Addison and a younger sister, Mary Ann who died on March 15 this year.

He attended Evergreen Elementary School (whose alma mater song he rendered flawlessly) and graduated from Plainfield High School in 1941, followed by a post-graduate year at Phillips Academy Andover in 1942.  He was a member of the unique Class of 1945W at Yale, an accelerated program interrupted by World War II.  He volunteered in 1944 for service in the Naval Reserve V-5 Flight Training program and was discharged in 1945.  He returned to Yale and completed his B.S. in Industrial Administration in 1947.

After graduation he joined Corn Products Refining Company as an industrial salesman and left after five years to enter Harvard Business School earning an M.B.A.in 1954.  In 1952 he married Carolyn Saunders, a Brattleboro, VT native whose older brother Bill was his classmate at Andover and Yale. They moved to his hometown of Plainfield where he became district sales manager of Union Steel, producer of stainless steel pipe and tubing. One son, Kenneth, was born there in 1955.

The family moved to Needham, MA in 1957, and added two more sons, Thomas, Jr. in 1958 and Robert in 1962.  In 1963 he changed careers and joined the Cambridge Trust Company in Cambridge, MA.  After graduating in 1964 from the National Trust School at Northwestern, and in 1966 from the Stonier Graduate School at Rutgers University, he became a trust officer in 1965.  In 1970 he joined the First National Bank of Amherst, MA where he became a V.P. and head of the Trust Department.  In 1980, he joined the Amoskeag Bank in Manchester, NH as an investment officer.  In 1988 he retired from Amoskeag, worked for Bank East in Manchester, and in 1992 joined Harbor Advisory Corporation in Portsmouth, NH as an investment counselor until 2004.

His community involvement was always wide-ranging: Plainfield YMCA Gymnastic and Boys Work Club; Chairman of the Needham Conservation  Commission and Town Meeting member;  Fund Chairman Cambridge Junior Achievement; Treasurer First Parish Unitarian, Needham;  Class Agent for HBS and Andover; founding member in 1971 of the Kestrel Trust in Amherst (a private land trust); Director of Hampshire Community United Way; Friends of Amherst College Music; Manchester Queen City and Amherst Rotary Clubs (Paul Harris Fellow). 

Sports and fitness were an integral part of his life, and included squash, tennis, hiking (life member of the Appalachian Mountain Club), cycling, canoeing, sailing, skiing, and camping.  He loved spending time at Carolyn’s family summer home on Lake Spofford, NH, and was seldom seen without a daily New York Times.

Music was the main thread of his long life:  Beginning as a treble in an Episcopal Boys Choir in Plainfield, he participated in both vocal and instrumental activities in high school.  At Yale he was president of the Glee Club in 1947 and a member of the 1947 Whiffenpoofs (a capella ensemble).  In 1993 he was an original member of Whiff alumni called the SLOTS (Seems Like Old Times) which was active at Yale reunions until 2012.  He sang in many choral groups and church choirs:   Newton Highland Glee Club; Saengerfest Society of Boston; Manchester Choral Society and the Yankee Male Chorus.

His knowledge and love of opera was extensive.  One of his special loves was Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, when as a teenager he took leading roles in professionally-directed performances during his many summers at Pocono Lake Preserve, PA.  He was a founding member of the Valley Light Opera in Amherst in 1975.

He leaves his wife of 60 years, Carolyn, sons Kenneth (Patti), Golden, CO; Thomas, Jr. (Karen), Brookline, NH; Robert (Linda), Sarasota, FL.  Also three grandchildren, Marissa (Brian) Dilka, Pueblo, CO; Clayton Quarles, Salt Lake City, UT; and Eleanor Quarles, Brookline, NH and one great grandson Jackson Dilka.

A memorial service will be held at South Congregational Church in South Amherst, MA at 2:00 PM Saturday, June 29, 2013.  Contributions in his memory would be appreciated to the Endowment Fund at South Congregational Church, 1066 South East Street, Amherst, MA 01002.  Interment will be in Meeting House Hill Cemetery in Brattleboro, VT.  Obituary and memorial register at douglassfuneral.com.

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

JAMES H. WEAVER
 
HADLEY,  James H. Weaver, 69, passed away on June 6, 2013, after a long
illness. He was born in Pelham, August 22, 1943, son of the late Auburn
K. and Avis B. {Burrows} Weaver.  He was a graduate of the Amherst
Schools and the University of Mass., with a degree in Hotel &
Restaurant Management.  For over 40 years he was employed by the
University of Mass., serving at the time of his retirement as Senior
Financial Manager of Auxiliary Services. He was a member of the Amherst
American Legion, Post 148, The Pacific Lodge of Masons, and the   Young
Mens Club of Hadley. Jim had served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam
War. He is survived by his partner, Nancy L. Huntley of Hadley,
brothers; Donald A. Weaver of Queensbury, NY, Ernest E. Weaver of
Amherst, and   the late William B. Weaver of Pelham; his son,  Channing
James Weaver, and his beloved grandchildren, Dalton A., Kameron B., and
McKenna P. of White House, TN.  A Memorial Service will be Tuesday,
June 11, 2013, at 10:00AM at The Douglass Funeral Home, Amherst,
followed by burial, with Military Honors, in Quabbin Park Cemetery,
Ware. Calling hours at The Douglass Funeral Home will be Monday, June
10th, from 5:00 – 8:00 PM . In lieu of flowers memorial donations may
be made to: Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.
Obituary and Memorial Register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

BETTY BURNAND WILLIAMS

 

 

 

BELCHERTOWN, MA – Betty Burnand Williams, 79, of Belchertown, MA, went into God’s loving arms on May 23, 2013.  A graveside service of farewell will be held at Woodbury Memorial Park, Jessup Rd & Kings Highway, West Deptford, NJ on June 1^st, 2013 at 10:30 am, Section M.

 

Betty was born in Camden, NJ to Henry and Mary Thomasson on November 25, 1933. She graduated from Paulsboro High School.  She enjoyed crafting, collectibles, reading, and spending time with her family.

 

Betty is preceded in death by her husband Robert J. Williams and grandson James Ryan Kurth.

 

Betty is survived by her sister, Nora Bratton of Thorofare NJ and children James W Kurth and wife Irene of Corpus Christi TX, Gayle (Kurth) McCaughey and husband Charles of Mantua NJ, Mary Lou (Kurth) Coache and husband Richard of Brimfield MA, Brenda Kurth of Moshiem TN, Cathleen (Kurth) Normand and husband Gregory of Belchertown MA, Carla (Kurth) Cloman of Casselberry FL, Russell Williams of Westville NJ, Robyn Williams of Hochessin DE, many loving grandchildren, great grandchildren, and her life-long friend, Carl F Kurth.

 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Ataxia Foundation or Hope United Methodist Church in Belchertown, MA

 

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the caring staff at the Elaine Center in Hadley, MA and Life Care Hospice for their support in her final days. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

DONALD F. COLBURN

HADLEY, Donald F. Colburn, 65, passed away at his home on May 15, 2013, surrounded by his family, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer.  He was the youngest of five children born to Kenneth and Hazel Colburn of Chepachet, RI, on May 6, 1948.  He left behind his loving wife, Sharon of Hadley, MA, and daughters Jessica and Katelyn of Windsor, CT.  He is survived by siblings Kenneth Colburn (Nancy) and Ruth Parr (Don) of Chepachet, RI, Richard Colburn of Danielson, CT, and Nancy Hodges (Austin) of Beaumont, TX, as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family.

Don (Bean) lived 28 years in Chepachet where he attended local schools and played on local hockey, baseball and basketball teams.  He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1972, and received his Masters in Public Administration from AmericanUniversity in 1978.  He also was awarded his Law Degree in 1986 from WesternNew EnglandUniversity, School of Law.  He was employed for 36 years with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Rural Development Agency.

He served in the United States Army and was awarded the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge and other medals for service in Vietnam.  He was a member of the Massachusetts and Hampshire County Bar Associations, Hampshire/Franklin Umpires’ Association, and he was a member of Pacific Masonic Lodge.

He was an avid fan of the University of Massachusetts hockey and basketball teams, and played on several local hockey and softball teams.  He enjoyed playing golf, and treasured his annual Myrtle Beach golf trip.

Services will be held on Thursday, May 23, at 1:00 pm at Massachusetts Veterans’ MemorialCemetery in Agawam, MA. 

Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (https://netcommunity.pancan.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=218); or PKD Foundation (https://www.pkdcure.org/donate). Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

ETHEL E. CASEY

 

Erving – Ethel E. (Hawley) Casey, 85, passed peacefully Tuesday May 7^th after a brief illness with her eldest son by her side. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Alfred H. Casey.  Born in Pelham of the late John Hawley and Mary (Gillette) Hawley, she was a long time resident of Belchertown, recently residing in Erving at the home of her youngest son and his wife.

 

Ethel graduated from AmherstHigh School, class of 1947.  After raising her family she worked as the first dispatcher for the Senior Surrey at the AmherstSeniorCenter from 1975 until retiring in 1994. She was involved with Hampshire County Triad and the Belchertown Senior Center Travel Club, she loved travel and adventure.

 

In her younger years she was an avid bowler, seamstress and crafter. She got her motorcycle license while in her 50’s. More recently she enjoyed playing cards with her friends, visiting and reading the daily paper.

 

Ethel is survived by her youngest brother Robert Hawley of the Villages in Florida, son Edward K. Casey,  daughter Patricia A. Casey-Campbell and her husband Dale, son John A. Casey and wife Donna, grandchildren Jonathan, Adrianna, and Justin,  great grandson Jacob, and many nieces and nephews.

 

Calling hours are Wednesday May 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst.  A graveside service will be at WildwoodCemetery on Thursday May 23^rd at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Belchertown Senior Center, 60 State St., Belchertown, MA 01007. Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

ETHEL E. CASEY

Erving – Ethel E. (Hawley) Casey, 85, passed peacefully Tuesday May 7^th after a brief illness with her eldest son by her side. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Alfred H. Casey.  Born in Pelham of the late John Hawley and Mary (Gillette) Hawley, she was a long time resident of Belchertown, recently residing in Erving at the home of her youngest son and his wife.

Ethel graduated from AmherstHigh School, class of 1947.  After raising her family she worked as the first dispatcher for the Senior Surrey at the AmherstSeniorCenter from 1975 until retiring in 1994. She was involved with Hampshire County Triad and the Belchertown Senior Center Travel Club, she loved travel and adventure.

In her younger years she was an avid bowler, seamstress and crafter. She got her motorcycle license while in her 50’s. More recently she enjoyed playing cards with her friends, visiting and reading the daily paper.

Ethel is survived by her youngest brother Robert Hawley of the Villages in Florida, son Edward K. Casey,  daughter Patricia A. Casey-Campbell and her husband Dale, son John A. Casey and wife Donna, grandchildren Jonathan, Adrianna, and Justin,  great grandson Jacob, and many nieces and nephews.

Calling hours are Wednesday May 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst.  A graveside service will be at WildwoodCemetery on Thursday May 23^rd at 1:30 p.m. Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Judith Todd

AMHERST, Judith (Wilkinson) Todd, 71, of Amherst, died peacefully on May 9, 2013, at the Hospice of the Fisher Home in Amherst, MA, after a long illness. She was the daughter of Rose Wilkinson of Somerset, MA and the late Stanley Wilkinson. Judith graduated from B.M.C.DurfeeHigh School in Fall River, MA, where she lettered for 4 years in basketball and was class secretary. She obtained a B.S. degree in mathematics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1963 and taught the eighth grade in Somerset, MA. She married Robert Torla on December 28, 1963. In 1976, Judith received an M.S.B.A in accounting from the University of Massachusetts and then worked there until 1988 as the Assistant Controller for Grants and Contracts.  On July 4, 1981, she married David Todd.

Judith noticed and appreciated the small things in life, often picking four leafed clovers and handing them to others. She listened regularly to the BBC World Service and believed that we should know, and care about, what was happening in the whole world. Judith had a passion for justice and fairness and a wonderful sense of humor. She was in awe of no one, except perhaps the Queen of England, and had no patience for those who “were born on third base, and thought they had hit a home run.” Her favorite song was “Streets of London”, which calls us to count our blessings and to notice and care for those who are not so fortunate. She served on the Outreach and Mission Committee of Grace Episcopal Church, and for many years processed the applications for the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund, appreciating that all donations went directly to recipients. She also volunteered at the Hospice Shop of the Fisher Home, which combined a worthy cause, her love of recycling good things that could still make people happy, and the chance to work together with friends.

In addition to her husband, David, and her mother, Rose, Judith is survived by her sister, Joyce Wilkinson of Manchester, CT, her sons Michael Torla of Chandler, AZ and Jason Torla of Seattle, WA, her step-children Jason Dunson Todd of Belfast, ME and Sara Todd Gooch of San Francisco, CA, and her cousin Jan Downey of Oxford, CT. She also leaves 6 beloved grandchildren: Jessica, James, and Christopher Torla; Malcolm and Stella Dunson Todd; and Hazel Gooch.

Judith’s passion, thoughtfulness, caring and sense of humor will be greatly missed by her family and her many friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 1, at 2 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst, where Judith’s ashes will be placed in the Columbarium. Memorial donations may be made to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund through The Daily Hampshire Gazette, Doctors Without Borders (www.doctorswithoutborders.org), or the Hospice of the Fisher Home (www.fisherhome.org). Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

FRED E. MASTENDINO

HADLEY, Fred E. Mastendino passed away on May 10^th at the Center for Extended Care at Amherst. Formerly of Windfield Senior Estates and Sylvia Heights, Hadley, Mr. Mastendino was born August 5, 1909 in Brooklyn, NY and spent his early years in Formia, Italy, returning at age 6 and attending PS 83 in Brooklyn, where he met his future wife, Maria LiBretto, now deceased. He retired from Rhoades Rubber Division of Paragon Rubber, Easthampton, MA, in 1979, as a supervisor. He was previously a volunteer fireman for New Hyde Park, NY Fire Dept., where he attained the rank of Captain. He was active in the Knights of Columbus and a parishioner at St. John’s R.C. Church and Most Holy Redeemer, both in Hadley. Mr. Mastendino was very well known in Hadley, active also in the Council On Aging for many years and will be greatly missed by family and friends. He is survived by his son, Alfred C. of Sagamore Beach, his daughter Marie A. Peterson of Ecuador, four grandchildren; Patricia Hoffman of Maryland, Alan R. of Chester, Jeffrey C. of Manchester-By-The-Sea, and Anthony A. of Carver, MA, seven great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday, May 14, at 10:00 a.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Church, Hadley with burial following in Holy Rosary Cemetery. Calling hours will be Monday, May 13, from 5-7 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Memorial donations may be made to Most Holy Redeemer Church, PO Box 375, Hadley, MA 01035. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Vernon T. Thomas

HADLEY, Vernon T. (Ted) Thomas, 84, passed away at the Elaine Center in Hadley on May 5, 2013, following a period of declining health.

He was born in Hadley on January 11, 1929, the youngest of six children, to the late August and Mathilda (Plutsky) Thomas. He was predeceased by three brothers and two sisters.

Ted was a 1946 graduate of HopkinsAcademy in Hadley, participating in all varsity sports, and then attended the University of Massachusetts, graduating in 1951 after a four year stint on the varsity soccer team. He served with the United States Army in the Korean War from 1952-53 with “L” Company of the 35^th Infantry Regiment of the 25^th Infantry Division – attaining the rank of sergeant as a weapons platoon squad leader. He was a member of the VFW Post 754 of Amherst, the 35^th Infantry Regiment (CACTI) Association and the 25^th Infantry Division Association.

His post-military career was in the insurance industry. He enjoyed a thirty one-year tenure with the Peerless Insurance Company of Keene, NH, serving in management, marketing and auditing positions until his retirement in 1993.

Ted’s retirement years were spent griping about the Boston Red Sox and attending his grandchildren’s sporting activities in Hadley, Granby and Roswell, Georgia. He was a fixture at UMass football games, a fan of the Cleveland Browns and assumed the role of semi-resident handy man at the HadleyGardenCenter. He enjoyed traveling to Maine, Pennsylvania, Georgia and attending Korean War Veteran reunions. He participated in the 1995 dedication of the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C., by marching in the parade with the 25^th Infantry Division.

He was predeceased by his wife of 49+ years, Gilda M. Grandonico, in 2004. He is survived by his two daughters, Janine T. Giles (Tom) of Hadley, Cheryl T. Boisselle (Kevin) of Granby and his son David B. Thomas (Beverly) of Roswell, Georgia. He is also survived by 6 grandchildren; granddaughters Brittany J. Giles of Sunderland, Lindsey C. Thomas and Morgan S. Thomas of Roswell, Georgia ,  Kelsea L. Boisselle and Jenna M. Boisselle of Granby and his favorite grandson, Thomas L. Giles of Spokane, Washington, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Honoring Ted’s wishes there are no calling hours.  A private burial of his ashes will be held at the convenience of his immediate family at a later date.  Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Rita Ellen Sibbison

AMHERST, Rita Ellen Sibbison, 90, died in peace on May 1, 2013, in Hadley, Massachusetts.  She was  born on February 8, 1923, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised by her beloved grandmother, Elenora Gueldner, and then, when her grandmother died, by her Aunt Mamie.  Rita grew up in a boisterous extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins whose roots began in the city and spread across Lake Ponchartrain to the then-sleepy beach town of Mandeville, where her Uncle Charlie had a house built on stilts.  From her earliest days she was admired for her kindness, beauty, wit and charm.

Forced by the Great Depression to leave Sophie Newcomb College and help with family finances, she met her future husband, Jim Sibbison, at a dance for servicemen when Jim’s Navy destroyer was doing maneuvers in the Gulf to prepare for the Mediterranean front.  They married in New York City in April, 1945, when Jim was on leave, and their only child, Wendy, was born the following year. 

Jim and Rita lived in Virginia and Washington, D.C., until 1982, when Jim–a journalist for the Associated Press and then a press officer for the Environmental Protection Agency–retired.  They then moved to Amherst to be near their daughter, who had settled in Western Massachusetts.  Rita soon joined the Amherst Woman’s Club, which she served as President from 1990 to 1992 and of which she was an active member until her death.  For the past six years she also volunteered her time and considerable energy to the Hospice Shop of the Fisher Home in Amherst.

Rita, like most women of her generation, spent much of her married life caring for her family.  She excelled at everything domestic.  Her legendary cocktail and dinner parties always included a tower of shrimp surrounded by men with toothpicks.  She could smock a dress, repair small machinery, make a tailored suit, force a tulip, whip up a mousse, slipcover a chair, needlepoint a pillow, and make stains vanish.  But most of all she could love.  Motherless, she drew people to her like a fragrant gardenia.  She was kind, generous, enthusiastic, and compassionate.  Everyone who met her soon fell under her gentle, cheerful, and slightly sardonic spell.  There was not a mean bone in her body.  The happiest days of her life were the births of her daughter and granddaughter, the grateful recipients of her lifelong, openhearted devotion.

Rita’s sole regret was that she did not have a better education; she taught herself everything she knew through reading.  She read the New York Times daily from cover to cover, looking forward each week to the Science section, and spent additional hours with her nose in a book.  While she mainly enjoyed history and biography, she said that reading Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex and Betty Friedan’s  The Feminine Mystique changed her world view forever.  When living in Washington, D.C., she eagerly volunteered at the Women’s Political Caucus but left after several months, discouraged by the patronizing attitude of the paid staff toward the unpaid housewife volunteers.  A staunch feminist and progressive Democrat, she nonetheless viewed the moral evolution of both genders as a whole with the same skepticism.

Rita had a powerful affinity for art, trees, birds and the moon.  In 2012 she adopted a stray chicken that appeared in her yard, naming her Clara and eventually moving her to a friend’s farm.  She also enjoyed travel and, with Jim, roamed around Europe several times.  In 2007, she and Wendy took a long trip to Italy and began annual vacations together on the Cape.  Last year Rita successfully ventured forth on her own to visit her nephew and his wife in southwestern Virginia.

In 2006, after 61 years of marriage, Jim died.  They had lived in their house on Blue Hills Road for 24 years, longer than they had lived anywhere else.  In Amherst they made many affectionate and intellectually compatible friends.  They were happy there, and Rita continued to live independently in their home until shortly before her death.  She is survived by her daughter, Wendy Sibbison of Greenfield, her granddaughter Maisie Sibbison-Alves, and her nephew Jim Allen and his wife Ursula of Stuart, Virginia. 

A celebration of Rita’s life will be held at the Amherst Woman’s Club on Sunday, May 19th, from 4 to 6 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Amherst Survival Center, 138 Sunderland Road, PO Box 9269, N. Amherst, MA 01059. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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