ROBERT A. BAKER

THREE RIVERS, Robert A Baker, 72, passed away peacefully in his home on 4/12/13.  He leaves behind his 3 sons, 3 grandchildren, 2 sisters and a brother. Bob was a longtime resident of Amherst, Ma. As a child Bob worked for the Jones Family Farm in N. Amherst and served his country for 23 yrs. He then retired from Jones Properties after 23 yrs. He enjoyed fishing and spending time with his family. Burial will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, Apr. 20, at the N. Amherst Cemetery on E. Pleasant St., Amherst. All are welcome. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Carlo Canales-Cancel

1925 – 2013 

Hadley, Carlos Canales-Cancel, 88, of Hadley died peacefully April 13, 2013 at the Fisher home, Amherst, after suffering from a long illness. It was his wish to return to his daughters’ home, but went to his real home in heaven before that could happen.

He was the third of twelve brothers and was the son of the late Carmelo Canales and Felicita Cancel. He is survived by his son, Celestino Canales and his daughter, Rev. Maria M. Pagan, Pastor of the First Hispanic Church A/G of Amherst.

Carlos helped raise 22 children, grandsons and great-grandsons alike. Born in Puerto Rico, he worked as commercial farmer and in construction. He moved to Amherst in 1990 and lived on Kellogg Ave. for more than 18 years. During that time he devoted himself to collecting cans and bottles from the streets of Amherst.

Carlos had a passion for wrestling, music and dancing. He was social with everyone he met, Policemen, Firemen and anyone on the street. He was a member of The First Hispanic Church of Amherst, where he was always helpful in setting up for worship.

Funeral Services will be Friday April 19, 2013 at 10:00 AM at The Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst, with burial following in South Amherst Cemetery near his son Ismael Martinez. Calling hours will be Thursday April 18, from 6 – 8 PM at The Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Edith Wilkinson

AMHERST, Edith Wilkinson passed away April 13 at her home surrounded by her family after a long illness. Edith was born on the 14^th of January 1927 in Stapleton Georgia. She grew up in Vidalia Georgia and attended the Georgia State College for Women. She met her husband Thomas O. Wilkinson (T.O.) at DukeUniversity where she earned her master’s degree in sociology. Edie and T.O. moved to Amherst in 1953 so that he could take a job at the University of Massachusetts. Edie became passionate about town government and was a member of town meeting from the early 70’s until 2007, was a member of and chairman of the finance committee, served two terms on the select board (one as chairman). She was active in the League of Women Voters for many years. Edith raised three children in Amherst and was a doting grandmother and great-grandmother. She was predeceased by her husband in 1999 and is survived by her three children Sally (David), Lee (Scott), and Cliff (Catherine) along with 10 grandchildren Joe, Cory, Erin, Thomas, Michelle, Phoebe, Katrina, Grace, William, and Sarah and two great-grandchildren Owen and Ivy. There will be a private burial service. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, MA 18, at 1:00 p.m. at the Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium, 170 Chestnut St. Amherst, MA 01002. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 54 Wayside Ave., West Springfield, MA 01089. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

JORGE BENITEZ-OTANO

AMHERST, Jorge Benitez-Otano, 45, died April 12, at Baystate Medical Center. Born on Jan. 12, 1968 in Havana, Cuba, Jorge was a long time Amherst resident. He is survived by his mother, Hilda Benitez-Rojo. Jorge was predeceased by his father, Antonio Benitez-Rojo and his sister Maria. Funeral services will be Thursday, April 18, at 9:00 a.m. from the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in St. Brigid’s Church, Amherst. Burial will follow in St. Brigid’s Cemetery. Calling hours will be Wednesday, April 17, from 6-8 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

JORGE BENITEZ-OTANO

AMHERST, Jorge Benitez-Otano, 45, died April 12, at Baystate Medical Center. Born on Jan. 12, 1968 in Havana, Cuba, Jorge was a long time Amherst resident. He is survived by his mother, Hilda Benitez-Rojo. Jorge was predeceased by his father, Antonio Benitez-Rojo and his sister Maria. Funeral services will be Thursday, April 18, at 9:00 a.m. from the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in St. Brigid’s Church, Amherst. Burial will follow in St. Brigid’s Cemetery. Calling hours will be Wednesday, April 17, from 6-8 p.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

IRVING HOWARDS

AMHERST, Irving Howards, Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, husband, father, grandfather, friend, died suddenly at home in Amherst Monday April 8 at age 87. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 23, 1925.

Howards volunteered at 17 to serve in the signal corps and was a radio operator in the European theater following the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. He met his wife Frieda while home on leave as the country was celebrating Victory in Europe.

With the help of the GI Bill, Howards earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, after changing his name from Horowitz to escape the anti-Semitism of the time, became a professor of political science. He founded the Hillel at Southern Illinois University and helped create the Jewish Community of Amherst.

Passionate about lessening societal inequality, Howards authored books and articles on the matter while a professor at schools including the University of Illinois Champaign, Kent University in Canterbury, England, and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale where he also directed its Public Affairs Research Bureau. At UMass, he served as the director of the Bureau of Government Research and chaired a committee to establish the Institute of Government Affairs. Howards was deeply involved with AARP and served as chair of its national legislative committee and traveled the world – often on a bike — with his wife.

Interested in government on a local and national level, Howards chaired the Amherst Planning Committee, the Council on Aging, the recent Charter Commission and served for many years as a member of Town Meeting. Howards was active in the American Professors for Peace in the Middle East, and was involved in the planning for Israel’s Environmental Protection Agency.

Howards was pre-deceased by three brothers and a sister. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Frieda, children Marsha (Howards) Semuels, Steve and Mark and their spouses, Joel Semuels, Deborah Andrews and Anita Howards, grandchildren Alana, Andrew, Lissa, Casey, Emily, Koby, Jonah and many relatives and friends who will sorely miss his kindness, intelligence and wit.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, www.michaeljfox.org, Grand Central Station, PO Box 4777, NY NY 10163-4777. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

David P. Goodnow 

AMHERST, David “Grandpa” Goodnow passed peacefully on April 5, 2013 at Kindred Parkview Hospital in Springfield.  He was born in Orange, MA on Jan. 23, 1953 to the late Anthony Mercer and Ethel Goodnow.  David lived in Belchertown for many years before moving to Amherst in 1999.  He was a volunteer at the Amherst Survival Center for twenty-five years.  It was there that he met his good friend and mentor Vangie Westcott.  David loved people and made everyone feel like part of the family.  His good nature brought out the best in everyone in his life.  He appreciated the simple things in life that we so often take for granted. David loved spending time with the guys.  He liked bowling, fishing, vacations, snow plowing and especially the Patriots.  David will be greatly missed by his friends at the Amherst Survival Center, Service Net, Elaine Manor, Pioneer Valley Homes and his extended families, the Rogers, Bronners, Rooneys, Dunbars, Jerrom’s Habhabs, Boothes and Souzas.  Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 16^th at 11:00 a.m. at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst with burial following in Wildwood Cemetery. A calling hour will precede the service from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Amherst Survival Center in David’s name. Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

IRVING HOWARDS

AMHERST, Irving Howards, Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, husband, father, grandfather, friend, died suddenly at home in Amherst Monday April 8 at age 87. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 23, 1925.

Howards volunteered at 17 to serve in the signal corps and was a radio operator in the European theater following the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. He met his wife Frieda while home on leave as the country was celebrating Victory in Europe.

With the help of the GI Bill, Howards earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, after changing his name from Horowitz to escape the anti-Semitism of the time, became a professor of political science. He founded the Hillel at Southern Illinois University and helped create the Jewish Community of Amherst.

Passionate about lessening societal inequality, Howards authored books and articles on the matter while a professor at schools including the University of Illinois Champaign, Kent University in Canterbury, England, and Southern Illinois University-Carbondale where he also directed its Public Affairs Research Bureau. At UMass, he served as the director of the Bureau of Government Research and chaired a committee to establish the Institute of Government Affairs. Howards was deeply involved with AARP and served as chair of its national legislative committee and traveled the world – often on a bike — with his wife.

Interested in government on a local and national level, Howards chaired the Amherst Planning Committee, the Council on Aging, the recent Charter Commission and served for many years as a member of Town Meeting. Howards was active in the American Professors for Peace in the Middle East, and was involved in the planning for Israel’s Environmental Protection Agency.

Howards was pre-deceased by three brothers and a sister. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Frieda, children Marsha (Howards) Semuels, Steve and Mark and their spouses, Joel Semuels, Deborah Andrews and Anita Howards, grandchildren Alana, Andrew, Lissa, Casey, Emily, Koby, Jonah and many relatives and friends who will sorely miss his kindness, intelligence and wit.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, www.michaeljfox.org, Grand Central Station, PO Box 4777, NY NY 10163-4777. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Milford D. Stowell

1928-2013

Leverett- Milford D. Stowell, 84, passed away peacefully on April 5, 2013. Milford was born on May 13, 1928, in Leverett to the late Glenn W. Stowell and Marion (Germain) Stowell, both of Leverett. He was the brother of Glenn W. Stowell, Jr. and the late John Stowell.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce B. Stowell; daughter Susan and husband Jim Crowley of Florida; daughter Julie and husband Robert Hunton of Arizona; son Jeffrey M. Stowell and wife Jacquie of Leverett; son John Scheer and wife Sue, of Vermont; and son James Scheer and wife Dara, of North Carolina. He leaves behind nine grandchildren: Tom Crowley, Bob Hunton, Peter Hunton, Joshua Barber, Joseph Barber, Jessalynn Stowell, Jacob Stowell, Katie Scheer and Connor Scheer along with three great grandchildren.

He worked for the family owned and operated business, started by his father, Glenn W. Stowell, which later became Stowell, Inc Trucking, owned and operated with his brother, Glenn, Jr.

He was a member of the Leverett Congregational Church where donations may be made in his name at P.O. Box 324, Leverett, MA 01054.

A memorial service is planned for June 9, 2013 at 2pm at the Leverett Congregational Church, in Leverett, MA. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

 PAULINE P. COLLINS

AMHERST, Pauline P. Collins, of Amherst, passed away peacefully on Thursday, April 4, 2013, her 92^nd birthday, in the care of loving friends and the compassionate attention of the staff and volunteers of the Hospice at The Fisher Home in North Amherst.

Pauline was born on April 4, 1921, in Sylva, in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the daughter of Hanson and Mercedes [Leake] Pressley. She graduated from Cullowhee High School in 1938. Pauline developed an early interest in Spanish and Spanish American literature at Western Carolina University and Duke University, which led to a Master’s degree at Duke, and went on to get a doctorate in Romance Languages at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While studying for her doctorate, she was awarded the Association of University Women’s Colton Fellowship, which enabled her to spend a year and a half working in the archives and libraries of Mexico, Peru and Chile. She also spent a year in the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress.

On July 3, 1941, Pauline was married to Denver Bryson, also of Cullowhee, NC. Sadly, he was killed serving his country in World War II, and died in Italy on July 16, 1944.

On June 9 1955, Pauline married Professor Dan Stead Collins in Chapel Hill, NC, and they moved to Amherst, where Dan was an English Professor at the University of Massachusetts. Pauline served as Director of the Hampshire Inter-Library Center (HILC) a cooperative facility owned jointly by the Five Colleges, for 11 years. During that time she was awarded a second Master’s degree from the Rutgers University School of Communication, Information and Library Studies.   

In 1968, Dr. Collins joined the University of Massachusetts Library staff, and shortly afterward was named to the Steering Committee of the Latin American Studies Program. She taught a course in Latin American Bibliography, which she continued to teach for 20 years. Due to her stewardship, the Latin American Collection more than tripled in both size and quality.

Pauline served a three-year term as Executive Secretary of the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials (SALALM), 1973-1976, in addition to her regular duties. During the time the SALALM Secretariat was at UMass, she carried out a sizeable publications program and assisted in planning three annual conferences.

Dan died in 1995. Pauline retired from UMass in June 1996, and moved to the Applewood Retirement Community in Amherst that same month, and for many years thereafter actively enjoyed the lively intellectual environment. She took part in many classes, the Reading Group and the morning political round table, among others. Her appreciation for each and every member of the Applewood staff was always expressed in the gracious manner which was so much a part of her.

Pauline was pre-deceased by her first husband, Denver Bryson, her second husband, Dan S. Collins, sister, Alene Cashatt, brothers Richard Pressley and Hanson M. Pressley, Jr. She is survived by a sister, Sarah Ruth Catlapp, a niece, Constance Catlapp, both of Anaheim, CA, nieces Catherine Hunt of Franklinville, NC, and Margaret Taylor, of Dearborn, MI,  nephews, Hanson [Mike] M. Pressley, III of Clyde, NC., and Denver Bryson Cashatt of Mt. Pleasant, Texas, and her godson, Dylan Savage, of Charlotte, NC.

The Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst is in charge of arrangements. Burial, beside her husband, Dan, will be at the convenience of the family, in the Wildwood Cemetery in Williamsport, PA. There are no calling hours. A memorial service will be held in Amherst at a date and place as yet to be determined.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies, 650 East Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002, or the South Congregational Church, 1066 South East Street, Amherst, MA 01002, or to the Latin American Collection, Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts, 154 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA 01003. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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