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, MA01002, or to the Latin American Collection, Du Bois Library, University of Massachusetts, 154 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA01003. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

PATRICIA H. SMYKE

SOUTH HADLEY, Patricia Hungerford Smyke, 86, of Loomis Village, South Hadley, died peacefully at the Fisher Home hospice in Amherst, MA, on Friday April 5^th, surrounded by her loving children.

Born February 26^th, 1927, in Bolivar, NY, she was the daughter of the late Amelia Odelia Gerringer Hungerford, and Frank G. Hungerford.  Patricia earned her BA and MA in English Literature from the University of Michigan, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. That was followed by studies at Oxford University, which included a period of travel throughout post-war Europe in 1948.  She was enrolled in a PHD program at Radcliffe College when she met and fell in love with her future husband, Raymond J. Smyke.

Ray and Pat lived in Boston and Washington, D.C., before moving to Morges, Switzerland, where they spent 33 years. Pat worked in Geneva for the League of Red Cross Societies, UNICEF, and the International Catholic Child Bureau.  She was the first woman head of division at the League, where she led the social welfare unit, in charge of visiting and assessing conditions in refugee camps throughout Africa and Asia.   Her work also included leadership of the “Child Alive” program that promoted the use of Oral Rehydration Solution packets to counter diarrheal diseases in developing nations, and she was instrumental in creating the International Year of the Child, promulgated by the United Nations in 1979.

The letters she wrote to her family from these remote locations are treasured to this day, capturing conditions in camps from South Waziristan to Somalia.

Pat was passionate about language.  She wrote essays and poetry, and was an avid fan of crossword puzzles.  She was also an accomplished pianist, a talent she inherited from her father.   She was a wise and loving wife, mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother.

She is survived by her seven children, Anna Smyke (Paul J. Marquis) of River Ridge, LA; Tina Van Ewyk (Robert) of England; Barth (Veronique) of Switzerland; Peter of Alpine, TX; Dana (Anita) of Cordova, AK; Camela Moskin (David) of Hadley, MA; and Paul (Angela DeVecchi) of Arlington, MA.

She will be greatly missed by her 17 grandchildren: Estalyn (Khari Martin), Willa, Andrew Marquis;  Hannah (Robert Bibbings), Sam, Ellie, Rosemary Van Ewyk; Paul J. Smyke; Isaac, Lillian, Mae Moskin; Sophie and Ethan Smyke; Jessica, Casey, Ria and the late Riley Smyke.

She cherished her two sisters who survive her, Mary Fitzsimmons (Doug) of Crossville, TN, and Jerry Chadderdon (Chad) of Bolivar, NY, as well as many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to the staff of Loomis Village Assisted Living, and the Hospice of Fisher Home.  A  Service of Remembrance will be held on Sunday April 7^th at 10:30am, at Douglass Funeral Home, 87 N. Pleasant St, in Amherst, MA.  In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Friends of Edna Maternity Hospital, Somaliland (www.ednahospital.org), or 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.

THOMAS G. ACZEL

 HADLEY, Thomas G. Aczel of Hadley passed away suddenly Sunday, Mar. 24, 2013 after a short illness.

Born Oct. 14, 1960 in London, he was the son of Tamas and Olga Aczel.

His father was a prizewinning Hungarian author, and his mother was an Olympic gold medalist for Hungary in the 1948 London games. After fleeing the Hungarian Soviet imposed communist regime in 1956 his parents met and married in England. The Aczel family moved to the U.S. in 1966 and settled in Amherst, where his father became a professor at the University. They became proud Americans but remained true to their Hungarian heritage. Tom graduated from Amherst Regional High School in 1978 and was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts.

Tom’s career was in technical writing, working for companies including Racal Datacom, VI Corp, Siemens USA and Republic Industries. Like his father, he was known for his razor-sharp wit, his masterful storytelling abilities, his generosity of spirit and his room filling laugh. He lived for many years in Florida and briefly in Wisconsin before returning to live in the valley in 2007.

He was predeceased by his father in 1994. He is survived by his mother, Olga Aczel of Gardner, his companion Maryellen Burnowski of Hadley and her dog Senator Chuffley and many dear friends near and far.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

DOROTHY P. CHILDS

Amherst, Dorothy Pettijohn Childs, of Amherst, died March 28, 2013 in Portsmouth, NH, where she had resided for a few years before her death. Mrs. Childs was the last of the Pettijohn family to reside in Amherst. She was born in 1908 in Amherst, the second of nine children. She was the daughter of Marion Moody Pettijohn and John Jasper Pettijohn.

She was educated in Amherst public schools; received a B.S. in education from Westfield State Teachers College; and received an M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She began her teaching career in Cotton Valley, AL, teaching grades 1 – 6 at a school for African-American children established by the American Missionary Association. She then taught at the Orchard Park Nursery School in Boston. Returning to Amherst, she taught at the Green River School in Greenfield, MA before her appointment to the Amherst School District, from teaching at Kellogg East School and retiring from Crocker Farm School. She was a member of the National Education Association and the Massachusetts Teachers Association. She was also an active member of the Business and Professional Club of Northampton and the Retired Educators of Massachusetts. She enjoyed throughout her lifetime traveling, gardening and reading.

Mrs. Childs was married to John B. Childs of Marion, AL, who predeceased her in 1974. Survivors include her son, John Brown Childs and his wife Delgra Childs of Santa Cruz, CA; her sister Florence Wilson of Beverly Hills, FL; and her dearest friends, Seth Bostock and his wife Amy Bostock of North Hampton, NH and Jonathan Bostock and his wife Marigny Bostock of Louisville, KY. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Childs was able to live independently so late into her life because of the dedicated support of her extraordinary neighbors, Lucy and John Gallagher.

A private burial was held in Olde Hadley Cemetery, Hadley, MA. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

  STANLEY J. KOSLOSKI, SR.

HADLEY, Stanley J. Kosloski, Sr., 98, a long time Hadley resident, died Friday March 29^th, 2013, at home. Born in North Amherst on Nov. 4, 1914, he was the son of the late Matthew and Veronica (Cimakauskas) Kosloski. Stanley was a communicant of Most Holy Redeemer Church. He was a life long farmer and also worked as a security guard at the University of Massachusetts until his retirement. Family was the most important thing to Stanley and he was always happiest when he was spending time with them and loved playing cards with his children and grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Angelina M. (Battistoni) Kosloski in 2010. He is survived by 4 daughters; Dolores McCulloch, Susan Zuraw and her husband William, Barbara Kosloski, and Joyce Rudzik and her husband Steven, 3 sons; Stephen Kosloski (Mary), David Kosloski, and Walter Kosloski and his wife Cindy, 12 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, and extended family. In addition to his parents and wife, Stanley was also predeceased by his son, Stanley Jr., two grandsons, Matthew Kosloski and Peter Rudzik, 6 brothers; Joe, John, William, Frank, Peter and Walter and 3 sisters; Helen, Anna, and Dorothy. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Tuesday April 2^nd, at 10:00 AM at St. Brigid’s Church, Amherst, with burial following in Holy Rosary Cemetery, Hadley. Calling hours will be Monday April 1^st, from 4 – 7 PM., at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Make a Wish Foundation 181 Park Ave. Suite 112 West Springfield, MA 01089. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

JOY REED

AMHERST, Joy Reed, 76, of Amherst died on July 25, 2010, in the Cooley Dickinson Hospital. She was born in Illinois and grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. She received a B.A. from Wheaton College (Illinois) and an M.S. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She was a retired registered nurse and had worked in various nursing capacities in Massachusetts. She was an avid reader, enjoyed gardening, and loved making clothing for her granddaughters. Joy was a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church and sang in several choral groups. Joy is survived by her spouse, George H. Reed, Jr., her children Dawn Leifer and David Reed and five grandchildren. Joy’s kind and loving spirit lives on in her family and others whose lives she touched. Funeral services will be Thursday, July 29, at 10:00AM at The Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Burial follows in Wildwood Cemetery. Calling hours will be Wednesday, July 28, from 5-7PM at The Douglass Funeral Service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Wesley United Methodist Church, 98 North Maple St., Hadley, MA 01035. Obituary and register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

Veronika “Lindy” Farnham

Hadley—Veronika “Lindy” Farnham, 79, of Hadley, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2013, after a brief illness. She was born in Kammern, Austria, on September 19, 1933, the eldest daughter of Joseph and Vera Lindbichler, and attended schools there. Lindy had many vivid childhood memories of the aftermath of World War II in Austria that she shared with her family, the most poignant being her witnessing long lines of refugees walking solemnly through her small farming village as they were fleeing from the East. She came to the United States in 1955 and was later made a citizen at a Law Day ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa. Living with her family in Florida, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Iowa, she finally settled in Hadley in 1964. She was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Northampton. Lindy was one of the originators of the Hadley Cub Scouts and was also a den mother. Her gardening passion was flowers, especially zinnias. She was a skilled seamstress and did alterations out of her home for many years as well as sewing and repairs for the VA Canteen Services for the veterans living there. Being a homemaker, she had many part-time jobs, but her most fulfilling position was working as a nursing assistant at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital, dispensing TLC and patient care.

She is survived by her husband of 57 years, David G. Farnham, and their three sons: David F. Farnham and wife Jacqueline Waldman-Corbat and daughter Olga of Amherst; Steven Farnham and wife Tracy and children Jack and Grace of Belchertown; and Michael Farnham and wife Sally and children Caleb and Mary Kate of Hadley. She is also survived by her sister Helga Nicolussi and her husband Mario of Lauterach, Austria; her former sister-in-law Karla Puchwein of Graz, Austria; her brother Willie Puchwein and his partner Getty of Kammern, Austria; and many nieces and nephews.

Her wishes were to be cremated, and the interment will be in the Wildwood Cemetery in Amherst at the convenience of the family. There will be no wake or calling hours. Douglass Funeral Home in Amherst will handle the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to PeoplesBank for the benefit of Hopkins Academy Boys and Girls Soccer, a program in which her boys participated for many years. PeoplesBank c/o Veronika Farnham, 5 South Maple Street, Hadley, MA 01035.

Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com.

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

1932 – 2013

Amherst, George H. Reed, Jr. of Mansfield, MA, died on March 26, 2013, at Southeast Rehabilitation Center in North Easton, MA.  He was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and spent many wonderful years living in Amherst, MA.  George received a Bachelors degree from the University of Delaware and a Masters degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He worked for nearly 30 years in the Environmental Health and Safety Department of the University of Massachusetts alongside many close friends and colleagues.   He enjoyed reading, sports, attending Mass, and spending time with family and friends.   George is survived by his children, Dawn Leifer and David Reed, and five grandchildren.  George was a kind and gentle man who was a friend to all.  Memorial contributions may be made to Saint Mary’s Church, 330 Pratt St., Mansfield, MA 02048. Funeral services will be Friday March 29^th, at 11:00 AM at The Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Calling hours will be held from 9:30 AM on Friday, at the funeral home, until the time of the service. Burial will follow in Wildwood Cemetery, Amherst. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Jonathan Gilbert Hanke

AMHERST —Jonathan Gilbert Hanke, 84, of Amity Place, Amherst, died peacefully at home under hospice care on March 24, 2013, from pancreatic cancer.       

Jono was born April 16, 1928, in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of Kate (Gilbert) Hanke and Lewis U. Hanke, who at that time was an instructor at the American University in Beirut.      

He served with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1946 to 1948 and graduated from SwarthmoreCollege in 1950. He also attended the School of International Affairs at Columbia University, where he met his wife, Sarah Bond Hanke, during her senior year at Barnard College. They were married in Beacon, New York, a year later on September 13, 1952. 

He is survived by Sarah and their three daughters: Dr. Barbara Hanke of Paris, France, and her husband Rodney Rempel, Laura Hanke of Yantis, Texas, and her husband Andrew Sciabarassi, and Genevra Hanke of Amherst and her partner Michael Reid; and grandchildren Austin Rempel, Will Rempel, Nathan Tofsted, and Samuel Tofsted. He is also survived by a brother, Peter, of Austin, Texas; sisters Susan Abouhalkah of Burton, Texas, and Joanne Schwarz of Bethesda, Maryland; and 10 nieces and nephews. His family will miss his compassion, kindness, and wisdom, and the thoughtful perspective he always brought to any situation. 

He retired to Amherst after a 25-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency. He and his family served in five Latin American countries for over 15 years.      

Jono was a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, where he was at one time Senior Warden and later Treasurer, and was also a long-time participant in the Friday morning Men’s Group. At various times he was also on the Grace Church Greening Committee, Brother Lawrence Guild, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Outreach and Mission Commission, and Finance Commission. He was treasurer of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts for two years in the 1980s. 

He volunteered for a number of years at Western Mass Legal Services in its Holyoke and Northampton offices, the Amherst Survival Center, Not Bread Alone soup kitchen, and as a Trustee and President of the Amity Place Condominium Association in Amherst. He also acted as a legal and medical advocate for a number of disabled men in Amherst. 

He was a long-time member of the Five College Learning in Retirement Program, and during his association with them served on the Council, the Curriculum Committee, the Great Decisions organizing committee, and the Computer Circle, helping make computers more accessible and useful to other members of LIR. He also served as President from 2004 to 2005. 

A memorial service will take place on Friday, April 19, 2013, 2:00 PM at Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst. Interment will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Amherst Survival Center, the Amherst ABC House, or other charity of the donor’s choice. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Douglass Funeral Home. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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

Phyllis W. Page

1927 – 2013

Amherst, Phyllis Ward Page, 85, formerly of Amherst, died March 15, 2013.

Born in Pelham, a daughter of the late Lester and Cornelia (Eldridge) Ward, she lived in Amherst most of her life until moving to Chelmsford, MA in 2008. Educated in Amherst public schools, she was a 1945 graduate of Amherst Regional High School.

She was a lifelong member of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst. She was a 25 year volunteer at the former Grace Church Clothing Exchange and participated in many other groups and activities.

Survivors include her daughter, Patti Feeley and her husband Charles of Pepperell, MA, her granddaughters, Jill Wolfendale of Sterling, MA and Sarah Wilmarth and her husband Rich of Bellingham, MA, her grandson Kenneth Page of Granby, and three great granddaughters. 

She survived her husband, Harold Page, her high school sweetheart who died in 1987, she was also predeceased by her sons Kenneth and Philip Page and her sister Marjorie Ward Damiano.

There are no calling hours.  The funeral will take place at Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst at 1:00pm on Friday, March 22, 2013.  Burial will follow at the Pelham Valley Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002. Obituary and memorial register at www.douglassfuneral.com

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